Some magnetic properties of synthetic and natural haematite of different grain size

The behaviour of some magnetic properties of natural and synthetic haematite of different grain size is examined. The natural haematite was obtained from the hydrothermal deposit Kada (Czech and Slovak Federal Rep.). Six grain-size fractions ranging from 120 to 40 μm were prepared by means of sieving and two further fractions down to 5 μm by wet ultrasonic sieving. Since the behaviour of the fractions is similar, that of only four representative samples is reported. In addition, the behaviour of one submicron synthetic haematite fraction (0.5 μm) prepared by oxidation of ferrous sulphate (uniform in size and shape) was investigated.

The initial remanence value (J_r) seems to increase with decreasing grain size. During alternating field (AF) demagnetization, all fractions behaved similarly, except for the submicron fraction which is considerably softer than the others. Normalized (isothermal remanent magnetization) IRM acquisition curves were similar for all fractions.

Parameters of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) display significant changes, mainly during IRM acquisition. During AF demagnetization, the anisotropy degree P exhibits a slight increase (some %), while the behaviour of the shape factor T is complicated. The anisotropy ellipsoid exhibits a tendency to rotate. Significant changes in the AMS parameters occur during IRM acquisition. Curves of P and T vs. IRM acquisition field, for various grain-size fractions, show no coherent pattern. For all the samples studied, the T vs. H curve exhibits a threshold value at which change in the type of arrangement of easy axis of magnetization occurs. For the IRM acquisition fields higher than some 320 kA m⁻¹, the minimum susceptibility axis parallels the direction of the IRM acquisition field.

Hysteresis curves of the fractions are similar to each other. The Preisach distribution function was determined and it indicates that the reversible part of the magnetization process plays an important role comparatively. Based on the coercivity data presented no unambiguous conclusion could be drawn from the single-domain (SD)-multidomain (MD) transition, associated with a coercivity maximum.     

A comparison between different methods for determining grain distribution in coarse channel beds

The determination of grain size distribution in alluvial channels plays a crucial role in understanding fluvial dynamics and processes (e.g., hydraulic resistance, sediment transport and erosion, and habitat suitability). However, to determine an accurate distribution, tremendous field efforts are often required. Traditionally, the grain size distribution of channel beds have been obtained by manually counting a set of randomly selected stones (the“pebble count”). Based on this elementary principle, many authors have proposed different adaptations to overcome weaknesses and problems with the original method; with the development of digital technology, photographic methods have been developed in order to sig-nificantly reduce the time spent in the field. Two of these“image-assisted”methods include Automated Grain Sizing, AGS, and Manual Photo Sieving, MPS. In this study, AGS and MPS were applied under ideal laboratory conditions, to be used as reference, and in two field conditions with different degrees of difficulty in terms of visual determination of the grain size distribution; these included an artificial unlined channel and two natural mountainous streams. The results were compared with those obtained with the pebble-count method. In general, strong agreement between the methods was found when they were applied under favorable conditions (”the laboratory”), and the differences between the image-assisted and pebble count methods were similar to those found in previous studies. Despite being more time consuming, MPS was deemed preferable to AGS when conditions are not optimal;in these cases, the time spent on image elaboration significantly increased in the AGS method (approximately three-fold), but the estimation error of the median grain size decreased by approximately 37%. The use of image-assisted analysis has proven to be robust for characterizing sediment in watercourse beds and reducing fieldwork time, but because field conditions can significantly affect the accuracy of results, the method choice must be carefully considered.     

On the possibility of obtaining relative paleointensities from lake sediments

Relative paleointensities are obtained from a 6-m sediment core from Lake St. Croix, Minnesota, spanning the time range from 445 to 1740 years B.P. To normalize the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) for variations in the magnetic content, a laboratory-induced remanence is chosen, whose alternating field (AF) demagnetization curves most closely resemble the NRM demagnetization curves. By plotting the ratio of the NRM to the normalizing remanence versus AF demagnetizing field, H_AF, for samples of the same sediment horizon, as well as for samples from different horizons, estimates are obtained for expected uncertainties in the relative paleointensities. For the Lake St. Croix sediments the anhysteretic remanence (ARM) demagnetization curves are very similar to those of the NRM's, and ARM is therefore used as the normalization parameter. Because the sediment exhibits homogeneous remanence properties throughout, and H_AF = 100Oe is the optimum “cleaning” field for the entire core, NRM₁₀₀/ARM₁₀₀ is evaluated to represent the fluctuations of the relative paleointensity. Our relative paleointensity data exhibit the same general features as obtained from archeomagnetic studies. The intensity increases as one goes back in time with a peak near 800 years B.P., representing an increase in the intensity of up to 60%. Apparent periodicities in the intensity of 300–400 years are observed.     

湖泊沉积物不同粒级组分有机碳同位素差异及其对实验结果的影响

湖泊沉积物有机质碳同位素因常被用于识别沉积物中有机质来源或流域植被信息而逐渐成为一个常规代用指标,但当沉积物中有机质含量变化显著、赋存状态不同时,采用统一分析方法(全样或某一粒级组分)测试的结果在不同含量或赋存状态时是否会产生偏差,目前没有详细的研究进行评价.利用嘎顺诺尔湖泊沉积物,采用全样品、细颗粒组分(过120目筛和360目筛),分别进行有机质含量和同位素分析,评价选择不同粒级样品因有机质赋存状态不同对有机碳同位素分析结果的影响.结果显示,不同组分的烧失量或元素分析仪方法测得的有机质含量变化趋势相同,但不同组分的有机碳同位素结果出现差异:全样的有机碳同位素值存在较大波动,随着过筛孔径变小,δ¹³C_org值波动减小,且过360目筛的细颗粒组分的碳同位素值较全样或过120目筛后组分的δ¹³C_org值偏负.这一差异与有机质组分赋存的颗粒范围有关.对比认为过360目筛的细颗粒组分更有利于充分反应,且可获得较为准确的同位素值.因此,在进行不同湖泊沉积物δ¹³C_org值对比时,应注意研究使用样品的前处理方式,相同处理方式下的结果更具有可比性.该研究结果对于湖泊沉积物有机质碳同位素分析具有参考意义.     

Age modelling for Pleistocene lake sediments: A comparison of methods from the Andean Fúquene Basin (Colombia) case study

Challenges and pitfalls for developing age models for long lacustrine sedimentary records are discussed and a comparison is made between radiocarbon dating, visual curve matching, and frequency analysis in the depth domain in combination with cyclostratigraphy. A core section of the high resolution 284-ka long temperature record developed from Lake Fúquene in the Northern Andes is used to explore four different age models (a–d). (a) A model based on 46 AMS ¹⁴C dates of bulk sediment is hampered by low concentrations of organic carbon. (b) A model based on the comparison of the radiocarbon dated pollen record to the well-established record from Cariaco Basin using curve matching and visual tie points. For the upper 26 m of the core this approach yields an age interval of 28–59.5 ka. (c) Another age model is based on curve matching and the Intcal09 radiocarbon calibration curve, yielding an age range of 22.5–80.4 ka for the same core interval. (d) Finally, a model is developed based on spectral analysis in the depth domain of the temperature-related altitudinal migrations of the upper forest line. This method identifies periodicities without a pre-conceived idea of age. The main frequency of 9.07 m appears to reflect the 41-kyr orbital signal of obliquity, which is tuned to the filtered 41-kyr temperature signal from the well-constrained LR04 marine benthic ∂¹⁸O stack record (Lisiecki and Raymo, 2005). Using this last age-modelling approach, the upper 26 m of core Fq-9C yields a temporal interval of 27–133 ka. Problems arising from radiocarbon dating carbon poor sediments from a large lake are addressed and the visual curve matching approach is compared to the analysis of cyclic changes in sediment records in developing an age model. We conclude that the frequency analysis and cyclostratigraphy model is the most reliable one of the four approaches. These results show that cyclostratigraphy may provide a useful method for developing an age model for long terrestrial records including multiple orbital cycles.     

The equivalent dose of different grain size quartz fractions from lakeshore sediments in the arid region of north China

Equivalent dose (D_e) values were measured by using medium aliquots of different grain size quartz fractions of five lakeshore sediments from the arid region of north China. There are two different relationships between D_e values and grain sizes of these five samples. The first relationship is that the D_e values obtained from various grain sizes are in agreement within 1 delta errors. The second relationship is that D_e values are similar to each other for fractions between 125 and 300 μm, while the D_e value of the 63–90 μm fraction is 40～55% smaller than others. For example, the D_e values obtained for sample #3 are 20.15 ± 1.19 Gy, 19.80 ± 0.83 Gy and 20.93 ± 1.06 Gy for fractions of 90–125, 125–150 and 250–300 μm respectively, but are 10.79 ± 0.84 Gy for the 63–90 μm fraction. The second relationship can't be interpreted by previous studies of both dosimetry and heterogeneous bleaching. It is deduced for sample #2, #3 and #6 that fine particles (<90 μm) intruded after the dominant sedimentation. Comparison of OSL ages from different grain size fractions of sample #2 with a radiocarbon age from the same lithologic layer supports that fractions coarser than 125 μm yield more reliable burial ages, while the fraction finer than 90 μm yields underestimated ages for some lakeshore sediments from this arid region.     

Environmental records of lacustrine sediments in different time scales: Sediment grain size as an example

Understanding the past is the key to know thepresent and to predict the future. As a core project ofthe International Geosphere Biosphere Program, PastGlobal Changes (PAGES) aims to reconstruct theevolution history of global climate, global environ-ment and global ecosystem with resort to all kinds ofnatural records, so as to reveal the change rules(change processes, change amplitude and change rate)of the global environment and thus provide scientificbasis for predicting climate changes p…     

Assessment of magnetite as a magnetic tracer for sediments in the study of ephemeral gully erosion: Conditioning factors of magnetic susceptibility

In gully erosion, the detached soil can be transported over long distances along the landscape. The eroded material can be redistributed and/or deposited on the soil surface along the landscape and then eventually be buried by newly eroded and deposited sediment. There can be significant variability of the soil conditions (e.g., texture and moisture content) over which the eroded material travels. The eroded material can be detected through the use of magnetic tracers attached to or mixed with the eroded soil. In this study we evaluated the degree to which the magnetic signal of the magnetite is conditioned by (i) burial depth of tracer, (ii) condition of soil covering the tracer and (iii) tracer concentration. In the laboratory containers were filled with a specific soil. In the filling process, a 0.5-cm layer of a soil–magnetite mixture was interspersed in the soil profile at a certain depth. Experiments encompassed three different soil–tracer concentrations (1000:1, 200:1, 100:1), four burial depths of tracer (0 cm, 3 cm, 5 cm and 10 cm from soil surface), and two different soils. In each case, the magnetic susceptibility was measured with a susceptometer. Experiments were repeated with different soil moisture contents. If the tracer is located under the soil surface, a minimum soil–tracer concentration of 200:1 is required for its correct detection. The intensity of the magnetic signal decreases dramatically with the vertical distance of the tracer from the soil surface. The maximum detection depth for the tracer's magnetic signal is strongly dependent on the natural magnetic susceptibility of the soil, which masks the tracer's signal. Variation in soil moisture content does not significantly affect the magnetic signal. For extensive field studies, the soil–tracer volume to be handled would be very high and therefore, it is necessary to explore new tracer application techniques.     

Some results of applying methods of natural electromagnetic and seismic fields in the North Caucasus

A comprehensive analysis by the methods of natural electromagnetic fields, earthquake converted waves, and deep seismic sounding provided detailed constraints on the section of the crust and sedimentary cover in Ciscaucasia and revealed areas of the maximum crustal permeability on the Scythian plate and suture and underthrusting zones in the North Caucasus fold system. Based on seismic and electric evidence, the connected porosity is estimated at 1.5–3%, with the background value being smaller than 0.1%. These junction zones of the Scythian plate and fold block structures of the Main Caucasus Ridge are characterized by a decrease in the electrical resistivity by more than an order of magnitude, a more than fivefold drop in converted wave amplitudes, and a decrease in the converted and longitudinal wave velocities by up to 6%.     

A comparison of different methods for speleothem age modelling

Speleothems, such as stalagmites and flowstones, can be dated with unprecedented precision in the range of the last 650,000 a by the ²³⁰Th/U-method, which is considered as one of their major advantages as climate archives. However, a standard approach for the construction of speleothem age models and the estimation of the corresponding uncertainty has not been established yet.Here we apply five age modelling approaches (StalAge, OxCal, a finite positive growth rate model and two spline-based models) to a synthetic speleothem growth model and two natural samples. All data sets contain problematic features such as outliers, age inversions, large and abrupt changes in growth rate as well as hiatuses.For data sets constrained by a large number of ages and not including problematic sections, all age models provide similar results. In case of problematic sections, the algorithms provide significantly different age models and uncertainty ranges.StalAge, OxCal and the finite positive growth rate model are, in general, more flexible since they are capable of modelling hiatuses and account for problematic sections by increased uncertainty. The spline-based age models, in contrast, reveal problems in modelling problematic sections.Application to the synthetic data set allows testing the performance of the algorithms because the ‘true’ age model is available and can be compared with the age models. OxCal and StalAge generally show a good performance for this example, even if they are inaccurate for a short section in the area of a hiatus. The two spline-based models and the finite positive growth rate model show larger inaccurately modelled sections.     

Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of shallow streambed sediments and comparison with the grain‐size analysis results

Streambed horizontal hydraulic conductivity (K_h) has a substantial role in controlling exchanges between stream water and groundwater. We propose a new approach for determining K_h of the shallow streambed sediments. Undisturbed sediment samples were collected using tubes that were horizontally driven into streambeds. The sediment columns were analysed using a permeameter test (PT) on site. This new test approach minimizes uncertainties due to vertical flow in the vicinity of test tube and stream stage fluctuations in the computation of the K_h values. Ninety‐eight PTs using the new approach were conducted at eight sites in four tributaries of the Platte River, east‐central Nebraska, USA. The K_h values were compared with the nondirectional hydraulic conductivity values (K_g) determined from 12 empirical grain‐size analysis methods. The grain‐size analysis methods used the same sediment samples as K_h tests. Only two methods, the Terzaghi and Shepherd methods, yielded K_g values close to the K_h values. Although the Sauerbrei method produced a value relatively closer to K_h than other nine grain‐size analysis methods, the values from this method were not as reliable as the methods of Terzaghi and Shepherd due to the inconsistent fluctuation of the average estimates at each of the test sites. The Zunker, Zamarin, Hazen, Beyer, and Kozeny methods overestimated K_h, while the Slichter, US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Harleman, and Alyamani and Sen methods underestimated K_h. Any of these specific grain‐size methods might yield good estimates of streambed K_h at some sites, but give poor estimates at other sites, indicating that the relationship between K_g and K_h is significantly site dependent in our study. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An investigation into the source of magnetic minerals in some Finnish lake sediments

The source of magnetic minerals in the sediments of five Finnish lakes, which carry a palaeomagnetic record of the geomagnetic field, was found to be primary magnetite in the glacial drift of the catchments. The magnetite is concentrated in the central lake sediments. The ratio of haematite to magnetite was found to decrease in the progression drift-stream bedload-lake sediment. A consistent, temporal decrease of magnetic mineral concentration was found in all the lake sediments studied and is related to maturation of the soils and vegetation surrounding the lakes. This distinctive trend contrasts with that seen in Britain and is discussed in terms of man's influence on landscape development.     

A comparison of methods for spatial relative risk mapping of human neural tube defects

Birth defects are a major cause of infant mortality and disability in many parts of the world. Yet the etiology of neural tube defects (NTDs), the most common types of birth defects, is still unknown. The construction and analysis of maps of disease incidence data can help explain the geographical distribution of NTDs and can point to possible environmental causes of these birth defects. We compared two methods of mapping spatial relative risk of NTDs: (1) hierarchical Bayesian model, and (2) Spatial filtering method. Heshun county, which has the highest rate of NTDs in China, was selected as the region of interest. Both methods were used to produce a risk map of NTDs for rural Heshun for 1998–2001. Hierarchical Bayesian model estimated the relative risk for any given village in Heshun by “borrowing” strength from other villages in the study region. It did not remove all the random spatial noise in the rude disease rate. There were several areas of high incidence scattered around its risk map with no readily apparent pattern. The spatial filtering method calculated the relative risk for all villages based on a series of circulars. The risk map from the spatial filtering method revealed some spatial clusters of NTDs in Heshun. These two methods differed in their ability to map the spatial relative risk of NTDs. Distributional assumption of relative risk and the target of the risk assessment should be taken into consideration when choosing which method to use.     

Turbidity and mass concentration of suspended matter in lake water: A comparison of two calibration methods

Turbidity measurements by foreward scattering nephelometer have been regularly conducted on the north basin of Lake Lugano (Switzerland/Italy) since September 1992. In order to determine mass concentrations from these data, both, in-situ and laboratory calibration experiments have been performed in November and December 1992 on suspended matter of the hypolimnion. Results show:

1. Mass concentration/turbidity ratios are different in the two turbidity zones examined due to variation in the optical signature of the suspended matter.
2. Laboratory calibrations using suspended matter originating from the water depths of interest give representative results provided that physical and chemical alterations occuring during the particle transfer process remain negligible.

     

On the grain size dependence of the behavicur of fine magnetic particles in rocks

The grain size dependence of the ratio of saturation remanent magnetization to saturation magnetization (J _R :J _S ), weak field susceptibility (X ₀), thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) and its stability against AF demagnetization are interpreted in terms of nucleation theory. It is concluded that each of these parameters exhibits grain size dependence due to two effects. The first is the increasing difficulty with which domain walls are neucleated as grain size decreases. The second is an intrinsic grain size dependence of the parameters in multidomain particles.     

Bioturbation: minimal effects on the magnetic fabric of some natural and experimental sediments

Magnetic fabric measurements have been performed on three suites of sediment samples to contrast biologically disturbed and undisturbed sediments. The first of these analyses includes samples from laminated, relatively undisturbed and bioturbated, totally disturbed horizons found in an Athabasca Oil Sand core. The second includes samples from biologically undisturbed sediments from Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The third includes evaluation of the evolution of a magnetite horizon which was established by the author in December of 1982 in a biologically active tidal flat on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Changes in this magnetite horizon were monitored by periodic subsampling.Results from these suites of samples indicate that the measured magnetic fabric in bioturbated sediments may exhibit primary sedimentary characteristics similar to undisturbed sediments. Such primary indicators include the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) parametersV used by Graham, always greater than 45°,Q used by Rees and Hamilton, always less than 0.69, and a subhorizontal magnetic foliation plane. I infer that the presence of apparently primary fabric distributions in these bioturbated sediments indicates that physical, not biological factors are responsible for the observed fabric. These factors include dewatering and simple, low magnitude compaction. The data indicate that it cannot be assumed, a priori, that poor fabric distributions are the result of bioturbation. On the contrary, for the Sapelo Island experiments, the magnetic fabric actually improved with bioturbation and the Athabasca bioturbated magnetic fabric is very similar to that from the Athabasca laminated sediment.Data from the Sapelo Island, Georgia, tidal flat experiment are interpreted to indicate that long-axis AMS alignments develop within the sediment. Such alignments are the result of water movement through sediment which exhibits increased porosity due to high rates of burrowing. It is also observed that RM precision improves during the experiment in spite of bioturbation.