Oxygen isotope abundance in the quartz fraction of aeolian dust: implications for soil and ocean sediment formation in the Australasian region

Abstract

Oxygen isotope ratios of quartz in soils and ocean sediments in the Australasian region have been used to infer aeolian dust contributions; however, few oxygen isotope data are available for Australian dusts. Dust isotope ratios are in the range 13.17–15.1‰, which correlate well with dust-derived soils (13.6–14.5‰) and dust-affected soils (11.6–11.7‰) in Australia, and New Zealand (12.9–13.9‰), and Pacific Ocean sediments of dust origin (12.6–15.8‰). These results provide support for the hypothesis that dust deposition has played an important role in soil and ocean deposit formation in the Australasian region.