Changes in sand fractions of Binggou section and the expansion and contraction of the Tengger desert during 50–30 ka

Abstract Signs of the evolutionary process are well preserved in the aeolian deposits of desert margins and enable reconstruction of desert expansion and contraction. The sand content (percentage >63 µm) of loess in the loess–desert transitional zone was used as a proxy indicator for determining the proximity of the desert margin. According to the dominant wind direction, generally NW–SE in the northwest Chinese Loess Plateau, a transect was projected to observe spatial changes in sedimentological characteristics of aeolian deposits during the Last Glacial Period. The transect consists of 12 loess sections, starting at Shapotou in the transitional region between the Loess Plateau and the Tengger Desert and ending at Tianshui, which is located at the north foot of the Western Qinling Mountains in the southernmost part of the Loess Plateau. It shows the properties of temporal and spatial distribution of the Malan loess, with reduced sand content from northwest to southeast. A linear correlation model of sand content and distance was obtained, which was similar to the east of the Chinese Loess Plateau. According to this model, and on the basis of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating from Binggou section, a detailed and quantificational expansion and contraction for the Tengger Desert was established. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.