Differences in the development of the Szczecin Lagoon area in the Late Glacial and Holocene based on the geochemical analysis of carbonate sediments from Lake Nowowarpieńskie (NW Poland)

Abstract

This paper presents the results of geochemical analysis performed for the more-than-10-m-long core of sediments derived from Lake Nowowarpieńskie. Contrary to what its geographical name would suggest, it is in fact a peripheral bay of the Szczecin Lagoon (NW Poland). A characteristic feature of the sedimentary cover of this water body is the several-metrethick layer of lacustrine chalk, which is unique in the lithology of the sediments of today's Szczecin Lagoon. This sediment has been analysed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. The chalk sediment from Lake Nowowarpieńskie is of chemical origin, bearing no fragments of vascular plants, but only traces of C-org in the form of small plant remains. The analysis of individual crystals using the EDS method also show Ca contents of over 99%. SEM images reveal that the sediment is characterised by a loose, disordered packing of individual crystals, often combined to form aggregates with a tabular structure. The individual calcite grains are usually a few micrometres in size, while developed ones are mostly hypidiomorphic and show signs of corrosion. The sedimentation of the lacustrine chalk indicates that the post-glacial natural development of this part of what today constitutes Szczecin Lagoon differed from that of the rest of the lagoon. This sediment was deposited in a shallow but fertile isolated lake. The full profile of sediments from Lake Nowowarpieńskie reveals its distinct bipartite character, indicating two main stages of its evolution: carbonate and post-carbonate. In the first, the water body showed similarities to the neighbouring lakes of the Wkrzańska Plain. Its evolution was driven by climatic factors. The second stage was initiated by a palaeohydrological factor – Littorina transgression, which resulted in the lake being included into the hydrological system of the Szczecin Lagoon.