Volcanic and solar activity, and atmospheric circulation influences on cosmogenic Be fallout at Vostok and Concordia (Antarctica) over the last 60 years

The cosmogenic nuclide beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be), recovered from ice cores, is often used to study solar activity on long timescales. However, the ¹⁰Be signal is also influenced by factors other than the Sun. To identify and quantify various contributions to the ¹⁰Be signal, two Antarctic snow records from the Vostok and Concordia sites spanning the last 60 years were studied at a sub-annual resolution. Three factors that contribute to the ¹⁰Be signal were identified. First, a significant period of approximately 11 yr that can be associated with the modulation of ¹⁰Be production by solar activity was detected in both records. The solar imprint constitutes 20-35% of the variance within the total signal. The 11-yr ¹⁰Be snow component was attenuated by a factor of ∼0.5 and was delayed by ∼1.4 yr compared to the ¹⁰Be production expected within the polar atmosphere. The result could be interpreted as the composite response of a stratospheric ¹⁰Be reservoir with an 11-yr modulation that was attenuated and delayed (with respect to ¹⁰Be polar production) and to a tropospheric ¹⁰Be reservoir with an 11-yr modulation that was not attenuated or delayed. Then, peaks in ¹⁰Be concentrations that were ∼66% and ∼35% higher than the average concentration were observed during the stratospheric volcanic eruptions of Agung (in 1963) and Pinatubo (in 1991), respectively. In light of these new results, published ¹⁰Be ice core records could be reinterpreted because spikes in ¹⁰Be concentration appear at the time of several stratospheric events. The data indicate that stratospheric volcanic eruptions can impact ¹⁰Be transport and deposition as a result of the roles played by the sedimentation of sulfate aerosols and the formation and rapid settling of polar stratospheric clouds (PSC). Also, an interannual variability of ∼4 yr was determined in both ¹⁰Be records, corresponding to ∼26% of the variance within the signal at Vostok. As with species of marine origin (sodium), this 4-yr variability is interpreted as a tropospheric modulation. The 4-yr variability could be associated with atmospheric circulation associated with the coupled Southern Ocean ocean-atmosphere system. The results presented here, from sites within the high Antarctic plateau, open new possibilities for ice core dating over the last few centuries and for the reconstruction of past solar activity in relation to climate.     

Solar and anthropogenic imprints on Lake Masoko (southern Tanzania) during the last 500 years

The Masoko crater-lake in southern Tanzania provides a continuous record of environmental changes covering the last 500 years. Multi-proxy studies were performed on a 52 cm sediment core retrieved from the deepest part of the lake. Magnetic, organic carbon, geochemical proxies and pollen assemblages indicate a dry climate during the ‘Little Ice Age’ (AD 1550–1850), confirming that the LIA in eastern Africa resulted in marked and synchronous hydrological changes. However, the direction of response varies between different African lakes (low versus high lake-levels), indicating strong regional contrasts that prevent the clear identification of climate trends over eastern Africa at this time. Inferred changes in Masoko lake-levels closely resemble the record of solar activity cycles, indicating a possible control of solar activity on the climate in this area. This observation supports previous results from East African lakes, and extends this relationship southward. Finally, anthropogenic impact is observed in the Masoko sediments during the last 60 years, suggesting that human disturbance significantly affected this remote basin during colonial and post-colonial times.     

Measuring Hg Isotopes in Bio-Geo-Environmental Reference Materials

With the emergence of new analytical techniques and the expansion of scientific fields explored by using mercury isotopes, the community needs reference materials (RM) to validate and assure the accuracy of the results. The present work investigates (1) the characterisation of secondary RM in order to validate analytical systems, (2) the effects of two complex matrices on isotopic determination using stannous chloride cold vapour generation coupled to MC-ICP-MS (CV-MC-ICP-MS), (3) the effects of multiple digestion techniques for total Hg extraction and (4) the characterisation of nine geo-bio-environmental RM. Two secondary mono-elemental RMs analysed using two different analytical setups yielded isotopic compositions on δ²⁰²Hg of −3.54 ± 0.27‰ (CRPG-F65A, 2SD, n = 38) and +2.59 ± 0.19‰ (CRPG-RL24H, 2SD, n = 30) relative to the CRM NIST SRM 3133. These two RMs cover the whole range of Hg isotopic fractionation in natural samples and are made available to the scientific community. Complex fly ash and hydroxysulfate green rust matrices were synthesised, spiked with NIST SRM 3133, then digested and finally analysed versus the mono-elemental NIST SRM 3133 to show potential effect of these complex matrices during CV-MC-ICP-MS. Three digestions techniques, including traditional acid digestion, microwave digestion and high pressure-high temperature digestion, were applied to the lichen RM BCR-482 in order to compare advantages and drawbacks of these methods. Finally, the isotopic compositions of nine RMs including soils (NIST SRM 2711; GXR-2; GSS-4), sediment (GSD-10), jasperoid (GXR-1), ore deposit (GXR-3), fly ashes (BCR-176; BCR-176R) and lichen (BCR-482) are reported. These selected materials have δ²⁰²Hg values ranging from −1.75‰ to +0.11‰. Some RMs also presented mass-independent fractionation with Δ¹⁹⁹Hg and Δ²⁰¹Hg of up to −0.6‰.     

Sediments of Lake Vens (SW European Alps,France) record large-magnitude earthquake events

We studied sediment cores from Lake Vens (2,327 m asl), in the Tinée Valley of the SW Alps, to test the paleoseismic archive potential of the lake sediments in this particularly earthquake-sensitive area. The historical earthquake catalogue shows that moderate to strong earthquakes, with intensities of IX–X, have impacted the Southern Alps during the last millennium. Sedimentological (X-ray images, grain size distribution) and geochemical (major elements and organic matter) analyses show that Lake Vens sediments consist of a terrigenous, silty material (minerals and organic matter) sourced from the watershed and diatom frustules. A combination of X-ray images, grain-size distribution, major elements and magnetic properties shows the presence of six homogenite-type deposits interbedded in the sedimentary background. These sedimentological features are ascribed to sediment reworking and grain sorting caused by earthquake-generated seiches. The presence of microfaults that cross-cut the sediment supports the hypothesis of seismic deposits in this system. A preliminary sediment chronology is provided by ²¹⁰Pb measurement and AMS ¹⁴C ages. According to the chronology, the most recent homogenite events are attributable to damaging historic earthquakes in AD 1887 (Ligure) and 1564 (Roquebillière). Hence, the Lake Vens sediment recorded large-magnitude earthquakes in the region and permits a preliminary estimate of recurrence time for such events of ~400 years.     

Nature and significance of a Cambro-Ordovician high-K, calc-alkaline sub-volcanic suite: the late- to post-orogenic Motru Dyke Swarm (Southern Carpathians, Romania)

The Motru Dyke Swarm intrudes the Precambrian Danubian basement of the Southern Carpathians (Romania). It is a marker of a sub-volcanic event that occurred during the early Palaeozoic (Cambrian to Ordovician). The geographical distribution of dykes on a ∼2,000 km² area is heterogeneous; several areas of high dyke density have been the subject of a detailed petrological and geochemical study. Taken altogether, the 150 samples define a single complete magmatic series, from basaltic andesite to rhyolite. Whole-rock major element variations show a medium- to high-K, calc-alkaline magmatic suite. The compositional variations and the general decrease of trace element contents (both compatible and incompatible, including REEs) from basaltic andesite to rhyolite are consistent with 1) the fractionation of the observed phenocryst assemblages, Ca-amphibole (Ti-pargasite to magnesiohornblende) followed by intermediate plagioclase, clinopyroxene and accessory biotite and quartz and 2) the absence of lower and/or upper crustal contamination. Trace elements diagrams display typical arc patterns (LILE, Pb and LREE enrichment and relative depletion in Nb-Ta, Zr-Hf and Ti). The Th/U, Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios are constant and close to the mantle values throughout the whole series, which argues that the parental magma was generated from a single and homogeneous enriched lithospheric mantle source. The field regional evidence implies that melting occurred during a late- to post-orogenic period of lithospheric extension, and thus took place quite lately after the cessation of Pan-African subduction.