Dating of recent catchment peats using spheroidal carbonaceous particle (SCP) concentration profiles with particular reference to Lochnagar,Scotland

Abstract

Ten peat cores were taken from the catchment of Lochnagar, a remote mountain lake in the Cairngorms region of Scotland. Organic content, measured as loss-on-ignition (LOI), profiles of most of the cores are high (<90%) throughout. As the movement of spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) is insignificant, with steady accumulation, the peats can be used as an archive for reconstructing the historical records of SCP deposition. The SCP profiles of these cores were matched to the SCP dating features of a Lochnagar lake-sediment core so that the catchment peats could be dated. The results show that the start of SCP record is a good dating feature. The applicability of the rapid increase in SCP concentration for dating depended on the stability of peat accumulation, whereas the subsurface peak may be a useful future dating horizon.

Keywords

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles airborne particles dating peat lake sediment Lochnagar Scotland

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