Preface

This volume "Climatic Change: Paleopedological and Soil Rock MagneticApproaches" is the collective papers of mostly presented at the "InternationalSymposium and Field Workshop on Paleosols and Climate Change" held in Lanzhouin 1998. It was the second time in China scientists from both abroad and at homegathering together to discuss on the issue of loess. The first time was "InternationalSymposium on Loess Research" held in Xi’an in 1985. Loess, a sub-aerialatmospheric sediment with world wide distribution and hence an archive of pastglobal changes recorded in it attracted the common interests