Brief communication: Unravelling the composition and microstructure of a permafrost core using X-ray computed tomography
The microstructure of permafrost ground contains clues to its formation and hence its preconditioning to future change. We applied X-ray computed tomography (CT) to obtain high-resolution data (Δ x =50 µm) of the composition of a 164 cm long permafrost core drilled in a Yedoma upland in northeastern...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-79 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2022-79/ |
| Summary: | The microstructure of permafrost ground contains clues to its formation and hence its preconditioning to future change. We applied X-ray computed tomography (CT) to obtain high-resolution data (Δ x =50 µm) of the composition of a 164 cm long permafrost core drilled in a Yedoma upland in northeastern Siberia. The CT analysis allowed to directly map and quantify excess ice, gas inclusions, and two distinct sediment phases. Using laboratory measurements of coarsely-resolved core samples, we statistically estimated the composition of the sediment phases and indirectly quantified pore ice, organic, and mineral contents. We conclude that CT is a promising method for obtaining physical properties of permafrost cores which opens novel research potentials. |
|---|