Distribution Patterns of Heavy Minerals in Siberian Rivers, the Laptev Sea and the Eastern Arctic Ocean: An Approach to Identify Sources, Transport and Pathways of Terrigenous Matter

Abstract

Heavy minerals of sediments from the rivers draining into the Laptev Sea, the Laptev Sea shelf, the central Arctic Ocean and additional potential source areas were investigated to identify transport pathways of terrigenous matter. The western part of the Laptev Sea is dominated by clinopyroxene, delivered by the river Khatanga, which derived from the sheet basalt complexes of the Taimyr Peninsula, and from Severnaya Zemlya. The eastern part of the Laptev Sea is characterized by very high amounts of amphibole, supplied by the rivers Lena and Yana from the Siberian hinterland and/or the erosion products from Kotelny Island. Orthopyroxene, present on the whole Laptev Sea shelf but not found elsewhere in comparable amounts in the study area, seems to be characteristic for this region. This heavy mineral composition is indicative for a Laptev Sea source and can be found in the sediments of the central Arctic Ocean. Sediment input from the western Arctic via the Beaufort Gyre is indicated by the occurrence of detrital carbonate and significant amounts of opaque minerals.