Lithology of surface sediments in the East-Siberian Sea based on geological mapping

Abstract

New data on the lithology of surface sediments in the coastal areas of the East-Siberian Sea (between Wrangel and Novaya Sibir islands), obtained within the framework of the state geological mapping at the scale of 1:1M, was used to clarify the distribution of granulometric types, mineral composition, and geochemistry of surface seabed sediments in this area. The main sources of sedimentary material and sedimentation patterns of the coastal part of the Western and Eastern sectors of the East-Siberian Sea were considered. An important factor determining sediment redistribution along the seabed, violating the regularities of mechanical differentiation of matter, consists in the plowing of the seabed surface by drifting ice to depths of 50 m.