Seeking the Sources of Dust: Geochemical and Magnetic Studies on ”Cryodust” in Glacial Cores from Southern Spitsbergen (Svalbard, Norway)

Natural mineral particulate matter deposited from aerosols and trapped in glaciers—herein defined as “cryodust”—may be an excellent indicator of atmospheric circulation, if terrestrial sources of dust can be identified. In this study, we analyzed the composition of cryodust in shallow ice cores take...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmosphere
Main Authors: Marek Lewandowski, Monika A. Kusiak, Tomasz Werner, Adam Nawrot, Barbara Barzycka, Michał Laska, Bartłomiej Luks
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020
Subjects:
Svalbard
Spitsbergen
glacier core
mineralogy
magnetism
dust sources
Meteorology. Climatology
QC851-999
Nordaustlandet
Norway
Svalbard Archipelago
glacier
Northern Norway
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121325
https://doaj.org/article/be0f1f399f464fd39b05dfa4aaa59cf4
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Summary:Natural mineral particulate matter deposited from aerosols and trapped in glaciers—herein defined as “cryodust”—may be an excellent indicator of atmospheric circulation, if terrestrial sources of dust can be identified. In this study, we analyzed the composition of cryodust in shallow ice cores taken from five glaciers in Southern Spitsbergen (Svalbard Archipelago, Northern Norway). The chemical composition, magnetic properties and radiogenic ages of individual grains were measured, where possible, to provide indicators of source areas. To identify mineral and rock fragments, solid particulates were examined by Scanning Electron Microscope fitted with a backscattered electron and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopic detectors. An Electron MicroProbe was employed for the U-Th-Pb chemical dating of monazite grains. Magnetic measurements comprised analyses of magnetic susceptibility (κ) vs. temperature (T) variations and determination of magnetic hysteresis parameters. Monazite ages span 445–423 Ma, consistent with mineral growth during the Caledonian orogeny. Caledonian rocks are exposed in the Nordaustlandet area of North-Eastern Svalbard, and this is the most probable source for monazite grains. Magnetic analyses show a predominance of ferrous (Fe II ) over ferric (Fe III ) phases, consistent with a lack of input from subtropical sources. The results from both methods are consistent with local sources of dust from exposures in the Svalbard archipelago.

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