Loess-like deposits in the Pearl River delta area, southeast China

•Yellow silt in the Pearl River delta area (PRD) is a loess-like deposit.•Sedimentary features of yellow silt in the PRD are comparable to typical loess.•Age of the buried yellow silt (or uplift later) in the PRD is Last Glacial Maximum.•Gradual fining shift in grain size from NW to SE China is demonstrated.•Material source of yellow silt in the PRD is probably from NW China.

A layer of yellow silt is widely distributed in the late Quaternary succession of the Pearl River delta, southeast China. A representative section at Xi Lingang was analyzed using particle size analysis, scanning electron microscope observation, geochemical analysis and OSL dating to determine the characteristics and genesis of the yellow silt. Grain size composition of the yellow silt is homogeneous and comparable to typical north China loess (10-50 μm as “basic grain size group”, <5 μm as “secondary grain size group”). Grain size parameters and frequency distribution curves of the yellow silt also indicate an aeolian origin. Aeolian micro-textures with subangular-subrounded grains characterized by dished surface collision pits during wind transportation. Homogeneous major element composition of the yellow silt suggests that the dust has been well mixed and sorted prior to deposition, a typical feature of aeolian origin, but Chemical Index of Alteration values indicate that the yellow silt has suffered intense weathering after deposition. Five OSL dates obtained in this study and other geochronological data indicate that the yellow silt has a Last Glacial Maximum age. The grain size of loess across China becomes finer from northwest to southeast because of increasing transportation distance, and implies that the loess component of the yellow silt in the Pearl River delta area is also derived from a northwest China provenance.