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Carbon Isotope Composition of Lake Sediments in Relation to Lake Productivity and Radiocarbon Dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Ramon Aravena ,
Barry G. Warner ,
Glen M. MacDonald  and
Karen I. Hanf
Ramon Aravena
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences and Quaternary Sciences Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
Barry G. Warner
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Quaternary Sciences Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
Glen M. MacDonald
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
Karen I. Hanf
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences and Quaternary Sciences Institute, University of Waterloo, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
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Abstract

Carbon-13 profiles and radiocarbon dates were obtained from two Canadian kettle basins having similar geological and hydrological characteristics to develop criteria for evaluating the validity of radiocarbon dates on lake sediment from basins in calcareous terrain. Radiocarbon dates from a site in Alberta show a variable hard-water effect related to local hydrological changes during postglacial history of the lake basin, whereas radiocarbon dates from the other site in Ontario show no noticeable influence of old carbon during its history. These differences are mainly related to lake water residence time, which has influenced carbon isotopic exchange between atmospheric CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon in lake water. δ13C values for bulk organic sediment and terrestrial and aquatic macrofossils reveal that the main component of lake sediment at both sites is autocthonous in origin. Furthermore, each site supported different submerged aquatic plant communities that used different sources of carbon for photosynthesis, thereby imprinting the organic sediments with a characteristic 13C composition. Both sites reflect a clear relationship between 13C values and paleoproductivity. This study shows the individualistic response of the developing lake system to the hydrology, lake biota, and local geology, and demonstrates the problem of using 13C in lake sediments as a single criterion to recognize the validity of radiocarbon dates of lake sediment without supporting paleoecological information.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , May 1992 , pp. 333 - 345
Copyright
University of Washington

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