The major and minor element geochemistry of Lake Baikal

Falkner, Kelly K.; Measures, C.I.; Herbelin, Sarah E.; Edmond, John M.; Weiss, Ray F.

doi:10.4319/lo.1991.36.3.0413

Cited by 138 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The hydrologic balance and the outlet configuration of the lake make it difficult to change lake level climatically. Evaporation is less than one-sixth of the outflow (Kozhov 1963), and the mean residence time of water in the lake is only 300-400 years Faulkner et al 1991). No evidence exists for anything other than a dilute, through-flowing lake controlled by the level of its outlet, which could easily accommodate higher outflow without significant changes in lake level, during the last several hundred thousand years.…”

Section: Lake Level Tectonics and Turbiditesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quaternary Sedimentation and Subsidence History of Lake Baikal, Siberia, Based on Seismic Stratigraphy and Coring

Colman¹,

Karabanov²,

Nelson³

2003

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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The long, continuous, high-latitude, stratigraphic record of Lake Baikal was deposited in three broad sedimentary environments, defined by high-resolution seismic-reflection and coring methods: (1) turbidite depositional systems, by far the most widespread, characterizing most of the margins and floors of the main basins of the lake, (2) large deltas of major drainages, and (3) tectonically or topographically isolated ridges and banks. Holocene sedimentation rates based on radiocarbon ages vary by more than an order of magnitude among these environments, from less than about 0.03 mm/yr on ridges and banks to more than about 0.3 mm/yr on basin floors. Extrapolating these rates, with a correction for compaction, yields tentative estimates of about 25 and 11 Ma for the inception of rifting in the Central and North basins, respectively, and less than 6 Ma for the 200-m sediment depth on Academician Ridge.The Selenga Delta has the distinctive form of a classic prograding Gilbert-type delta, but its history appears to represent a complex combination of tectonism and sedimentation. The central part of the delta is underlain by prograding, shallow-water sequences, now several hundred meters below the lake surface. These deposits and much of the delta slope are mantled by fine-grained, deep-water, hemipelagic deposits whose base is estimated to be about 650,000 years old. Modern coarse-grained sediment bypasses the delta slope through fault-controlled canyons that feed large, subaqueous fans at the ends of the South and Central basins. These relations, along with abundant other evidence of recent faulting and the great depths of the Central and South basins, suggest that these two rift basins have experienced a period of unusually rapid subsidence over the last 650,000 years, during at least part of which sedimentation has failed to keep pace.

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Section: Lake Level Tectonics and Turbiditesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quaternary Sedimentation and Subsidence History of Lake Baikal, Siberia, Based on Seismic Stratigraphy and Coring

Colman¹,

Karabanov²,

Nelson³

2003

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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“…Of the minor elements (Ba, Rb, Li, Sr, U) profiled in 1988, only Ba, decreasing gradually with depth, displayed nonconservative behavior (Falkner et al 1991). At the central and southern basin stations, levels decreased more sharply in near botto.m waters for which transmissometry indicated elevated particle concentrations (W. Gardner pers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Carbon fixation rates inferred from oxygen consumption rates and nutrient considerations confirmed previous reports that the lake is oligotrophic and suggested that nitrate is ithe limiting nutrient . Based on values reported in the literature for riverine inputs, the major ions in Baikal seemed to be dominated by riverine throughput and to reside in the lake on the order of the water residence time of 330 yr (Falkner et al 1991). At least for the present, hydrothermal activity, which has been observed to occur in Frolikha Bay at the northern end of Baikal (Crane et al 1991 a;Golubev 1978Golubev , 1984, appeared to play a minor role in major ion cycling in the lake as a whole compared to riverine throughput (Falkner et al 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Minor and trace element chemistry of Lake Baikal, its tributaries, and surrounding hot springs

Falkner

Church

Measures

et al. 1997

Limnology & Oceanography

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A Russian-American fieldwork effort on Lake Baikal, its tributaries, and surrounding hot springs was undertaken in June-July 1991. Here we report on aspects of major ion (Ca 2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Alk, Cl-, SOJ2-) and several minor and trace element (Li isotopes, Sr isotopes, Ba, Al, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Ge, Cd, Hg, U) cycles. Our riverine data for major ions generally concur with the more extensive, time-averaged Russian database; for the most part the homogeneously distributed major ions appear to be at steady state and dominated by riverine throughputs in the lake. Exceptions include Mg2+, which may be removed to a small extent (I 15% of its riverine flux) by hydrothermal activity, and Na+ and Cl-, which seem to be impacted by pollution. Of the minor and trace elements, V also seems subject to anthropogenic disturbance. Other elements for which reliable data are available show conservative steadystate distributions (Li, Cr, Sr) or are subject to redistribution and removal within the lake (Ge, Al, Cu, Ni, Ba, U) as a result of involvement in a variety of particle cycling processes that tend to obscure non-natural influences. Chemical geothermometers for the four hot springs sampled (Smeyney, Khakuci, Kotelnikovski, Davsha) indicate subsurface reaction temperatures ranging from 70 to 150°C and converging to smaller ranges (5 15°C) for a given spring. Both depletions (Mg, Ba, Cu, Ni, Sr, U) and enrichments (Na, K, Cl, Li, Al, Gc, Sr, U) with respect to lake water were observed. Ge levels in spring waters are sufficiently enriched over lake waters that Ge could serve as a useful tracer of subaquatic hydrothermal waters. AcknowledgmentsWe thank E. Carmack, F! Salameh, R. Weiss, R. Williams, and N. Williams for assistance with sample collection and hydrographic work. We are grateful to the officers and crew of the RV Vereshchagin and RV Obruchev for help with all aspects of the fieldwork. Logistical support in Russia was provided by the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the invaluable help of M. Grachev and other members of the Limnological Institute of Irkutsk.

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“…9 mg/l , suggesting large-scale vertical convection in the lake. The mean residence time of major ions in the lake is estimated to be 330 years (Falkner et al, 1991). Nevertheless deep water exchanges rapidly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glacial-interglacial changes in organic carbon, nitrogen and sulfur accumulation in Lake Baikal sediment over the past 250kyr

et al. 2003

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The waters of modern Lake Baikal circulate well and maintain oxic conditions for the entire lake in spite of its great depth. Past oxic/anoxic conditions in the water column are not known. Because reconstruction of paleo-redox conditions involved with climate changes provides information on dynamics of lake water circulation and biological activity, high-resolution analyses of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total sulfur (TS) concentrations, and gamma ray density (GRD) were carried out using 492 sediment samples over the past 250 kyr (every other 1 cm from the 10 m core Ver98-1 St.5 taken from the Academician Ridge at 325 m water depth). Fifteen events of high TS/TOC ratio (>0.2 atomic) are observed; these are much larger than TS/TOC ratio of typical freshwater sediment (0.001-0.070) and also normal oxic marine sediments (0.13 in average). The sulfur occurs as pyrite by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, probably being produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Such high TS/TOC ratios indicate high SRB activity in the lake and a high input of sulfate to the lake. A high TS/TOC layer often accompanies a decrease of TOC/TN ratio to ca. 5 (atomic). In particular, during a rapid cooling such as the Younger Dryas event, the TOC/TN ratio decreases steeply from 10.4 to 7.8 just prior to the increase of TS/TOC ratio from 0.02 to 0.55. Because the low TOC/TN ratio suggests low terrestrial organic matter contribution to the lake, saline water inflow from rivers could diminish to result in decreased water circulation in the lake. The rapid cooling event may restrict deep-water ventilation and create less oxic conditions in Lake Baikal.

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The major and minor element geochemistry of Lake Baikal

Cited by 138 publications

References 20 publications

Quaternary Sedimentation and Subsidence History of Lake Baikal, Siberia, Based on Seismic Stratigraphy and Coring

Quaternary Sedimentation and Subsidence History of Lake Baikal, Siberia, Based on Seismic Stratigraphy and Coring

Minor and trace element chemistry of Lake Baikal, its tributaries, and surrounding hot springs

Glacial-interglacial changes in organic carbon, nitrogen and sulfur accumulation in Lake Baikal sediment over the past 250kyr

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