A 210Pb-based chronological model for recent sediments with random entries of mass and activities: Model development

Unsupported 210Pb (210Pbexc) vs. mass depth profiles do not contain enough information as to extract a unique chronology when both, 210Pbexc fluxes and mass sediment accumulation rates (SAR) independently vary with time. Restrictive assumptions are needed to develop a suitable dating tool. A statist...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Abril Hernández, José María
Format: article
Status:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Publication Date:2016
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repository:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/137671
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/137671
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.09.018
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:210Pb dating
Sediment dating
Random SAR
Random initial activity
TERESA model
Description
Summary:Unsupported 210Pb (210Pbexc) vs. mass depth profiles do not contain enough information as to extract a unique chronology when both, 210Pbexc fluxes and mass sediment accumulation rates (SAR) independently vary with time. Restrictive assumptions are needed to develop a suitable dating tool. A statistical correlation between fluxes and SAR seems to be a quite general rule. This paper builds up a new 210Pb-based dating tool by using such a statistical correlation. It operates with SAR and initial activities that closely follow normal distributions, what leads to the expected correlation between fluxes and SAR. An intelligent algorithm solves their best arrangement downcore to fit the experimental 210Pbexc vs. mass depth profile, generating then solutions for the chronological line, and for the histories of SAR and fluxes. Parametric maps of a χ-function serve to find out the solution and to support error estimates. Optionally, the model's answers can be better constrained through the use of time markers. The performance of the model is illustrated with a synthetic core, and with real cases using published data for varved sediment cores.