Geochemical investigation of dry- and wet-deposited dust during the same dust-storm event in Harbin, China: Constraint on provenance and implications for formation of aeolian loess

• Identifying the immobility of element pairs before constraining sources.
• The primary and strengthening source for dust-storm event was detected, respectively.
• The combination of a variety of source tracing indicators is used for constraint on provenance of dust-storm dusts.
• The relative contribution of initial source and strengthening source is distinguished.

A strong dust-storm event occurred in Harbin, China on May 11, 2011. The dry- and wet-deposited dust depositions in this dust-storm event, together with the surface sediments from the potential sources, were collected to study grain size distributions, carbonate content and carbon isotopic composition of carbonate, major element, trace element and rare earth elements (REE), and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions. The results indicate as follows. The dry-deposited dusts are characterized by bimodal grain-size distributions with a fine mode at 3.6 μm and a coarse mode at 28 μm whereas the wet-deposited dusts are indicative of unimodal grain-size modes with a fine mode at 6 μm. The dust-storm depositions are influenced to a certain extent by sedimentary sorting and are of a derivation from the recycled sediments. Based on identifying the immobility of element pairs before constraining sources of dust-storm deposits using geochemical elements, in conjunction with REE and especially Sr–Nd isotopic compositions, the primary and strengthening sources for the dust-storm event were detected, respectively. The Hunsandake Sandy Land as the primary source and the Horqin Sandy Land as the strengthening source were together responsible for the derivation of dust depositions during dust-storm event. The Hunsandake Sandy Land, however, contributes less dust to the dust-storm event in Harbin compared to the Horqin Sandy Land, and the Hulun Buir Sandy Land is undoubtedly excluded from being one of the sources for dust-storm depositions in Harbin. There are not notable differences in geochemical (especially Sr–Nd isotopic) compositions between dry- and wet-deposited dusts, indicating that the wet-deposited dust is of identical derivation to the dry-deposited dust. Based on our observations, it is of interest to suggest that fine and coarse particles in the CLP (Chinese Loess Plateau) loess possibly have the same sources.