Abstract
The elemental composition of 40 samples of mineral sediments collected in Victoria Land, Antarctica, in correspondence of ice-free sites, is presented. Concentration of 36 elements was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis, INAA. The selection of 6 standard reference materials and the development of a specific analytical procedure allowed to reduce measurements uncertainties and to verify the reproducibility of the results. The decision to analyze sediment samples from Victoria Land ice-free areas is related to recent investigations regarding mineral dust content in the TALos Dome ICE core (159°11′E; 72°49′S, East Antarctica, Victoria Land), in which a coarse local fraction of dust was recognized. The characterization of Antarctic potential source areas of atmospheric mineral dust is the first step to identify the active sources of dust for the Talos Dome area and to reconstruct the atmospheric pathways followed by air masses in this region during different climatic periods. Principal components analysis was used to identify elements and samples correlations; attention was paid specially to rare earth elements (REE) and incompatible/compatible elements (ICE) in respect to iron, which proved to be the most discriminating elemental groups. The analysis of REE and ICE concentration profiles supported evidences of chemical weathering in ice-free areas of Victoria Land, whereas cold and dry climate conditions of the Talos Dome area and in general of East Antarctica.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Maher BA, Prospero JM, Mackie D, Gaiero D, Hesse PP, Balkanski Y (2010) Global connections between aeolian dust, climate and ocean biogeochemistry at the present day and at the last glacial maximum. Earth Sci Rev 99:61–97
Lambert F, Delmonte B, Petit JR, Bigler M, Kaufmann PR, Hutterli MA, Stocker TF, Ruth U, Steffensen JP, Maggi V (2008) Dust-climate couplings over the past 800.000 years from the EPICA Dome C ice core. Nature 452:616–619
Petit JR, Jouzel RaynaudD, Barkov NI, Barnola JM, Basile I, Bender M, Chappellaz J, Davis M, Delaygue G, Delmotte V, Kotlyakov VM, Legrand M, Lipenkov VY, Lorius C, Pepin L, Ritz C, Saltzman E, Stievenard M (1999) Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Nature 399:429–436
EPICA community members (2004) Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core. Nature 429:623–628
Yung YL, Lee T, Wang CH, Shieh YT (1996) Dust: a diagnostic of the hydrologic cycle during the last glacial maximum. Science 271:962–963
Grousset FE, Biscaye PE (2005) Tracing dust sources and transport patterns using Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes. Chem Geol 222:149–167
Frezzotti M, Bitelli G, De Michelis P, Deponti A, Forieri A, Gandolfi S, Maggi V, Mancini F, Remy F, Tabacco I, Urbini S, Vittuari L, Zirizzotti A (2004) Geophysical survey at Talos Dome, East Antarctica: the search for a new deep-drilling site. Ann Glaciol 39:423–432
Delmonte B, Baroni C, Andersson PS, Shoberg H, Hansson M, Aciego S, Petit JR, Albani S, Mazzola C, Maggi V, Frezzotti M (2010) Aeolian dust in the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica, Pacific/Ross Sea sector): Victoria Land versus remote sources over the last two climatic cycle. J Quat Sci 25:1327–1337
Lanci L, Delmonte B (2013) Magnetic properties of aerosol dust in peripheral and inner Antarctic ice cores as a proxy for dust provenance. Global Planet Change. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.05.003
Albani S, Delmonte B, Maggi V, Baroni C, Petit JR, Stenni B, Mazzola C, Frezzotti M (2012) Interpreting last glacial to Holocene dust changes at Talos Dome (East Antarctica): implications for atmospheric variations from regional to hemispheric scales. Clim Past 8:741–750
Delmonte B, Baroni C, Andersson PS, Narcisi B, Salvatore MC, Petit JR, Scarchilli C, Frezzotti M, Albani S, Maggi V (2013) Modern and Holocene aeolian dust variability from Talos Dome (Northern Victoria Land) to the interior of the Antarctic ice sheet. Quat Sci Rev 64:76–89
Jenner GA, Longerich HP, Jackson SE, Fryer BJ (1990) ICP-MS—a powerful tool for high-precision trace-element analysis in Earth sciences: evidence from analysis of selected U.S.G.S. reference samples. Chem Geol 83:133–148
Benyaich F, Makhtari A, Torrisi L, Foti G (1997) PIXE and XRF comparison for applications to sediment analysis. Nucl Instrum Meth B 132:481–488
Madaro M, Moauro A (1987) Trace element determination in rocks and sediments by neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Ch 114:337–343
Mahaney WC, Hancock RGV, Stalker AM (1994) Geochemical and physical analysis of the bedrock formations and lowest tills at the Wellsch Valley Site, Saskatchewan, Canada. J Radioanal Nucl Ch 180:5–13
Lara LBLS, Fernandes EAN, Oliveira H, Bacchi MA, Ferraz ESB (1997) Amazon estuary—assessment of trace elements in seabed sediments. J Radioanal Nucl Ch 216:279–284
Joron JL, Treuil M, Raimbault L (1997) Activation analysis as a geochemical tool: statement of its capabilities for geochemical trace element studies. J Radioanal Nucl Ch 216:23–229
Randle K, Al-Jundi J (2001) Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of estuarine sediments. J Radioanal Nucl Ch 249:361–367
Faure G, Mensing TM (2011) The Transantarctic Mountains: rocks, ice, meteorites and water. Springer, London
Greenberg RR, Bode P, De Nadai Fernades EA (2011) Neutron activation analysis: a primary method of measurement. Spectrochim Acta B 66:193–241
Nadkarni RA, Morrison GH (1978) Use of standard reference materials as multielement irradiation standards in neutron activation analysis. J Radioanal Nucl Ch 43:347–369
Borio di Tigliole A, Cammi A, Clemenza M, Memoli V, Pattavina L, Previtali E (2010) Benchmark evaluation of reactor critical parameters and neutron fluxes distributions at zero power for the TRIGA Mark II reactor of the University of Pavia using the Monte Carlo code MCNP. Prog Nucl Energy 52:494–502
Clemenza M, Fiorini E, Previtali E, Sala E (2012) Measurement of airborne 131I, 134Cs and 137Cs due to the Fukushima reactor incident in Milan (Italy). J Environ Radioactiv 114:113–118
Abdi H, Williams LJ (2010) Principal component analysis. Comput Stat 2:433–459
Faure G (1998) Principles and applications of geochemistry. Prentice Hall, New Jersey
Henderson P (1984) Rare earth element geochemistry. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Taylor SR, McLennan SM (1985) The continental crust: its composition and evolution. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford
Rudnick RL, Gao S (2003) The composition of the continental crust. In: Rudnick RL (ed) The Crust, vol 3. Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford, pp 1–64
Condie KC, Dengate J, Cullers RL (1995) Behavior of rare earth elements in a paleoweathering profile on granodiorite in the Front Range, Colorado, USA. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 59:279–294
Nesbitt HW, Markcovicz G (1997) Weathering of granodioritic crust, long-term storage of elements in weathering profiles, and petrogenesis of siliciclastic sediments. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 61:1653–1670
Price RG, Gray CM, Wilson RE, Frey FA, Taylor SR (1991) The effects of weathering on rare-earth element, Y and Ba abundances in Tertiary basalts from southeastern Australia. Chem Geol 93:245–265
Campbell IB, Claridge CGC (1987) Antarctica: soils, weathering processes and environment. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Ugolini FC, Bockheim JG (2008) Antarctic soils and soil formation in a changing environment: a review. Geoderma 144:1–8
Bockheim JG (2013) Soil formation in the Transantarctic Mountains from the Middle Paleozoic to the Antropochene. Palaeogeogr Palaeocl 381–382:10–98
Baroni C, Fasano F, Giorgetti G, Salvatore MC, Ribecai C (2008) The Ricker Hills Tillite provides evidence of Oligocene warm-based glaciation in Victoria Land, Antarctica. Glob Planet Chang 60:457–470
Salvatore MR, Mustard JF, Head JW, Cooper RF, Marchant DR, Wyatt MB (2013) Development of alteration rinds by oxidative weathering processes in Beacon Valley, Antarctica, and implications for Mars. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 115:137–161
Marchant DR, Head WH (2007) Antarctic dry valleys: microclimate zonation, variable geomorphic processes, and implications for assessing climate change on Mars. Icarus 192:187–222
Acknowledgments
Our sincere thanks to the Staff of the Laboratory of Nuclear Applied Energy (LENA) of the University of Pavia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baccolo, G., Baroni, C., Clemenza, M. et al. Neutron activation analysis on sediments from Victoria Land, Antarctica: multi-elemental characterization of potential atmospheric dust sources. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 299, 1615–1623 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2851-x
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2851-x