Dust Morphology and Composition from China’s Source Regions (DMC-China)

The Dust Morphology and Composition from China’s Source Regions (DMC-China) dataset comprises 541,074 individual dust particles generated through saltation-sandblasting processes from 55 surface soil samples collected across major dust source regions in China. These regions include the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, the Gobi Desert of the Alashan Plateau, the Hunshandake Sandy Land in eastern Inner Mongolia, and the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The dataset is organized into two parts: the Main file and the Auxiliary data files. The Main file contains dust morphology and composition data obtained via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (CCSEM-EDX), with each Excel spreadsheet named after its corresponding sample ID. The Auxiliary files consist of three major components: two mineral classification rules and site information. Case1_IEE presents mineral classification results based on the classification method developed by the research team, accompanied by a detailed description of the method. Case2_Kandler provides mineral classification results following the method reported by Kandler in the literature. The Site information includes sample details such as the source of the topsoil, the specific source area location, latitude and longitude, elevation, and surface cover type.