Rapid Identification of Greigite in Lacustrine Sediments Using SIRM/χ and χARM: Insights From the Cuo E Core, Tibetan Plateau, China

Abstract

The Cuo E (CE) core contains the entire Quaternary stratigraphy of the CE Lake (31°24′–31°.32′ N, 91°28′–91°33′E, Tibetan Plateau, China). Here, we study the magnetic properties of 1,748 samples from the CE core, combined with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer analysis on selected samples. The main magnetic minerals appear to be magnetite and greigite. To further quantify the presence of greigite in CE core, 84 samples were analyzed using rock magnetism in more detail including: susceptibility (χ) versus temperature, coercivity component analysis of acquisition curves of the isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM), and principal component analysis of the first-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams. The greigite content and saturation IRM over susceptibility (SIRM/χ) appear to be exponentially related. SIRM/χ can be used as greigite concentration indicator. We also propose a rapid way to identify greigite in the CE core: When SIRM/χ increases and anhysteretic remanent susceptibility (χ_ARM) increases only slowly, the sample contains greigite. Samples with SIRM/χ < 15 kA/m also follow this relation. This greigite detection method has a lower limit of detection than the traditionally used SIRM/χ parameter. It is also faster than FORC analysis and thus particularly suitable for analysis of large sample collections. Twenty greigite-bearing layers were identified in the CE core using this method. The location of the Jaramillo subchron in the CE core is controversial in the currently available magnetostratigraphy, possibly related to the presence of greigite in this core interval.