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The role of iron and sulfur in the visual appearance of lake sediment varves

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Abstract

Easily discernible sediment varves (annual laminations) may be formed in temperate zone lakes, and reflect seasonal changes in the composition of the accumulating material derived from the lake and its catchment (minerogenic and organic material). The appearance of varves may also be influenced by chemical processes. We assessed the role of iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) in the appearance of varves in sediments from Lake Nylandssjön in northern Sweden. We surveyed Fe in the lake water and established whether there is internal transport of Fe within the sediment. We used a unique collection of seven stored freeze cores of varved sediment from the lake, collected from 1979 to 2004. This suite of cores made it possible to follow long-term changes in Fe and S in the sediment caused by processes that occur in the lake bottom when the sediment is ageing. We compared Fe and S concentrations using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) in specific years in the different cores. No diagenetic front was found in the sediment and the data do not suggest that there is substantial vertical transport of Fe and S in the sediment. We also modeled Fe and S based on thermodynamic, limnological, and sediment data from the lake. The model was limited to the five components H+, e−, Fe3+, SO4 2−, H2CO3 and included the formation of solid phases such as Fe(OH)3 (amorphous), FeOOH (aged, microcrystalline), FeS and FeCO3. Modeling showed that there are pe (redox) ranges within which either FeS or Fe(OH)3/FeOOH is the only solid phase present and there are pe ranges within which the two solid phases co-exist, which supports the hypothesis that blackish and grey-brownish layers that occur in the varves were formed at the time of deposition. This creates new possibilities for deciphering high-temporal-resolution environmental information from varves.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all those who provided help during field work throughout the years, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments that markedly improved the paper. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council and the Faculty of Science and Technology, Umeå University. The XRF measurements were performed at the RIAIDT of the University of Santiago de Compostela by Manuela Costa Casais.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    Veronika Gälman, Johan Rydberg, Richard Bindler & Ingemar Renberg

  2. Department of Chemistry, Environmental and Biogeochemistry, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    Andrei Shchukarev & Staffan Sjöberg

  3. Departmento de Edafologia y Quimica Agricola, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Antonio Martínez-Cortizas

Authors
  1. Veronika Gälman
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  2. Johan Rydberg
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  3. Andrei Shchukarev
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  4. Staffan Sjöberg
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  5. Antonio Martínez-Cortizas
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  6. Richard Bindler
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  7. Ingemar Renberg
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Correspondence to Veronika Gälman.

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Gälman, V., Rydberg, J., Shchukarev, A. et al. The role of iron and sulfur in the visual appearance of lake sediment varves. J Paleolimnol 42, 141–153 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-008-9267-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-008-9267-6

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