X-ray fluorescence scanning of discrete samples on the Schwalbenberg II loess-paleosol sequence, raw data, magnetic susceptibility, organic carbon and U-ratio as grainsize index

The Schwalbenberg II loess-paleosol sequence (LPS) denotes a key site for Marine Isotope Stage (MIS 3) in Western Europe owing to eight succeeding cambisols, which primarily constitute the Ahrgau Subformation. Therefore, this LPS qualifies as a test candidate for the potential of temporal high-resolution geochemical data obtained X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning of discrete samplesproviding a fast and non-destructive tool for determining the element composition. The geochemical data is first contextualized to existing proxy data such as magnetic susceptibility (MS) and organic carbon (Corg) and then aggregated to element log ratios characteristic for weathering intensity [LOG (Ca/Sr), LOG (Rb/Sr), LOG (Ba/Sr), LOG (Rb/K)] and dust provenance [LOG (Ti/Zr), LOG (Ti/Al), LOG (Si/Al)]. Generally, an interpretation of rock magnetic particles is challenged in western Europe, where not only magnetic enhancement but also depletion plays a role. Our data indicates leaching and top-soil erosion induced MS depletion at the Schwalbenberg II LPS. Besides weathering, LOG (Ca/Sr) is susceptible for secondary calcification. Thus, also LOG (Rb/Sr) and LOG (Ba/Sr) are shown to be influenced by calcification dynamics. Consequently, LOG (Rb/K) seems to be the most suitable weathering index identifying the Sinzig Soils S1 and S2 as the most pronounced paleosols for this site. Sinzig Soil S3 is enclosed by gelic gleysols and in contrast to S1 and S2 only initially weathered pointing to colder climate conditions. Also the Remagen Soils are characterized by subtle to moderate positive excursions in the weathering indices. Comparing the Schwalbenberg II LPS with the nearby Eifel Lake Sediment Archive (ELSA) and other more distant German, Austrian and Czech LPS while discussing time and climate as limiting factors for pedogenesis, we suggest that the lithologically determined paleosols are in-situ soil formations. The provenance indices document a Zr-enrichment at the transition from the Ahrgau to the Hesbaye Subformation. This is explained by a conceptual model incorporating multiple sediment recycling and sorting effects in eolian and fluvial domains.

X-ray fotos of 10 sediment cores from the Baltic Sea

Various types of trace fossils have been studied on radiographs of sediment cores from the Western Baltic since the early nineteen sixties. lnvestigations on the endo- und epifauna including their habitats and population densities carried out independently by biologists helped to identify the processes of their formation and classify the structures. Biogenic traces are ubiquitous in both sandy and muddy sediments of the Great Belt, where the bottom waters are weil oxygenated through inflows from the North Sea (through Kattegat-Skagerrak). Almost all types of bioturbation structures encountered in the Kiel Bay are also observed in a variety of shapes and forms, and can be considered as representative for the Western Baltic area. Polychaetes, bivalves and echinoderms were recorded at the sediment surface of the cores, and also in living positions in the sediment. The different types of burrows having distint outlines ('trace fossis'), and those having indistinct outlines ('biodeformational strctures'), and their varying abundance encountered in the area have been linked, wherever possible, to the sediment type, and to the macro-benthos.