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The varved succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and point for the Anthropocene series

The varved succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and point for the Anthropocene series
The varved succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and point for the Anthropocene series

An annually laminated succession in Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada is proposed for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) to define the Anthropocene as a series/epoch with a base dated at 1950 CE. Varve couplets of organic matter capped by calcite precipitated each summer in alkaline surface waters reflect environmental change at global to local scales. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles and nitrogen isotopes record an increase in fossil fuel combustion in the early 1950s, coinciding with early fallout from nuclear and thermonuclear testing - 239+240Pu and 14C: 12C, the latter more than compensating for the effects of old carbon in this dolomitic basin. Rapid industrial expansion in the North American Great Lakes region led to enhanced leaching of terrigenous elements by acid precipitation during the Great Acceleration, and calcite precipitation was reduced, producing thin calcite laminae around the GSSP that is marked by a sharp decline in elm pollen (Dutch Elm disease). The lack of bioturbation in well-oxygenated bottom waters, supported by the absence of fossil pigments from obligately anaerobic purple sulfur bacteria, is attributed to elevated salinities and high alkalinity below the chemocline. This aerobic depositional environment, highly unusual in a meromictic lake, inhibits the mobilization of Pu, the proposed primary stratigraphic guide for the Anthropocene.

Dutch Elm disease, Great Acceleration, SCPs, acid precipitation, combustion, fossil plankton, radionuclides, stable isotopes, varves, µXRF
2053-0196
146-176
Mccarthy, Francine M.G.
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Patterson, R. Timothy
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Head, Martin J.
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Riddick, Nicholas L.
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Cumming, Brian F.
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Hamilton, Paul B.
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Pisaric, Michael F.J.
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Gushulak, A. Cale
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Leavitt, Peter R.
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Lafond, Krysten M.
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Llew-williams, Brendan
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Marshall, Matthew
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Heyde, Autumn
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Pilkington, Paul M.
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Moraal, Joshua
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Boyce, Joseph I
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Nasser, Nawaf A.
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Walsh, Carling
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Garvie, Monica
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Roberts, Sarah
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Rose, Neil L.
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Cundy, Andy B.
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Gaca, Pawel
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Milton, Andy
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Hajdas, Irka
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Crann, Carley A.
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Boom, Arnoud
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Finkelstein, Sarah A.
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Mcandrews, John H.
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et al.
Mccarthy, Francine M.G.
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Patterson, R. Timothy
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Head, Martin J.
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Riddick, Nicholas L.
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Cumming, Brian F.
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Hamilton, Paul B.
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Pisaric, Michael F.J.
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Gushulak, A. Cale
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Leavitt, Peter R.
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Lafond, Krysten M.
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Llew-williams, Brendan
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Marshall, Matthew
d2025000-3983-46e1-9483-e9750790bb74
Heyde, Autumn
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Pilkington, Paul M.
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Moraal, Joshua
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Boyce, Joseph I
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Nasser, Nawaf A.
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Walsh, Carling
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Garvie, Monica
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Roberts, Sarah
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Rose, Neil L.
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Cundy, Andy B.
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Gaca, Pawel
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Milton, Andy
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Hajdas, Irka
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Crann, Carley A.
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Boom, Arnoud
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Finkelstein, Sarah A.
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Mcandrews, John H.
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Mccarthy, Francine M.G., Patterson, R. Timothy and Head, Martin J. , et al. (2023) The varved succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and point for the Anthropocene series. The Anthropocene Review, 10 (1), 146-176. (doi:10.1177/20530196221149281).

Record type: Article

Abstract

An annually laminated succession in Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada is proposed for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) to define the Anthropocene as a series/epoch with a base dated at 1950 CE. Varve couplets of organic matter capped by calcite precipitated each summer in alkaline surface waters reflect environmental change at global to local scales. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles and nitrogen isotopes record an increase in fossil fuel combustion in the early 1950s, coinciding with early fallout from nuclear and thermonuclear testing - 239+240Pu and 14C: 12C, the latter more than compensating for the effects of old carbon in this dolomitic basin. Rapid industrial expansion in the North American Great Lakes region led to enhanced leaching of terrigenous elements by acid precipitation during the Great Acceleration, and calcite precipitation was reduced, producing thin calcite laminae around the GSSP that is marked by a sharp decline in elm pollen (Dutch Elm disease). The lack of bioturbation in well-oxygenated bottom waters, supported by the absence of fossil pigments from obligately anaerobic purple sulfur bacteria, is attributed to elevated salinities and high alkalinity below the chemocline. This aerobic depositional environment, highly unusual in a meromictic lake, inhibits the mobilization of Pu, the proposed primary stratigraphic guide for the Anthropocene.

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Crawford Lake ANR manuscript - no formatting - Accepted Manuscript
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mccarthy-et-al-2023-the-varved-succession-of-crawford-lake-milton-ontario-canada-as-a-candidate-global-boundary - Version of Record
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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 16 February 2023
Published date: April 2023
Keywords: Dutch Elm disease, Great Acceleration, SCPs, acid precipitation, combustion, fossil plankton, radionuclides, stable isotopes, varves, µXRF

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 477648
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/477648
ISSN: 2053-0196
PURE UUID: 7468215e-88f6-46b5-88c1-abe37edeea7c
ORCID for Andy B. Cundy: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4368-2569
ORCID for Andy Milton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4245-5532

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 12 Jun 2023 16:40
Last modified: 12 Sep 2024 01:48

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Contributors

Author: Francine M.G. Mccarthy
Author: R. Timothy Patterson
Author: Martin J. Head
Author: Nicholas L. Riddick
Author: Brian F. Cumming
Author: Paul B. Hamilton
Author: Michael F.J. Pisaric
Author: A. Cale Gushulak
Author: Peter R. Leavitt
Author: Krysten M. Lafond
Author: Brendan Llew-williams
Author: Matthew Marshall
Author: Autumn Heyde
Author: Paul M. Pilkington
Author: Joshua Moraal
Author: Joseph I Boyce
Author: Nawaf A. Nasser
Author: Carling Walsh
Author: Monica Garvie
Author: Sarah Roberts
Author: Neil L. Rose
Author: Andy B. Cundy ORCID iD
Author: Pawel Gaca
Author: Andy Milton ORCID iD
Author: Irka Hajdas
Author: Carley A. Crann
Author: Arnoud Boom
Author: Sarah A. Finkelstein
Author: John H. Mcandrews
Corporate Author: et al.

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