Authigenic rhodochrosite from a gas hydrate-bearing structure in Lake Baikal

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Early diagenetic carbonates are rare in Lake Baikal. Siderite (Fe carbonate) concretions in the sediments were discovered only recently. Here, we discuss...     

The possibility of a tsunami on Lake Baikal

Based on the general physical nature of tsunami generation, it is established that it is an attribute of seismically hazardous areas and regions adjacent to large water reservoirs and is threatening to the population and infrastructure of the coastal zones. The main preconditions and possibilities for the occurrence of tsunami on Lake Baikal are considered: the information on earthquakes in the Baikal hollow during the instrumental-historical period (1724–2011) is generalized in the map of epicenters of shocks of magnitude M ⩾ 5 and histograms of the distribution of numbers of shocks with respect to magnitude. It is shown that the tsunami waves start forming on Baikal if the earthquake magnitude M is ≈5, but since a system of tsunami monitoring on Baikal is absent, it can be observed only during the strongest earthquakes of M > 7. The catastrophic Tsagan earthquake (1861, M ≈ 7.5) is given as an example. It happened near the eastern coast of Lake Baikal and caused a tsunami with people’s deaths.     

Elemental composition of suspended particles from the surface waters of Lake Baikal in the zone affected by the Selenga River

The elemental composition of suspended particles in surface waters of Lake Baikal has been studied by ICP MS along a transect of the zone affected by the Selenga River. The amount of terrigenous suspension in water was estimated from Al content, which decreases in a saltatory manner along the transect: 6.5–8.3 km offshore it decreases by an order of magnitude; 11–14 km offshore, by other 20 times; in the pelagic zone it remains almost unchanged. During the study period (late June 2001), the distribution limit of suspension from the Selenga River in the lake’s surface waters lays 11–14 km offshore.It has been found that pelagic suspension is more than 20 times richer in Ca, P, Zn, Cu, Ni, Sn, Mo, Bi, S, and Cd than littoral one (6.5 km offshore) in the zone affected by the Selenga River. This is mainly due to fine suspension (<1.2 μm), which was considerably richer in Ca, P, Zn, Cu, Ni, Sn, Mo, Sb, and Cd than coarser ones in the river.Fine suspension in Lake Baikal, both in the zone affected by the river and in the pelagic zone, is considerably (2–35 times) richer in most elements, except for typical terrigenous ones, than river one. This suggests that element enrichment takes place in the lake, probably owing to bioaccumulation and chemisorption. These processes may be affected by additional factors, because fine suspension from the zone affected by the river differs significantly from pelagic one in elemental composition.     

Paleoenvironmental proxy records from Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, and a synthesis of Holocene climate change in the Lake Baikal watershed

Here we discuss paleoenvironmental evolution in the Baikal region during the Holocene using new records of aquatic (diatom) and terrestrial vegetation changes from Hovsgol, Mongolia's largest and deepest lake. We reconcile previous contradictory Baikal timescales by constraining reservoir corrections of AMS dates on bulk sedimentary organic carbon. Synthesis of the Holocene records in the Baikal watershed reveals a northward progression in landscape/vegetation changes and an anti-phase behavior of diatom and biogenic silica proxies in neighboring rift lakes. In Lake Baikal, these proxies appear to be responsive to annual temperature increases after 6 ka, whereas in Lake Hovsgol they respond to higher precipitation/runoff from 11 to 7 ka. Unlike around Lake Baikal, warmer summers between 6 and 3.5 ka resulted in the decline, not expansion, of forest vegetation around Lake Hovsgol, apparently as a result of higher soil temperatures and lower moisture availability. The regional climatic proxy data are consistent with a series of 500-yr time slice Holocene GCM simulations for continental Eurasia. Our results allow reevaluation of the concepts of ‘the Holocene optimum’ and a ‘maximum of the Asian summer monsoon’, as applied to paleoclimate records from continental Asia.     

Mercury in the sedimentary deposits of Lake Baikal

Mercury distribution was examined in the sediments of Lake Baikal that were sampled within the scope of the Baikal Drilling International Project in 1996–1999. The Hg concentrations in the ancient sediments are close to those in the modern sediments with the exception of a few peak values, whose ages coincide with those of active volcanism in adjacent areas. Mercury was demonstrated to be contained in the sediments in the adsorbed Hg⁰ mode, predominantly in relation with organic matter. When the organic matter of the bottom sediments is decomposed in the course of lithification, Hg is retained in the sediments adsorbed on the residual organic matter, and the concentration of this element corresponds to its initial content in the bottom sediments during their accumulation. Mercury concentrations in lithologically distinct bottom sediments of Lake Baikal and its sediments as a whole depend on the climate. Sediments that were formed during warm periods of time contain more Hg than those produced during cold periods or glaciation. Periodical variations in the Hg concentrations in the bottom sediments of Lake Baikal reflect the variations in the contents of this element in the Earth’s atmosphere in the Late Cenozoic, which were, in turn, controlled by the climatic variations on the planet and, thus, can be used for detailed reconstructions of variations in the average global temperature near the planet’s surface.     

新疆和田玉和俄罗斯贝加尔湖地区软玉的岩石学特征研究

通过对新疆和田玉以及俄罗斯贝加尔湖地区软玉的化学成分、矿物组成、结构构造等方面的研究和对比,从岩石学的角度较系统地总结了两者的异同点,指出两者主要成分和主要矿物组成是近似的,但主要结构有区别,因而在外观上也有一定的差别,这对于两者的开发和利用有重要的实际意义.     

Elements of the iron and manganese cycles in Lake Baikal

Using data obtained in recent years, we considered the external mass balance and characteristics of internal iron and manganese cycles in Lake Baikal (biological uptake, remineralization, sedimentary and diffusive fluxes, accumulation in sediments, time of renewal, etc.). Some previous results and common concepts were critically reevaluated.     

Multi-Wavelength Synchrotron Radiation XRF Determination of U and Th in Sedimentary Cores from Lake Baikal

A new technique for the determination of uranium and thorium in lacustrine sediments is based on non-destructive synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis (SR-XRF) of sediment samples using monochromatic beams of different energies as excitation sources, with the recording and subsequent iterative processing of the X-ray fluorescence spectra. The technique has a multielement capability and enables fast, simultaneous analysis of a few tens of elements. The proposed SR-XRF technique was tested against INAA and ICP-MS methods and showed a number of advantages with a generally good correlation of results by the three methods. Uranium and Th profiles have been measured at a time resolution of 2 kyr in a drill core (BDP-96) from Lake Baikal bottom sediments deposited between 780 and 40 kyr B P. During this time span, peaks in the U and U/Th concentration marked warm climates. Oscillations of U and U/Th in Baikal bottom sediments during the Brunhes chron reflect climate-induced global change in the volume of polar ice, controlled by long-term cyclicity of the Earths orbital parameters. The response of these warm periods is similar to that observed earlier in shorter cores that span the two last interglacials (220-0 kyr BP).     

Gas hydrate of Lake Baikal: Discovery and varieties

This paper summarizes the results of recent gas-hydrate studies in Lake Baikal, the only fresh-water lake in the world containing gas hydrates in its sedimentary infill. We provide a historical overview of the different investigations and discoveries and highlight some recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the Baikal hydrate system. So far, 21 sites of gas hydrate occurrence have been discovered. Gas hydrates are of structures I and II, which are of thermogenic, microbial, and mixed origin. At the 15 sites, gas hydrates were found in mud volcanoes, and the rest six – near gas discharges. Additionally, depending on type of discharge and gas hydrate structure, they were visually different. Investigations using MIR submersibles allowed finding of gas hydrates at the bottom surface of Lake Baikal at the three sites.     

Estimate of heat flux at the ice-water interface in Lake Baikal from experimental data

An original system for measuring temperature in the ice cover and subglacial water and an increase in the ice thickness provides data necessary for calculation of the heat flux at the ice-water interface. Successive freezing of 1-mm temperature sensors during the ice growth allows us to measure temperature gradients in the vicinities of the ice-water interface for the first time. An analytical equation derived from the Stefan condition allows calculations of the heat flux at the phase boundary on the basis of the experimental data, which agree with independent estimates that have been made on the basis of the subglacial temperature gradients and are within the 4–39 W/m² range. The flow at the ice-water interface is comparable with the heat flux inside the ice depth and significantly affects the dynamics of the ice cover thickness.     

Geologic and biogeochemical role of crustose aquatic lichens in Lake Baikal

Based on materials collected in 2003–2007, data on aquatic lichens of the genus Verrucaria from the rocky littoral zone of Lake Baikal are discussed. The maximum density of their occurrence was observed at a depth of 1.5 m; 95–100% of rock fragments recovered from depths of 1.5–2.2 m are encrusted by 24–43% with the thalli of Verrucaria spp. It was found that the lichens contribute actively to the physical and physicochemical weathering of their rock substrate and prefer to reside on the rocks of granitic composition. The chemical composition of aquatic verrucaria is dominated by the same elements that are most abundant in the rocks (Ca > K > Fe > Al > Mg > P > S > Na > Mn > Sr > Ba), and, in most cases, the characteristic element ratios of the rock compositions are preserved in the composition of the thalli of Verrucaria spp. Compared with the elemental composition of the near-bottom water layer, the lichens most extensively concentrate the elements that slowly migrate in water: Gd > Sm > Pr > Nd > Al > La > Dy > Tb > Y > Lu > Ce > Yb > Be > Tm > Co > Nb > Mn > Zn. Compared with the composition of rocks, the mineral composition of the thalli of Verrucaria spp. is enriched by a factor of 100–10 in Hg > As > P > Zn > Li > S > U > Mo > Se > Cd > Ca > Tl > Sr > Pb > Be.     

Distribution and speciation of four heavy metals (Cd,Cr, Mn and Ni) in the surficial sediments from estuary in daliao river and yingkou bay

Heavy metal pollution in the surficial sediments derived from estuary in Daliao River and Yingkou Bay is investigated in the present work in order to assess environmental quality and pollution levels. Physicochemical parameters of surficial sediments (sediment type and TOC) and the overlying water (temperature, EC, pH and dissolved oxygen) are also studied. The total concentrations of Cd, Cr, Mn and Ni in the samples are determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The result indicates the comparatively low concentrations of the four metals (the max. of 0.67 mg/kg of Cd, 85.80 mg/kg of Cr, 1073.00 mg/kg of Mn and 38.62 mg/kg of Ni), the distribution rule of four metals in different regions of the studying area and the sources of the pollution. The methods of index of geoaccumulation, potential ecological risk index and pollution load index are used to assess the degree of contamination, distribution character and the sequence of pollution level in different regions which reflect the overall low values and low pollution level. The six-step sequential extraction method is used to determine the chemical forms of the four metals in order to evaluate their possible mobility, bioavailability and toxicity in surficial sediments. Cd and Mn are mostly concentrated in the CARB fraction, while Ni and Cr are mostly concentrated in the RES fraction. The mobility of the metals has the following order (average value): Cd > Mn > Ni > Cr.     

Deformation and seismic effects in the ice cover of Lake Baikal

The mechanics of the ice cover of Lake Baikal has been studied through monitoring of its deformation and seismic effects and full-sizeuniaxial compression and shear tests in 2005–2007. We measured the shear strength of ice specimens and large in situ blocks (σ = 0.2?1.9 MPa) and investigated it as a function of air temperature and ice structure. Deformation was analyzed in terms of various natural controls, such as air temperature and pressure, wind, sub-ice currents, and local earthquakes. Precise strain measurements along ice cracks were used to explore the strain behavior of ice, including the cases of dynamic failure (ice shocks). Measurements by seismic station Baikal-12 were used to monitor diurnal background micro seismicity variations and to record an ice quake with its magnitude (M = 0.3–0.8; E = 104–105 J) comparable to a medium-size rock burst or a small earthquake. Ice quakes were studied in terms of their nucleation, dynamics, and after effects, as well as the strain and seismic responses of the ice, using sub-ice explosions in the latter case. The natural conditions of deformation in the elastoviscoplastic Baikal ice are similar to lithospheric processes and thus can be employed in tectonophysical modeling with scientific and practical implications for hazard mitigation.