Abstract
Varves from many environments have been used as paleoclimatic indicators. Measurement of varve thicknesses has typically been done manually, but an automated procedure would provide more accurate measurements with considerable savings in time. An automated method described herein involves digitizing an x ray of the core with a high-resolution optical densitometer. The two-dimensional optical density field is filtered to enhance the varve signal, and the filtered series is then used to define a series of line segments representing varve boundaries. The distance between adjacent boundaries is then averaged across the core to obtain the mean thickness of each layer. A section of thin laminae from near the bottom of a long core from the Gulf of California (Deep Sea Drilling Project Hole 480) is analyzed to illustrate the technique.
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Michaelsen, J. An automated method for measuring thicknesses of layered sediments. Mathematical Geology 17, 729–742 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01031613
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01031613