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Clay-mineral and grain-size distributions in surface sediments of the White Sea (Arctic Ocean): indicators of sediment sources and transport processes

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Abstract

In this study, the grain-size and clay-mineral compositions of 73 surface sediment samples collected in a variety of environmental settings in the White Sea are presented to characterize recent sedimentation processes, reconstruct transport pathways, and identify potential source areas of the terrigenous components. Areas >100 m deep are invariably characterized by silty clay, whereas areas <100 m deep exhibit more heterogeneous grain-size compositions plausibly explained by coastal erosion and (re-)distribution mechanisms, particularly tidal currents. The dominance of sand in the estuarine areas of the Onega and Dvina rivers as well as toward the Gorlo Strait connecting the White Sea with the Barents Sea is attributed to increased current speeds. Illite and smectite are the dominant clay minerals in recent sediments of the southwestern and eastern White Sea sectors, respectively. Their distribution patterns largely depend on the geology of the source areas, and mirror surface circulation patterns, especially in Dvina Bay. Smectite is a key clay mineral in White Sea surface sediments, as it reveals the dominating influence of the Northern Dvina’s runoff on sedimentation and water circulation throughout the basin. In comparison to other Eurasian shelf seas, the White Sea is characterized by a greater diversity of clay-mineral assemblages, which range from illite- to smectite-dominated sectors containing variable amounts of chlorite and kaolinite.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the crews and participants of the R/V Professor Shtokman and the R/V Ekolog cruises to the White Sea in August of 2003 and 2004. The authors thank the leader of the “White Sea System” project Prof. Alexander Petrovich Lisitzin for support in our studies. Rita Fröhlking and Susanne Wiebe from the Alfred-Wegener Institute (AWI), Bremerhaven, are acknowledged for technical support. Jens Matthiessen (AWI) is thanked for numerous discussions. We acknowledge the reviewers and the journal editors for constructive criticism and useful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, P.O. Box 120161, 27515, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Cornelia Saukel & Rüdiger Stein

  2. Crystallography/ZEKAM, University of Bremen, FB Geowissenschaften/Geosciences, P.O. Box 330440, 28334, Bremen, Germany

    Christoph Vogt

  3. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 36 Nahimovski prospect, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    Vladimir P. Shevchenko

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  1. Cornelia Saukel
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  4. Vladimir P. Shevchenko
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Correspondence to Cornelia Saukel.

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Saukel, C., Stein, R., Vogt, C. et al. Clay-mineral and grain-size distributions in surface sediments of the White Sea (Arctic Ocean): indicators of sediment sources and transport processes. Geo-Mar Lett 30, 605–616 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-010-0210-2

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