Geochemical Composition of Surface Sediments in the Bashang Area, North China and its Environmental Significance

The geochemical characteristics of sediments are important for reconstructing paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental conditions in the Asian summer monsoon marginal area. However, robust reconstructions require an understanding key factors mechanisms governing spatial variations composition ratio chemical elements modern In this study, 128 surface sediment samples were collected from Bashang area, which is situated examined their major trace element compositions grain size. Principal component analysis (PCA) redundancy (RDA) used to analyse relationship between data temperature precipitation data. results showed that CIA values area mainly affected by rather than Rb/Sr value study reflects level corresponding period controlling leaching weathering. addition, SiO 2 /Al O 3 Zr/Ti ratios have good positive relationships with coarse-grained fraction thus can be as size proxies. We propose exact environmental significance indicated these proxies should stated explicitly before using them