Browsing by Author "Stockhecke, Mona"

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The Annual Particle Cycle in Lake Van (Turkey)
(Elsevier Science Bv, 2012) Stockhecke, Mona; Anselmetti, Flavio S.; Meydan, Aysegul F.; Odermatt, Daniel; Sturm, Michael
The varved sediments of Lake Van provide a high-quality continental archive of seasonal to decadal-scale climate variability. In order to read the natural record, modern varve formation was studied on the basis of (1) remotely-sensed total suspended-matter (TSMrs) concentrations; (2) time-series of particle flux and water temperatures; and (3) turbidity, temperature, and oxygen profiles. TSMrs, validated by contemporaneous water-column sampling, shows great temporal and lateral variations (whitings and turbidity plumes). From 2006 to 2009, sequential sediment traps recorded high particle fluxes during spring and fall, medium fluxes during summer, and almost zero flux during winter. The mean total mass flux of 403 mg m(-2) day(-1) comprised 33% (seasonally up to 67%) calcium carbonate, 7% aquatic organic matter, 6% biogenic opal, and 54% detrital minerals. The CaCO3 fluxes are controlled by river discharge (precipitation and snowmelt) during spring, by high productivity during summer, and by river discharge (precipitation before snowfall starts) and mixing during fall. In November 2007, an anomalously high CaCO3 flux occurred as a result of a warm water surface supersaturated with calcite coinciding with an anomalous runoff event. The results demonstrate that the couplets of light and dark laminae in the short sediment cores are true varves representing spring-summer-fall and winter conditions, respectively. Consequently, varve formation can be linked to the seasonal climate pattern, providing a calibration that can be used to interpret the partially varved paleo-record of Lake Van and related environmental processes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Seismic Stratigraphy of Lake Van, Eastern Turkey
(Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd, 2014) Cukur, Deniz; Krastel, Sebastian; Schmincke, Hans-Ulrich; Sumita, Mari; Cagatay, M. Namik; Meydan, Aysegul Feray; Stockhecke, Mona
More than 1500 km of multi-channel seismic reflection profiles combined with ICDP (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program) drilling data, provide important insights into the stratigraphic evolution of Lake Van, eastern Turkey. Three major basins (Tatvan, Northern and the Deveboynu basins) comprise the main lake basin and are separated by morphological highs (Ahlat ridge and Northern ridge). Moreover, NE SW faults, parallel to the general tectonic lineament of the area, dominate the entire basin and are in charge of creating graben and half-graben structures. Well-developed prograding deltaic sequences on top of the basement were recognized by seismic stratigraphy analysis. Most likely, they formed during the initial flooding of Lake Van similar to 600 ka. The Tatvan basin sediments are dominated by mass-flow deposits of various origins alternating with undisturbed lacustrine sediments including distinct tephra layers. Faulting along the Tatvan basin margins may have triggered margin-wide slope failures. Ahlat ridge started to form between ca 340 ka-290 ka. Since then, Ahlat ridge was sheltered from major mass-flows due to its elevation. Hence, slow lacustrine sedimentation has prevailed throughout lake history on Ahlat ridge, which was the location of the main drill site during the ICDP. Several lake level fluctuations are evident on the eastern slope area but the deep basins were permanently covered by water. A significant lake-level low stand (ca 600 ka BP) was found at similar to 610 m below present lake level. The setting of the lake changed at about 30 ka. Tectonic activity appears to have waned significantly as the mass-transport deposition decreased across the Tatvan basin while normal undisturbed lacustrine sedimentation prevailed. A different setting is found in the Northern basin from ca 90 ka to Present, especially due to the strong influx of mostly volcaniclastic turbidites causing sedimentation rates to be about 3.5 times higher (drill Site 1), than at Site 2 (Ahlat ridge). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.