Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study in which the elemental composition of surface sediments and ferromanganese concretions from Lake Baikal were analyzed and assessed in relation to the environment at the sampling sites. Short sediment cores and ferromanganese concretions from Lake Baikal are analyzed for 20 elements, and the elements detected are classified into 3 groups based on their depth profiles in the sediment: iron, manganese, arsenic, and phosphorous (accumulated in the surface, oxidized layers), silicone (accumulated in the lower, reduced layers), and others (not sensitive to diagenesis). Some biophobic elements and/or their ratios are found to be possible indicators for estimating the origin of terrigenous fractions in the sediment. The ferromanganese concretions had ordinary levels of iron and phosphorous, but were relatively poor in manganese arsenic, and heavy metals compared with ferromanganese concretions from other lakes. The values calculated from a linear polynomial function that included the concentrations of l0 elements in the sediment as variables, showed a good correlation with water depth at the sampling sites and could be applied to reconstruction of paleowater depth from the elemental composition of ancient sediments. Elements that are susceptible to early-diagenesis also accumulate in the sediment of deep basins due to the cycles of deposition–dissolution. In any event, it may be possible to apply the above correlation to estimating paleowater depth from the elemental composition of the ancient sediment in Lake Baikal.
Published Version
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