Study of elemental distribution in soil on the loess plateau of China

Instrument neutron activation analysis (INAA) has been employed in this study to determine 32 elements in soil on the loess plateau. The preliminary results suggest that geochemical characteristics of elements in the soil mainly retained those in the parent materials (loess). It has been found that fractional deposition among grain sizes in the process of loess transportation as well as the bioclimate in which the soil developed are main factors affecting the regional variations of elemental distribution in soil on the plateau. Contour maps of element concentrations plotted from the trend analyses exhibit the major patterns of the distributions and variations on the plateau. Furthermore, the study also provides evidence for the aeolian theory of the loess transportation in China.