Magnetic studies and elemental determination on sediments from ponds located in a permanent human settlement (Marambio Station) in Antarctica

MARCOS A. E. CHAPARRO; HECTOR NUÑEZ; JUAN M. LIRIO; ANA M. SINITO

Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil)

Congreso; Joint Assembly 2010 The Meeting of the Americas, American Geophysical Union (AGU); 2010

American Geophysical Union

Antarctica constitutes a particular and unique scenery for research in several lines of investigation. A permanent human settlement has been established since 1969 in Marambio Station (64° 14´ S; 56° 37´ W). Consequently, human activities have inevitably modified the station area and the environment of influence. Such modification to the environment has mostly had an adverse outcome that was reported by Chaparro et al. (2007) on the first study of magnetic screening in Antarctica. Here, continuing previous studies in this area, we report elemental composition and magnetic characteristics of six short sediment cores (about 20-cm-long) collected from three artificial ponds. Some of these artificial ponds are currently used to collect water for human consumption. They are located at the station area and are fed by transitory (summer) streams in the microbasin.The rock-magnetic studies involve measurements of magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic and isothermal remanent magnetization. Magnetite-like carriers are especially dominant and their concentration varies among the sediment cores, e.g.: the mass-specific magnetic susceptibility ranges 9-30 x10-8 m3 / kg. In addition, magnetic increases at different core depths were observed. From the elemental composition, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc were determined (method of Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) for three selected cores. Such elements were detected in a previous work in soils, which were identified as end products derived from fuel combustion and residues, solid waste and paints.