VOLCANIC GLASS FOUND IN LATE QUATERNARY CHINESE LOESS - A POINTER FORFUTURE STUDIES

In a preliminary investigation of Chinese loess from Shandong Peninsul a, trace amounts of volcanic glass have been found in the top of Malan loess and in the top of paleosol layers at two sections. Chemical com positions of the glass shards are compared with those of widespread te phras From Mt Changbai and Japanese volcanoes. There was only enough g lass to make tentative suggestions as to the source eruptions. The vol canic glass in the top of Malan loess has a similar chemical compositi on to that of the ca. 22,000-25,000 BP Aira-Tanzawa (AT) tephra erupte d from southern Japan, and the glass in the top of one paleosol has a similar chemical composition to that of the ca. 75,000-95,000 BP Kikai -Tozurahara (K-Tz) tephra, also from southern Japan. These possible id entifications are consistent with the stratigraphic positions of the g lass within the loess. The results suggest that tephrochronology has p otential for dating Quaternary deposits in north-eastern China. Copyri ght (C) 1996 INQUA/Elsevier Science Ltd