Chinese Journal of Polar Research

Chinese Journal of Polar Research ›› 2024, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (3): 406-420.DOI: 10.13679/j.jdyj.20240038

Special Issue: 中国极地考察40周年

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Surface sediment bulk mineralogical composition and environmental implications in the Eurasian Continental Margin, Arctic Ocean

ZHANG Weibin1,2, ZHAO Song2, LIU Yanguang2,3   

  1. 1 College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China;
    2 First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China;
    3 College of Ocean Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
  • Received:2024-04-01 Revised:2024-06-23 Online:2024-09-30 Published:2024-09-30

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Abstract: The Eurasian Continental Margin of the Arctic Ocean is the main area of sea ice formation. The terrigenous clastic sediments transformed by ocean currents, sea ice and icebergs are the main components of sediments in the Arctic Ocean. The mineral composition is a significant proxy to reveal the provenance of materials and ocean current patterns in the Arctic Ocean. Based on the complied data of 441 bulk mineral samples from the Eurasian Continental Margin of the Arctic Ocean studied by previous reports using X-ray diffraction, this paper explores the source and transportation and sorting patterns of bulk minerals in the study area. The results show that: 1) The light minerals in the Eurasian Continental Margin of the Arctic Ocean are mainly quartz and feldspar. Quartz has multiple characteristic sources and is widely distributed throughout the study area; 2) The feldspar group mainly includes plagioclase and K-feldspar, which represent typical volcanic material input and are characteristic minerals of the Eurasian Arctic continent with developed igneous provinces and volcanic belts. Plagioclase is usually transported into the sea by Arctic rivers and to further regions by sea ice, so its distribution is extremely similar to the path of the Trans Polar Drift; 3) K-feldspar corresponds to coarse-grained material carried by icebergs, and its high distribution at the margin of the Eurasian continent and its decoupling from plagioclase in several regions indicate that it has a certain significance in distinguishing different volcanic sources; 4) Dolomite usually comes from the North American source area, while the source of calcite is more complex and may include authigenic sources. The above research results help to more fully understand the source-sink process of Arctic Ocean sediments and provide an important reference for clarifying the changes in the sedimentary environment at the margin of the Eurasian Continental Margin, the Arctic Ocean.

Key words: surface sediment, bulk minerals, material provenance, Eurasian Continental Margin