Expansion and contraction of Hulun Buir Dunefield in north-eastern China in the last late glacial and Holocene as revealed by OSL dating

Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) study on sand and fossil soils from Hulun Buir Dunefield in Eastern China is reported in this paper. Aeolian dune sequences responded to the climate change by alternations of aeolian sand and dark sandy soils, which corresponded to arid and humid conditions, respectively. Optical dating using the single aliquot regeneration technique with quartz was applied to the deposits. The results indicate that the soils and underlying aeolian sand correspond to the Holocene optimum (HO) and the last late glacial, respectively. Combined with studies of OSL dating of 13 profiles and grain-size, magnetic susceptibility, total organic carbon, sediment color and scanning electron microscopy measurements for two representative sections, indicate the expansion in the last late glacial sand was 10 times that of today. The dune field was not totally stabilized by vegetation cover until HO (10–5 ka BP).