Quartz grains reveal sedimentary palaeoenvironment and past storm events: A case study from eastern Baltic

Kalińska-Nartiša, Edyta; Stivrins, Normunds; Grudzinska, Ieva (2018). Quartz grains reveal sedimentary palaeoenvironment and past storm events: A case study from eastern Baltic. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 200, pp. 359-370. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ecss.2017.11.027

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Sediment record collected from the coastal lake serves as a powerful tool for reconstructing changes in palaeoenvironment and understanding the potential signals of past storminess. In this study, we use several proxies from sediment of the Holocene Thermal Maximum at coastal Lake Lilaste, Latvia. We focus on surface texture of quartz grains from the mineral inorganic fraction as indicators of depositional environments. We then use this as a proxy for potential storm transport and combine with information on granulometry, diatom stratigraphy and chronology to answer the question whether flux of quartz grains in the lake originated from the sea or from the land. Analyses in a binocular and scanning electron microscope reveal that most of the investigated quartz grains originate from dwelling in the seawater and wave action in the nearshore zone. Grains representing very energetic subaqueous environment similar to storm events are also present. Terrestrial record is of minor significance and visible through occurrence of aeolian quartz grains.
During drier and colder conditions, an influx of sand with aeolian imprint was delivered to the lake between 8500 and 7800 cal yr BP. Marine and terrestrial conditions alternated between 7800 and 6000 cal yr BP. Storm-induced grains were likely deposited three times: at 7300 cal yr BP, 6600–6400 cal yr BP, and 6200–6000 cal yr BP. Overall stable marine environmental conditions prevailed between 6000 and 4000 cal yr BP except of the last portion of terrestrial-induced sediment at 4100 cal yr BP.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Palaeoecology
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)

UniBE Contributor:

Grudzinska, Ieva

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

0272-7714

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

07 Feb 2018 14:43

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:08

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.ecss.2017.11.027

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Palaeostorms; Scanning electron microscope; Grain size; Holocene Thermal Maximum; Baltic Sea; Gulf of Riga

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.108050

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/108050

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