skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Geochemistry and radiometric dating of a Middle Pleistocene peat

Journal Article · · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
;  [1]; ; ;  [2]
  1. Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich (United Kingdom)
  2. Univ. of Leeds (United Kingdom); and others

Uranium, lead, and sulphur data for a Middle Pleistocene interglacial peat deposit from Norfolk, UK, suggest that uptake of these elements was synchronous and confined to a single early diagenetic episode, probably coeval with peat formation. Sulphur isotope data indicate that reducing conditions have been maintained within the deposit throughout its history. Both uranium and lead concentration profiles show a marked discontinuity near the middle of the bed, probably indicating an environmental change, possibly emergence. The lead isotope data are compatible with a single lead component below the discontinuity and two components above. Groundwater is thought to be the dominant source of lead with an additional airfall component present in the upper peat. The uranium and lead concentration profiles below the discontinuity and the sulfur isotope profile throughout the peat support the view that these elements were sequestered from upwelling groundwaters. 35 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs.

OSTI ID:
617823
Journal Information:
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol. 61, Issue 19; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Mollusk-isotope records of Plio-Pleistocene marine paleoclimate, U. S. Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain
Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Palaois; (United States) · OSTI ID:617823

Implications of the sedimentology and isotope geochemistry of calcic horizons in the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene St. David Fm. , Arizona
Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) · OSTI ID:617823

Gulf coastal Pleistocene units and time stratigraphy; reevaluation and problems of Atlantic correlation
Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) · OSTI ID:617823