Open AccessA simple evaluation of cleaning procedures on fossil benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca
Author(s) -
Martin Pamela A.,
Lea David W.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.928
H-Index - 136
ISSN - 1525-2027
DOI - 10.1029/2001gc000280
Subject(s) - benthic zone , foraminifera , geology , organic matter , yield (engineering) , environmental chemistry , mineralogy , oceanography , chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
Recent studies suggest that benthic foraminiferal Mg/Ca may be useful in reconstructing deep water temperature changes during the Quaternary and on longer timescales [ Rosenthal et al. , 1997; Lear et al. , 2000; Martin et al. , 2002]. Because changes in deep water temperature may be small, sample preparation could play an important role in reconstructing accurate temperatures from shell Mg/Ca. A simple examination of changes in measured shell chemistry of benthic foraminifera from two intervals subjected to increasingly rigorous cleaning reveals that fossil benthic foraminiferal samples cleaned by oxidation yield lower Mg/Ca values than samples only rinsed and weak acid leached. Reductive cleaning further lowered the shell Mg/Ca of one of the two benthic species examined. Lower Mg/Ca values following oxidation and reduction appear to reflect removal of contaminant Mg associated with remnant organic matter and adsorbed phases.