Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China
Abstract Soil magnetic records in Quaternary red earth (QRE) deposits contain a valuable record of paleoclimate information, providing insights into controls on Earth’s climate system in the past and potentially helping to predict its response to perturbations in the future. Here, analysis of the en...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Daqian Zhang Zhenggang Duan Jiangjun Chen Jingrong Wang Gubu Muga Yunqi Yang Yiming Wang Zhendong Liu Thomas J. Algeo Hanlie Hong Lian Zhou Ke Yin |
| author_facet | Daqian Zhang Zhenggang Duan Jiangjun Chen Jingrong Wang Gubu Muga Yunqi Yang Yiming Wang Zhendong Liu Thomas J. Algeo Hanlie Hong Lian Zhou Ke Yin |
| author_sort | Daqian Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Soil magnetic records in Quaternary red earth (QRE) deposits contain a valuable record of paleoclimate information, providing insights into controls on Earth’s climate system in the past and potentially helping to predict its response to perturbations in the future. Here, analysis of the environmental magnetism and mineralogy of the Xuancheng QRE (Anhui Province, South China) shows that magnetic variation was strongly linked to production of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals such as maghemite. Fine-grained maghemite formed during the weathering-related transformation of iron-bearing illite to vermiculite, generating aggregates of vermiculite or mixed-layer illite-vermiculite. Enclosure of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals by illite and vermiculite-group minerals inhibits their chemical weathering, but this protective effect can be lost due to intensified weathering, allowing the authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals to transform into more stable antiferromagnetic minerals. Upsection within the Xuancheng QRE, the content of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals gradually increases, as revealed by SIRM and SIRM/χ, indicating a decrease in weathering intensity as the regional climate evolved from warm and wet in the middle Pleistocene to relatively cooler and drier today. Thus, this study improves our understanding of the relationship between soil magnetic properties and paleoclimate evolution in QRE deposits. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6037577ef2d34592b3f99dae596ae288 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-6037577ef2d34592b3f99dae596ae2882025-02-02T12:20:42ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-87020-9Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern ChinaDaqian Zhang0Zhenggang Duan1Jiangjun Chen2Jingrong Wang3Gubu Muga4Yunqi Yang5Yiming Wang6Zhendong Liu7Thomas J. Algeo8Hanlie Hong9Lian Zhou10Ke Yin11School of Earth Sciences, China University of GeosciencesChina Tunnel Construction Group Co., Ltd. GuangdongHubei Institute of Hydrogeology and Engineering GeologyThe Second Geological Institute of China Metallurgical Geology BureauSchool of Earth Sciences, China University of GeosciencesGemological Institute, China University of GeosciencesSchool of Earth Sciences, China University of GeosciencesSchool of Earth Sciences, China University of GeosciencesState Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of GeosciencesSchool of Earth Sciences, China University of GeosciencesState Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of GeosciencesSchool of Earth Sciences, China University of GeosciencesAbstract Soil magnetic records in Quaternary red earth (QRE) deposits contain a valuable record of paleoclimate information, providing insights into controls on Earth’s climate system in the past and potentially helping to predict its response to perturbations in the future. Here, analysis of the environmental magnetism and mineralogy of the Xuancheng QRE (Anhui Province, South China) shows that magnetic variation was strongly linked to production of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals such as maghemite. Fine-grained maghemite formed during the weathering-related transformation of iron-bearing illite to vermiculite, generating aggregates of vermiculite or mixed-layer illite-vermiculite. Enclosure of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals by illite and vermiculite-group minerals inhibits their chemical weathering, but this protective effect can be lost due to intensified weathering, allowing the authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals to transform into more stable antiferromagnetic minerals. Upsection within the Xuancheng QRE, the content of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals gradually increases, as revealed by SIRM and SIRM/χ, indicating a decrease in weathering intensity as the regional climate evolved from warm and wet in the middle Pleistocene to relatively cooler and drier today. Thus, this study improves our understanding of the relationship between soil magnetic properties and paleoclimate evolution in QRE deposits.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87020-9QuaternaryClay mineralsMagnetiteMaghemiteVermiculiteFe oxides |
| spellingShingle | Daqian Zhang Zhenggang Duan Jiangjun Chen Jingrong Wang Gubu Muga Yunqi Yang Yiming Wang Zhendong Liu Thomas J. Algeo Hanlie Hong Lian Zhou Ke Yin Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China Scientific Reports Quaternary Clay minerals Magnetite Maghemite Vermiculite Fe oxides |
| title | Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China |
| title_full | Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China |
| title_fullStr | Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China |
| title_short | Characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the Xuancheng red earth, southern China |
| title_sort | characteristics and paleoclimate significance of authigenic ferrimagnetic minerals in the xuancheng red earth southern china |
| topic | Quaternary Clay minerals Magnetite Maghemite Vermiculite Fe oxides |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87020-9 |
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