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Sedimentology, clay mineralogy and grain-size as indicators of 65 ka of climate change from El’gygytgyn Crater Lake, Northeastern Siberia

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Abstract

El’gygytgyn Crater Lake, NE Siberia was investigated for sedimentological proxies for regional climate change with a focus on the past 65 ka. Sedimentological parameters assessed relative to magnetic susceptibility include stratigraphy, grain size, clay mineralogy and crystallinity. Earlier work suggests that intervals of high susceptibility in these sediments are coincident with warmer (interglacial-like) conditions and well-mixed oxygenated bottom waters. In contrast, low susceptibility intervals correlate with cold (glacial-like) conditions when perennial ice-cover resulted in anoxia and the dissolution of magnetic carrier minerals.

The core stratigraphy contains both well-laminated to non-laminated sequences. Reduced oxygen and lack of water column mixing preserved laminated sequences in the core. A bioturbation index based upon these laminated and non- laminated sequences co-varies with total organic carbon (TOC) and magnetic susceptibility.

Clay mineral assemblages include illite, highly inter-stratified illite/smectite, and chlorite. Under warm or hydrolyzing conditions on the landscape around the lake, chlorite weathers easily and illite/smectite abundance increase, which produces an inverse relationship in the relative abundance of these clays. Trends in relative abundance show distinct down-core changes that correlate with shifts in susceptibility. The mean grain-size (6.92 µm) is in the silt-size fraction, with few grains larger than 65 µm. Terrigenous input to the lake comes from over 50 streams that are filtered through storm berms, which limits clastic deposition into the lake system. The sedimentation rate and terrigenous input grain-size is reduced during glacial intervals. Measurements of particle-size distribution indicate that the magnetic susceptibility fluctuations are not related to grain size.

Lake El’gygytgyn’s magnetic susceptibility and clay mineralogy preserves regional shifts in climate including many globally recognized␣events like the Younger Dryas and Bolling/Allerod. The sedimentary deposits reflect the climatic transitions starting with MIS4 through the Holocene transition. This work represents the first extensive sedimentological study of limnic sediment proxies of this age from Chukotka (Fig. 1).

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  1. Pierre Francus

    Present address: Centre Eau, Terre et Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Celeste A. Asikainen, Pierre Francus & Julie Brigham-Grette

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  1. Celeste A. Asikainen
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  2. Pierre Francus
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Correspondence to Celeste A. Asikainen.

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This is the tenth in a series of eleven papers published in this special issue dedicated to initial studies of El'gygytgyn Crater Lake and its catchment in NE Russia. Julie Brigham-Grette, Martin Melles, Pavel Minyuk were guest editors of this special issue.

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Asikainen, C.A., Francus, P. & Brigham-Grette, J. Sedimentology, clay mineralogy and grain-size as indicators of 65 ka of climate change from El’gygytgyn Crater Lake, Northeastern Siberia. J Paleolimnol 37, 105–122 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9026-5

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