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LA-ICP-MS heavy metal analyses of fish scales from sediments of the Oxbow Lake Certak of the Morava River (Czech Republic)

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Heavy metal concentrations were studied in the scales of recent and subrecent (2–25 years old) fish buried in the oxbow lake sediments of the Morava River. The samples were taken from two cores up to 4-m deep and analysed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and an electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). The results were compared with heavy metal concentrations of bulk samples of the embedding sediment. The study has revealed substantial differences in heavy metal contents existing between the recent and subrecent fish scales documenting an extreme rapidity of the diagenesis/fossilization processes. The most apparent features of the early fossilization include the quick loss of the mucous envelope, collagen and magnesium and an enormous increase in the heavy metal concentrations in particular iron, which is connected with a colour change. The variations in heavy metal contents in fish scales within a sample are attributed to variations in heavy metal content in the environment and variable amounts of organic matter in the embedding sediment. In contrast to the contamination of the embedding sediment, no general increase in heavy metal concentrations in fish scales was observed down to the cores. It is inferred that the rapid sorption stabilizes the biologic hydroxyapatite of the fish scales, which thus rapidly attain a thermodynamic equilibrium with the embedding water-saturated sediment. The results show that the processes of sorption, fossilization and stabilization of hydroxyapatite can act very quickly over a time scale of several years and represent thus a great advantage in the preservation of the original signals of the ancient environments.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the project MSM0021622412 (INCHEMBIOL). The authors would like to express their thanks to M. Kosík, and Jiri Horsak, the head of the Moravian fisherman organization in Stare Mesto for their field and logistic assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Masaryk University of Brno, Kamenice 5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    M. Holá & V. Kanický

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, Masaryk University of Brno, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic

    J. Kalvoda, O. Bábek, R. Brzobohatý & R. Skoda

  3. Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Masaryk University of Brno, Kamenice 126/3, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic

    I. Holoubek

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  1. M. Holá
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  2. J. Kalvoda
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Correspondence to J. Kalvoda.

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Holá, M., Kalvoda, J., Bábek, O. et al. LA-ICP-MS heavy metal analyses of fish scales from sediments of the Oxbow Lake Certak of the Morava River (Czech Republic). Environ Geol 58, 141–151 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1501-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1501-z

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