Terrigenous indicators

Comparison of the depositional fluxes shows that diatoms were the most important particle component transporting P to the sediment surface, accounting for 50-55% of the flux (Table II). Terrigenous material and calcite were also important transport vectors. Deposition varied markedly with season, as shown by the time series plot of the major particle components (Figure 13). The total P flux calculated by using the particle components model agreed with the flux measured by sediment traps (157-227 versus 185 mg/m2). The close agreement indicated that the major particle vectors were represented and associated P concentrations were accurately quantified. 

Indicator Carbon no./ structure Terrigenous source3 Marine source3 Reference... 

Prahl, F.G, Haynes, J.M., and Xie, T.M. (1992) Diploptene an indicator of terrigenous organic carbon in Washington coastal sediments. Lirnnol. Oceanogr. 37, 1290-1300. 

Lively, R. S., Morey, G. B., and Mossier, J. H., 1997, Element distribution patterns in the Ordovician Galena Group, southeastern Minnesota Indicators of fluid flow and provenance of terrigenous material Economic Geology, v. 92, no. 3, p. 351-359. 

Compared to the well defined structures and interrelationships of the discrete molecular blomarkers and geochemical indicators discussed above, relatively little is known about marine humic substances. Whether the major source of input to dissolved and sedimentary marine humic substances is of terrigenous or marine origin is still occasionally debated in the literature, although most Interpretations point towards marine planktonic sources. (12-lA). based most convincingly on isotopic ratios, GC-MS, H and C NMR and infrared sj ctra (15-17). Stuermer et d l2) propose a combination of C and H/C ratios as a... 

Compound structures, names and biological of examples of indicators of terrigenous plant contributions to sedimentary organic... 

C to Cjg alkadienones and a 1 katrienones derive from cocco1ithophor id algae (9). Other components of this fraction included a series alkanoic acids, which are indicative of terrigenous higher plants... 

With eustatic sea level transgression and flooding of continental lowlands, transport of terrigenous organic matter into the North American basin may have increased. Analyses of Upper Cretaceous sediments from DSDP Site 6O3B, lower continental rise east of Cape Hatteras, indicate that, the organic matter was continentally derived. d C values of -23.5 to 27.1°/oo, C/N ratios of 32 to 72, and lipid class maxima of unbound alkanes (C-. and Cp-), unbound fatty acids (C and C2g) and bound fatty acids (C-g. 

From an analysis of the data in Figures 8 and 9 it appears that the pH values increase with increases of the insoluble fraction. It is well known that the pH of the aqueous environment is one key property that defines the nature of the chemical species. Thus, the increase in the insoluble mass fraction with increase of the pH rain droplets could indicate that the insoluble matter may contain in its chemical composition significant amounts of terrigenic elements (e.g. iron oxides) that become more insoluble in rain droplets as the pH values increase. It might be as well that compounds are present whose solubility increases with decreasing pH. The concentration of the insoluble fraction is variable for most of the air masses with more intense variations for north-westerly and northerly trajectories (Figure 11). 

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