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Bioturbation recorded by a sedimentary siloxane horizon
Author(s) -
Pellenbarg Robert E,
Carhart Homer W
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
applied organometallic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1099-0739
pISSN - 0268-2605
DOI - 10.1002/aoc.590040213
Subject(s) - bioturbation , sedimentary rock , siloxane , sediment , silicone , chemistry , horizon , geology , mineralogy , geochemistry , paleontology , organic chemistry , physics , astronomy , polymer
A Puget Sound (Washington State, USA) sediment core was quantitatively analyzed for organic silicon content, as derived from post‐1945 release of poly(organo)siloxanes (silicones). The sedimentary silicone data record and preserve a smeared event horizon, dating the first appearance of silicones in the sediment column. This record of bioturbation preserved deep in the column appears somewhat in contrast to the record provided by 210 Pb geochronology. Aliquots of the same core segments had been dated previously using 210 Pb, and analyzed for silicone content, as reported in this study. Core samples older than 50 years showed no detectable silicone, as measured by a new procedure utilizing inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy, after solvent extraction to collect the silicone from gram‐sized sediment core samples.