Elemental and mineralogical characterization of marine sediments and their relationship to sedimentary and oceanographic processes in Central Bransfield Basin

Abstract This work consists of the sedimentological, mineralogical, and geochemical characterization of eight marine sediment cores collected in the Central Bransfield Basin, along a transect between the South Shetland Islands to the Antarctic Peninsula and its correlation to the sedimentary and oce...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Main Authors: JANAYNA CYNTHIA M. GALVÃO, ARTHUR AYRES NETO, ROSEMARY VIEIRA, JEFFERSON C. SIMÕES
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Ciências 2023
Subjects:
Antarctic
geochemistry
mineralogy
Sediments
oceanographic processes
Science
Q
Antarctic Peninsula
South Shetland Islands
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202320230990
https://doaj.org/article/81cad699b0174409a485d89a1c993d1c
Description
Summary:Abstract This work consists of the sedimentological, mineralogical, and geochemical characterization of eight marine sediment cores collected in the Central Bransfield Basin, along a transect between the South Shetland Islands to the Antarctic Peninsula and its correlation to the sedimentary and oceanographic processes of the area. A chemical characterization based on X-ray fluorescence dispersive spectrometry was implemented to obtain geochemical data of the marine sediment while the minerals were identified by X-ray diffraction. The study allowed to classify the cores into three groups according to their sediment source and chemical and mineralogical characteristics. The joint assessment of the geochemical and mineralogical signature of the sediment has confirmed that the elemental ratios Ti/Ca and Fe/Ca can be applied as proxies in the reconstitution of the terrigenous contribution to the Central Bransfield Basin if we consider the sedimentary contribution of the volcanic edifices present in the region. The Fe/K ratio associated with the Chemical Index of Alteration reinforced an increase in the degree of weathering near South Shetland Island, which is also pointed out by other authors in studies on climate change mainly in the subantarctic islands. The trend of temperature increase implies the importance of monitoring the region.

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