Discriminating Bio-Induced and Detrital Sedimentary Processes from Particle Size Distribution of Carbonates and Non-Carbonates in Hard Water Lake Sediments

Particle size distribution (PSD) and carbonate content are two of the most frequently used parameters for describing lake sediments. This paper presents a method for rapidly measuring both these parameters using a laser particle-sizer, as well as an original way in which to separately interpret the PSD of the carbonate and non-carbonate fractions. Differential particle size analyses are produced by measuring the PSD of each sample twice. The first PSD is measured using the bulk sample. The second PSD is measured after the carbonate fraction has been completely dissolved by adding hydrochloric acid to the sample. As well as particle size analyses, laser particle-sizers automatically give obscuration values for the samples being analysed. By comparing the obscuration value for the bulk sample with the value for the de-carbonated fraction, the carbonate content of the sediment can be determined. In order to test the accuracy of the method, the results were compared with chemical analyses of carbonate content. This comparison showed that when applied to diatom-rich samples the method underestimates the carbonate content. This is due to the fact that the differential particle size method measures the volume concentrations of the carbonate and non-carbonate fractions, whereas chemical analysis measures the weight concentrations. As diatoms are hollow and have relatively low-densities, differential particle size analyses of diatom-rich samples overestimate the non-carbonate fraction. Despite this limitation, and bearing in mind that laser particle-sizer distributions are expressed in terms of volume percent for each size class and not weight percent, PSDs can provide useful data for interpreting sedimentary processes. One of the main advantages of this method is that it can be used to separate the PSDs of the carbonate (autochthonous) fraction and the non-carbonate (allochthonous) fraction from the PSD of the bulk sample. The value of such an approach was demonstrated by the analysis and interpretation of a 9 m-long core from Lake Bourget in France. An analysis of the bulk sample PSDs plotted as a function of depth showed the consistency of sedimentary processes over the last 7200 years. Amongst these processes, it was possible to identify two modes of clastic material deposition: river-borne fine sedimentation during major floods and gravity reworking of sandy sediment from the lakeshore.