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Palaeoseismology from microfabric and geochemical analysis of lacustrine sediment, Windermere, UK

Palaeoseismology from microfabric and geochemical analysis of lacustrine sediment, Windermere, UK
Palaeoseismology from microfabric and geochemical analysis of lacustrine sediment, Windermere, UK
Lake sediments commonly contain detrital layers that record events such as floods or earthquakes but these may be disturbed or partially destroyed by bioturbation. Here we use a novel combination of techniques to relate microscopic sediment fabric features to lake-basin scale processes. X-radiography and micro-XRF of cores are complemented by backscattered electron imagery and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis of resinembedded
sediment. Together, the microfabric and geochemical methods enable the
identification of clay-layer mass transport deposits despite bioturbational mixing of the original end members. Two cores with robust radionuclide chronologies contain correlative clay layers dated to 1979 (1974 – 1982) and 1979-1980 (1973 – 1986) respectively. These clay layers likely represent the distal turbidite generated by a major mass flow deposit identified from multibeam swath bathymetry and sediment grab sampling. A likely trigger
for the mass flow and associated turbidity current is the 4.7 ML 1979 Carlisle earthquake. The lake basin slope was likely preconditioned for failure by increased sedimentary biogenic gas production and sediment in-wash as a result of anthropogenic activities, coupled with sediment disruption and dredging. This study highlights the effectiveness of microstratigraphic techniques in the recognition and characterisation of event layers in sediments where bioturbative disruption has occurred.
Palaeoseismology, PALAEOLIMNOLOGY, microlithostratigraphy, lake, Windermere
0016-7649
903-914
Fielding, J. James
0350985d-d245-4d72-bacd-03e48a05499d
Kemp, Alan E.S.
131b479e-c2c4-47ae-abe1-ad968490960e
Bull, Jonathan M.
974037fd-544b-458f-98cc-ce8eca89e3c8
Cotterill, Carol
cc09513b-fd65-4fa3-a95e-90fafb1aa37c
Pearce, Richard B.
7d772b25-3ad0-4909-9a96-3a1a8111bc2f
Avery, Rachael S.
e2310327-14c0-4c0b-a03f-31207cab95c2
Langdon, Peter G.
95b97671-f9fe-4884-aca6-9aa3cd1a6d7f
Croudace, Ian W.
24deb068-d096-485e-8a23-a32b7a68afaf
Fielding, J. James
0350985d-d245-4d72-bacd-03e48a05499d
Kemp, Alan E.S.
131b479e-c2c4-47ae-abe1-ad968490960e
Bull, Jonathan M.
974037fd-544b-458f-98cc-ce8eca89e3c8
Cotterill, Carol
cc09513b-fd65-4fa3-a95e-90fafb1aa37c
Pearce, Richard B.
7d772b25-3ad0-4909-9a96-3a1a8111bc2f
Avery, Rachael S.
e2310327-14c0-4c0b-a03f-31207cab95c2
Langdon, Peter G.
95b97671-f9fe-4884-aca6-9aa3cd1a6d7f
Croudace, Ian W.
24deb068-d096-485e-8a23-a32b7a68afaf

Fielding, J. James, Kemp, Alan E.S., Bull, Jonathan M., Cotterill, Carol, Pearce, Richard B., Avery, Rachael S., Langdon, Peter G. and Croudace, Ian W. (2018) Palaeoseismology from microfabric and geochemical analysis of lacustrine sediment, Windermere, UK. Journal of the Geological Society, 175 (6), 903-914. (doi:10.1144/jgs2017-094).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Lake sediments commonly contain detrital layers that record events such as floods or earthquakes but these may be disturbed or partially destroyed by bioturbation. Here we use a novel combination of techniques to relate microscopic sediment fabric features to lake-basin scale processes. X-radiography and micro-XRF of cores are complemented by backscattered electron imagery and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis of resinembedded
sediment. Together, the microfabric and geochemical methods enable the
identification of clay-layer mass transport deposits despite bioturbational mixing of the original end members. Two cores with robust radionuclide chronologies contain correlative clay layers dated to 1979 (1974 – 1982) and 1979-1980 (1973 – 1986) respectively. These clay layers likely represent the distal turbidite generated by a major mass flow deposit identified from multibeam swath bathymetry and sediment grab sampling. A likely trigger
for the mass flow and associated turbidity current is the 4.7 ML 1979 Carlisle earthquake. The lake basin slope was likely preconditioned for failure by increased sedimentary biogenic gas production and sediment in-wash as a result of anthropogenic activities, coupled with sediment disruption and dredging. This study highlights the effectiveness of microstratigraphic techniques in the recognition and characterisation of event layers in sediments where bioturbative disruption has occurred.

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Accepted/In Press date: 1 July 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 July 2018
Keywords: Palaeoseismology, PALAEOLIMNOLOGY, microlithostratigraphy, lake, Windermere

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 422448
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/422448
ISSN: 0016-7649
PURE UUID: 30ad37c4-6f76-41af-874f-d7ab6dcd47d8
ORCID for Jonathan M. Bull: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3373-5807
ORCID for Rachael S. Avery: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4439-4174
ORCID for Peter G. Langdon: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-2643

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Date deposited: 24 Jul 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:54

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Contributors

Author: J. James Fielding
Author: Alan E.S. Kemp
Author: Carol Cotterill
Author: Rachael S. Avery ORCID iD
Author: Ian W. Croudace

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