Petrophysical characterization of the lacustrine sediment succession drilled in Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russian Arctic

Abstract

Seismic profiles of Far East Russian Lake El'gygytgyn, formed by a meteorite impact some 3.6 million years ago, show a stratified sediment succession that can be separated into subunits Ia and Ib at approximately 167 m below lake floor (Combining double low line∼3.17 Ma). The upper (Ia) is well-stratified, while the lower is acoustically more massive and discontinuous. The sediments are intercalated with frequent mass movement deposits mainly in the proximal areas, while the distal region is almost free of such deposits at least in the upper part. In spring 2009, a long core drilled in the lake center within the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) penetrated the entire lacustrine sediment succession down to ∼320 m below lake floor and about 200 m farther into the meteorite-impact-related bedrock. Downhole logging data down to 390 m below lake floor show that the bedrock and the lacustrine part differ significantly in their petrophysical characteristics. The contact between the bedrock and the lacustrine sediments is not abrupt, but rather transitional with a variable mixture of impact-altered bedrock clasts in a lacustrine matrix. Physical and chemical proxies measured on the cores can be used to divide the lacustrine part into five different statistical clusters. These can be plotted in a redox-condition vs. input-type diagram, with total organic carbon content and magnetic susceptibility values indicating anoxic or oxic conditions and with the Si/Ti ratio representing more clastic or more biogenic input. Plotting the clusters in this diagram allows identifying clusters that represent glacial phases (cluster I), super interglacials (cluster II), and interglacial phases (clusters III and IV). © Author(s) 2013.