A dataset of Dating and Paleoclimate proxies of loess sediments in Central Asia

Located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, Central Asia (CA) is influenced by various climate systems such as the westerlies, Asian monsoon, and Siberian high. It is an important loess distribution area and dust source in the world, and also a sensitive area to global climate change. Meanwhile, as the core area of the ancient Silk Road, CA holds an important strategic position in connecting Eastern and Western civilizations and facilitating material exchanges. Studying the loess in this area not only helps to reveal the climate evolution and dust transport mechanisms in arid regions, but also provides important clues for exploring the relationship between human activities and environmental change. This dataset mainly collects the loess paleoclimate data obtained by the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xinjiang and neighboring CA countries in the past ten years and relevant previous published data, covering the map of loess distribution, the chronological information of 64 loess profiles or drilling points in the western, northern and eastern of CA, as well as a variety of paleoclimatic, physicochemical and biogenic index data, including 762 optical stimulated luminescence dating data (including OSL and pIRIR), 71 AMS 14C dating data, 18875 grain size, 5552 magnetic susceptibility data, 425 of chromaticity data, and geochemical elements, isotopes and mineral compositions. All the data included in this dataset have corresponding public publications and have undergone rigorous peer review. In quality control and evaluation, data reliability is ensured through multiple dimensions, including screening initial data, removing irrelevant content, assessing the reliability of experimental methods and the credibility of results, and verifying data entry. This research has formed the most extensive and complete indicator system of loess paleoclimate basic database in CA, which can provide key data support for in-depth research on regional paleoclimate reconstruction, multi-climate system interaction mechanisms, and quantification of human activity response patterns to climate change. It also provides important scientific basis for environmental archaeology and sustainable development research along the Silk Road.