This is a project to reconstruct the position of the winds, the patterns of the circulation and the source regions for the dust in central and eastern Asia during the Quaternary, the last 2.5 million years. The researchers will employ a novel technique of "fingerprinting" the chemical composition of the dust found in wind-derived sediments as well as in a variety of potential upstream source regions. The chemical characterization will be made using laser ablation mass spectrometry and the measurements will include U/Pb dating, trace metal measurements, and Hf (hafnium) isotope variability to determine source regions for the dust. The approach - using laser ablation mass spectrometry on individual zircon grains - is likely to provide unprecedented chemical information about the minerals and the rapid rate of sample analysis will produce strong a strong statistical basis for evaluating changes in grain chemistry and source region.
The broader impacts include: 1) application of a novel, new approach for characterizing the chemistry of the dust grains; 2) support for graduate students and undergraduates at two universities to participate in the research; 3) support for a new researcher embarking on an academic career; and 4) a strong element of international collaboration between the Institute of Tibetan Research in China and two universities in the United States.
