Grain size distribution and depositional processes of the mineral component of abyssal sediments: Lessons from the North Pacific

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K. Rea ◽  
Steven A. Hovan
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Grain Size Distribution ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Mineral Component ◽  
The North ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
The North Pacific

scholarly journals Geochemistry of Surface Sediments From the Emperor Seamount Chain, North Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Jianjun Zou ◽  
Aimei Zhu ◽  
Xuefa Shi ◽  
Dirk Nürnberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Rare Earth ◽  
Rare Earth Elements ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Surface Sediment ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
The North ◽  
Seamount Chain ◽  
The North Pacific ◽  
Emperor Seamount Chain

Investigating the composition and distribution of pelagic marine sediments is fundamental in the field of marine sedimentology. The spatial distributions of surface sediment are unclear due to limited investigation along the Emperor Seamount Chain of the North Pacific. In this study, a suite of sedimentological and geochemical proxies were analyzed, including the sediment grain size, organic carbon, CaCO3, major and rare earth elements of 50 surface sediment samples from the Emperor Seamount Chain, spanning from ∼33°N to ∼52°N. On the basis of sedimentary components, we divide them into three Zones (I, II, and III) spatially with distinct features. Sediments in Zone I (∼33°N–44°N) and Zone III (49.8°N–53°N) are dominated by clayey silt, and mainly consist of sand and silty sand in Zone II. The mean grain size of the sortable silt shows that the hydrodynamic condition in the study area is significantly stronger than that of the abyssal plain, especially at the water depth of 1,000–2,500 m. The CaCO3 contents in sediments above 4,000 m range from 20 to 84% but decrease sharply to less than 1.5% below 4,000 m, confirming that the water depth of 4,000 m is the carbonate compensation depth of the study area. Strong positive correlations between Al2O3 and Fe2O3, TiO2, MgO, and K2O (R > 0.9) in the bulk sediments indicate pronounced contributions of terrigenous materials from surrounding continent mass to the study area. Furthermore, the eolian dust makes contributions to the composition of bulk sediments as confirmed by rare earth elements. There is no significant correlation between grain size and major and minor elements, which indicates that the sedimentary grain size does not exert important effects on terrigenous components. There is significant negative δCe and positive δEu anomalies at all stations. The negative Ce anomaly mainly exists in carbonate-rich sediments, inheriting the signal of seawater. The positive Eu anomaly indicates widespread volcanism contributions to the study area from active volcanic islands arcs around the North Pacific. The relative contributions of terrestrial, volcanic, and biogenic materials vary with latitude and water depth in the study area.

scholarly journals Grain-size distribution unmixing using the R package EMMAgeo

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Dietze ◽  
Michael Dietze
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Grain Size Distribution ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Sediment Sources ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Depositional Processes ◽  
Grain Size Distributions

Abstract. The analysis of grain-size distributions has a long tradition in Quaternary Science and disciplines studying Earth surface and subsurface deposits. The decomposition of multi-modal grain-size distributions into inherent subpopulations, commonly termed end-member modelling analysis (EMMA), is increasingly recognised as a tool to infer the underlying sediment sources, transport and (post-)depositional processes. Most of the existing deterministic EMMA approaches are only able to deliver one out of many possible solutions, thereby shortcutting uncertainty in model parameters. Here, we provide user-friendly computational protocols that support deterministic as well as robust (i.e. explicitly accounting for incomplete knowledge about input parameters in a probabilistic approach) EMMA, in the free and open software framework of R. In addition, and going beyond previous validation tests, we compare the performance of available grain-size EMMA algorithms using four real-world sediment types, covering a wide range of grain-size distribution shapes (alluvial fan, dune, loess and floodplain deposits). These were randomly mixed in the lab to produce a synthetic data set. Across all algorithms, the original data set was modelled with mean R2 values of 0.868 to 0.995 and mean absolute deviation (MAD) values of 0.06 % vol to 0.34 % vol. The original grain-size distribution shapes were modelled as end-member loadings with mean R2 values of 0.89 to 0.99 and MAD of 0.04 % vol to 0.17 % vol. End-member scores reproduced the original mixing ratios in the synthetic data set with mean R2 values of 0.68 to 0.93 and MAD of 0.1 % vol to 1.6 % vol. Depending on the validation criteria, all models provided reliable estimates of the input data, and each of the models exhibits individual strengths and weaknesses. Only robust EMMA allowed uncertainties of the end-members to be objectively estimated and expert knowledge to be included in the end-member definition. Yet, end-member interpretation should carefully consider the geological and sedimentological meaningfulness in terms of sediment sources, transport and deposition as well as post-depositional alteration of grain sizes. EMMA might also be powerful in other geoscientific contexts where the goal is to unmix sources and processes from compositional data sets.

GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTION IN THE TIDAL ZONE AND SHALLOW SEA ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HUANGHUA HARBOR

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 69-74
Author(s):  
Fu WANG ◽  
Hong WANG ◽  
Yunsheng WANG ◽  
Yandong PEI ◽  
Lizhu TIAN
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Grain Size Distribution ◽  
Shallow Sea ◽  
Tidal Zone ◽  
The North ◽  
North Side

scholarly journals Reconstructing Permafrost Sedimentological Characteristics and Post-depositional Processes of the Yedoma Stratotype Duvanny Yar, Siberia

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Shmelev ◽  
Maria Cherbunina ◽  
Victor Rogov ◽  
Sophie Opfergelt ◽  
Arthur Monhonval ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Mineral Composition ◽  
Grain Size Distribution ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Grain Morphology ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Depositional Processes

Cryogenic weathering is a key driver of periglacial sediment composition and properties. Selective mineral-grain weathering caused by freeze-thaw cycles in permafrost environments has the ability to dominate this process, leading to silt-rich grain-size distributions. The cryogenic weathering index (CWI) is a promising tool to quantify cryogenic weathering and freezing conditions. It considers the low resistance of quartz to freeze-thaw cycles compared to feldspars. Using this approach, this study aims to decipher post-depositional weathering by reconstructing cryogenic late Pleistocene Yedoma origins of the Yedoma stratotype exposure Duvanny Yar. To estimate the recent environmental endmember and to determine the initial mineral composition of sediment until freezing, the distribution of CWI in the active layer was studied. In addition to CWI, we studied mineral composition, heavy mineral distribution, grain size distribution and grain morphology. We suggest that cryogenic weathering likely altered polygenetic deposits (fluvial, nival, colluvial, lacustrine, alluvial, and aeolian processes) during sediment and ground ice accumulation. Moreover, we found two CWI distribution peaks in the late Pleistocene - Holocene sediments at the boundaries between glacial and interglacial ages. In conclusion, we see that the Duvanny Yar sediment facies varied by CWI, but also with grain-size distribution, suggesting environmental changes during formation. Nevertheless, post-depositional processes like cryogenic weathering have influenced sediment characteristics and should be considered in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

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