The provenance of late Cenozoic East Asian Red Clay: Tectonic-metamorphic history of potential source regions and a novel combined zircon-rutile approach

Constraining the provenance of aeolian mineral dust is critical in understanding past climate changes, atmospheric activity, circulation, and sediment generation. On Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), use detrital zircon U-Pb age data as source tracers for has seen a huge growth lead to breakthroughs provenance. However, significant ambiguities remain especially regarding Neogene Red Clay (RC). To address this, here we review state art RC provenance, with focus on single-grain analyses, introduce rutile geochemistry tool complement dating. Furthermore, better utilise link between minerals their primary origin, compile region geologic background relevant geochronological metamorphic proxy minerals. We discuss four major tectonic divisions northern China southern Mongolia: North Craton (NCC), Tarim (TC), Central Orogen (CCO), parts Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), briefly summarize Tibetan-Himalayan orogen. Many these regions have been tectonically active during same time periods Earth's history, our analysis demonstrates how alone limitations differentiating number key potential sources CLP. Addition tracer such allows some possible areas be distinguished. For example, proximal NCC that show high−/ultrahigh-temperature conditions can potentially diagnostic northerly component CLP dust. Our combined zircon-rutile ca. 4 Ma Nihewan verifies utility novel sourcing sediments. The suggest similar provenance: dominant are NCC, while contributions from dry CAOB, central deserts, Yellow River also likely. results hint at minor deriving distal western TC, and/or CCO, but secondary needed verify this possibility. conclude multi-proxy analyses more reliable analyses.