Geochemical evidence of the sources of aeolian sands and their transport pathways in the Minqin Oasis, northwestern China

Identification of aeolian sand sources occurring in oases of desert environments is of great importance for understanding desertification processes and for developing strategies for sustainable development in arid regions. Combined with wind data and hierarchical cluster analysis, we analyzed the spatial characteristics of major and trace elements of sands sampled at the margins of the Minqin Oasis, northwestern China and its adjacent deserts (the Badain Jaran Desert and the Tengger Desert), with the purpose to identify the aeolian sand sources and their transport pathways in the region. The spatial distribution revealed by bivariate plots of Cr, Ni, Cr/V, Y/Ni, Al, V, Zr, Hf, Zr/Hf and ternary plots of major and trace elements showed that sands between the west (B – Badain Jaran Desert, BM – the dune belt between Badain Jaran and the Minqin Oasis and TNE – dune field located in the northeast margin of the Minqin Oasis) and southeast (TSW – dune field located in the southeast margin of the Minqin Oasis) sides of the oasis have different provenances, while the composition of sands in the Minqin Oasis (M) and in the dune field located in the south margin (TM) is associated with both. The variations in abundance of K, Rb, Ba and Sr were used as indicators of aeolian transport processes. Our results show that while aeolian sands from the Badain Jaran Desert can be transported over mountains and over long distances by northwest winds to the west sides of the Minqin Oasis, they cannot directly reach neither bypass the oasis to the east side. Our interpretation is that the oasis can act as an effective barrier to stop the migration of dune fields both in the Badain Jaran Desert and the Tengger Desert. However, the extensive occurrence of aeolian sands in the Minqin Oasis indicates that its role in preventing desert encroachment should not be overestimated.