A Multi-Parameter Approach to Assessing the Origin of Sediment-Magnetic Signatures in Small, Temperate-Climate Lakes

To assess the controls on sedimentary magnetic signatures in lakes, we analyzed the characteristics of core, surface, sediment trap, and catchment samples collected from small, temperate-climate lakes, which are commonly used in paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Magnetic properties of sediments were evaluated using room temperature measurements (susceptibility, IRM, ARM), hysteresis parameters, low temperature magnetization curves, and modeling of bulk coercivity spectra, obtained from IRM and ARM acquisition and demagnetization curves. The results highlight several characteristics of lacustrine sediments: 1) Magnetic- mineral assemblages are dominated by low-coercivity minerals (e.g. magnetite); 2) Saturation magnetization, rather than remanent magnetization, is a better overall indicator of concentration, due to differences in grain size; 3) Shoreline samples contain almost exclusively detrital multi-domain (MD) magnetite grains, while littoral and profundal sediments contain a mixture of MD and in-lake produced single-domain (SD) grains; 4) Profundal sediments, deposited in seasonally-anoxic waters, exhibit dissolution of finer-grained particles; 5) Calculated contributions of a biogenic source differ depending on method utilized. ARM/IRM ratios and delta/delta ratios are more conservative in this aspect, indicating a maximum of 50% contribution of biogenic magnetite. Hysteresis and coercivity analyses yield up to 75% contribution of biogenic particles; 6) There is a direct linear relation between percent mass organic matter (OM) and ARM/IRM, showing a dependence of magnetic grain size on organic carbon concentration. This correlation highlights the role OM has in the process of production and preservation of magnetosomes. Organic matter decomposition depletes the dissolved oxygen and leads to temporary or permanent anoxic conditions in the sediment. If conditions are suboxic (e.g. in the littoral zone, where oxygen can diffuse into the sediment from the overlying oxic water column), magnetite has a better chance of being preserved. If bottom waters and sediments are anoxic, dissolution of magnetic grains will occur, with smaller particles being preferentially dissolved.