An investigation by analytical transmission electron microscopy of individual insoluble microparticles from Antarctic (Dome C) ice core samples

A. Gaudichet; J. R. Petit; R. Lefevre; C. Lorius

doi:10.3402/tellusb.v38i3-4.15133

An investigation by analytical transmission electron microscopy of individual insoluble microparticles from Antarctic (Dome C) ice core samples

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

Volume 38 (1986): Issue 3-4

By: A. Gaudichet, J. R. Petit, R. Lefevre and C. Lorius

Open Access

|Jan 1986

Abstract

Analytical transmission electron microscopy was used to study 225 insoluble microparticles in 6 ice samples formed under different climatic conditions over the last 30,000 years in the Antarctic Dome C ice core. The aim was to identify the mineralogy of dust and investigate the geographic location of sources and their variations with time.

As already suggested by previous work, it is confirmed that microparticles have mostly aterrigenous (aeolian) origin as revealed by identification of various clays (mostly illites), quartz and felspars in the 6 levels. Except for some products attributed to volcanic activity, the mineralogy of particles appears to be randomly mixed and shows no significant change nor particular signature of a specific source over the studied period. However, kaolinite, considered to be a tracer of low latitude dust source areas, was too low in content to suggest that the tropical area was a main source of Dome C dust over the studied period.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v38i3-4.15133 | Journal eISSN: 1600-0889

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Language: English

Page range: 250 - 261

Submitted on: Sep 16, 1985

Accepted on: Dec 13, 1985

Published on: Jan 1, 1986

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 1986 A. Gaudichet, J. R. Petit, R. Lefevre, C. Lorius, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 38 (1986): Issue 3-4