Characteristic changes and environmental indicators of magnetic spherules in the South Yellow Sea mud area for about 7.5 ka

Meng-Yao Liang; Yong-Hong Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170814

Characteristic changes and environmental indicators of magnetic spherules in the South Yellow Sea mud area for about 7.5 ka

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Mar 25:918:170814. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170814. Epub 2024 Feb 7.

Authors

Meng-Yao Liang¹, Yong-Hong Wang²

Affiliations

¹ Key Lab of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Techniques, MOE, College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, China.
² Key Lab of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Techniques, MOE, College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, Shandong Province, China; Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: yonghongw@ouc.edu.cn.

PMID: 38336066
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170814

Abstract

Magnetic spherules originate from anthropogenic and natural sources and can be differentiated based on morphology and composition. Using magnetic measurement, diameter measurement, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis of a 10 m sediment core in the mud area of the South Yellow Sea, we found that magnetic spherules occur at all observed depths of the core. The magnetic spherule concentrations vary from 10 spherules/0.5 g to 62 spherules/0.5 g. Here, concentrations generally less than 10 spherules/0.5 g are considered as the background value in the core. The peak value of magnetic spherules appeared at the 0.02, 0.3, 2 and 8 m, and their concentrations are 62, 52, 36, 48 spherules/0.5 g, respectively. According to the deposition age, concentration, diameter, morphology and chemical characteristics of the spherules, it is found that the spherules at 0.02 m are produced by industrial coal burning. A volcanic eruption event was the main responsible for the accumulation of spherules at 0.3 and 8 m, while the spherules located at 2 m are related to a wildfire event. Magnetic spherules are common in continental shelf regions and can well document the human activities and natural environment events.

Keywords: Continental shelf deposit; Historical environmental events; Magnetic spherules; Microspherule.