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Bimodal grain‐size distribution of aeolian quartz in a maar of Cheju Island, Korea, during the last 6500 years: Its flux variation and controlling factor
Author(s) -
Lim Jaesoo,
Matsumoto Eiji
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl027432
Subject(s) - aeolian processes , quartz , westerlies , grain size , maar , flux (metallurgy) , geology , mineralogy , range (aeronautics) , atmospheric sciences , geomorphology , geochemistry , materials science , volcano , paleontology , metallurgy , composite material
Aeolian quartz chemically isolated from maar sediments in Cheju Island, Korea, showed bimodal grain‐size distributions. After partitioning into fine and coarse components, fine and coarse quartz fluxes (FQF and CQF) were calculated. The average median grain size of fine quartz was 3 μ m and the average FQF was 0.5 mg/cm 2 /yr with a range of 0.1–1.6 mg/cm 2 /yr during the last 6500 years. The average CQF was 3 mg/cm 2 /yr with a range of 1–5.5 mg/cm 2 /yr and its average median grain size was 15 μ m. Comparisons of our results with the present aeolian dust activities and climate changes in dust‐source areas suggest that FQF was influenced by the pathway of the westerlies between Taklimakan Desert and Cheju Island while CQF was affected by the aridity in the source regions including the Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia and the adjoining Gobi and sand deserts in China during the last 6500 years.