Characterization of the Goethite-Hematite Ratio in Modern
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Lehigh University Lehigh Preserve Theses and Dissertations 2017 Characterization of the Goethite-Hematite ratio in Modern and Ancient Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region as a Paleoprecipitation Proxy Laura Audrey Thomasina Markley Lehigh University Follow this and additional works at: http://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Markley, Laura Audrey Thomasina, "Characterization of the Goethite-Hematite ratio in Modern and Ancient Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region as a Paleoprecipitation Proxy" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2711. http://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd/2711 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Characterization of the Goethite-Hematite ratio in Modern and Ancient Soils in the Mid- Atlantic Region as a Paleoprecipitation Proxy by Laura Markley A Thesis Presented to the Graduate and Research Committee of Lehigh University in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences Lehigh University May 2017 © 2017 Copyright Laura Markley ii Thesis is accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Characterization of the Goethite-Hematite ratio in Modern and Ancient Soils in the Mid- Atlantic Region as a Paleoprecipitation Proxy Laura Markley Date Approved Stephen Peters, Ph.D., Thesis Advisor Frank Pazzaglia, Ph.D., Committee Member Kenneth Kodama, Ph.D., Committee Member Dave Anastasio, Ph.D., Chairperson of Department iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to my thesis advisor, Steve Peters, for all of his advisement and support throughout these past 2 years. His guidance, knowledge, and enthusiasm has molded me into a much better scientist and I am deeply indebted to him for bestowing upon me some of his lab and key-figure making skills. Thank you for countless edits, discussions, and suggestions. Committee Members, Ken Kodama and Frank Pazzaglia. Ken’s patience and knowledge in developing these magnetic methods for soils despite numerous issues and Frank’s immaculate memory of all things related to soils are unmatched. I owe both of you my gratitude for your intellectual discourse and suggestions throughout this process. Soil Team Members, Matt McGavick and Cora Summerfield for assistance with data collection and analysis as well as providing me with data they collected for their respective projects. Collaborating with both Matt and Cora has been a pleasure. Past Soil Team Members, Jordan Dykman, Taylor Cummins, and Johanna Blake for their soil, data, and well-organized excel documents. Tammy Rittenour from Utah State University for OSL and IRSL dates. Mark Carter from the USGS for assistance in the field and intellectual discourse. George for fixing the basement furnace at a moment’s notice during a busy week. Udo Schwertmann and Ethan Hyland for essential background information for this study. For financial support, I thank the GIC and Earth and Environmental Science Department at Lehigh. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. xi Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Intro to Paleoprecipitation Proxies ................................................................................... 3 1.2 Intro to Soils ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Intro to Iron Oxide Formation ......................................................................................... 4 1.4 Goethite-Hematite (G/H) and Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) ................................. 7 2.0 Site Location & Characterization ......................................................................................... 9 2.1 Soil Chronology ............................................................................................................. 10 3.0 Soil Processing and Methodology ...................................................................................... 14 3.1 Soil Sampling and Description ....................................................................................... 14 3.2 Particle Size Distribution Analysis ................................................................................. 14 3.3 Bulk Elemental Analysis & Weathering Intensity ......................................................... 14 3.4 Iron Oxide Crystallinity.................................................................................................. 15 3.5 Magnetic Goethite and Hematite Abundance ................................................................. 16 3.6 Application of Hyland et al.’s G/H to MAP Proxy ........................................................ 18 3.7 Application of Sheldon et. al’s CIW to MAP Proxy ...................................................... 19 4.0 Results ................................................................................................................................ 19 4.1 Soil Characterization ...................................................................................................... 19 4.1.1 Middle/Late Miocene .............................................................................................. 24 4.1.2 Middle Pleistocene .................................................................................................. 25 4.1.3 Late Pleistocene ....................................................................................................... 29 4.2 Predicted Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) ................................................................ 34 5.0 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 36 5.1 Predicted Paleoprecipitation with Time ......................................................................... 36 5.2 Comparison with other Indices....................................................................................... 38 5.3 Deposition of Sediments vs. Onset of Pedogenesis ........................................................ 40 5.4 Presence of Gleying ....................................................................................................... 41 5.5 Influence of Organic Matter ........................................................................................... 42 5.6 Influence of Hydrology and Water Table Fluctuations .................................................. 44 v 5.7 Impacts of Parent Material Composition on G/H ........................................................... 44 5.8 Total Dithionite-Extractable (DCB) Iron Threshold ...................................................... 46 5.9 Use of Magnetic Methods to Determine G/H................................................................. 47 6.0 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 49 References ................................................................................................................................ 52 Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 58 Appendix 1. Extended Procedures ....................................................................................... 58 Particle Size Distribution Analysis ................................................................................... 58 Bulk Elemental Analysis .................................................................................................. 58 Iron Oxide Crystallinity.................................................................................................... 59 Appendix 2. Particle Size Distribution Analysis (PSDA) Data ........................................... 60 Appendix 3. FeO/FeD Values .............................................................................................. 63 Appendix 4. Major Elements (% By Mass) ......................................................................... 66 Appendix 5. Sample Demagnetization ................................................................................. 67 Appendix 6. G/H, CIW, & Predicted MAP .......................................................................... 75 Supplementary Figures ............................................................................................................. 77 Vita ........................................................................................................................................... 80 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Diagram modified from Stucki et al. (1988), showing the formation of Fe(III) oxide precipitates, goethite and hematite, as a function of different climatic factors and processes. Fe(III) oxide precipitate formation in soils is a competitive pathway and is dependent on climatic variables