Sediment fluxes and varve formation in Sihailongwan, a maar lake from northeastern China

Data derived from monthly sediment traps in Sihailongwan, a maar lake in northeastern China, yielded a detailed record of seasonal sediment fluxes. Sediment fluxes correspond to seasonal climatic variations. The diatom flux shows two distinct peaks in September and November, whereas the flux of chrysophyte stomatocysts shows a maximum in May. The blooms of diatoms may be related to the subsequent deepening of the thermocline in September and lake overturn in spring and November, and in flux of nutrient-rich groundwater sometime after the onset of the summer monsoon. The fluxes of organic matter and siliciclastics show a distinct seasonal pattern. They are varying between 0.03 and 0.56 g m(-2) d(-1) and reach a maximum in May. Quartz in the trap samples indicates that the siliciclastic matter may originate from distant aeolian sources. Sediment trap data and thin section investigations confirm the seasonality of Lake Sihailongwan sediments. Dark-colored layer, which mainly consists of valves of Cyclotella comta, might be deposited during autumn, and then is followed by a light-colored mixed layer starting with siliciclastics deposited after ice-out. The varved sediments in the U-shaped Lake Sihailongwan represent a sensitive siliciclastic and geochemical archive of paleoenvironmental variability in this data-sparse area. Detailed investigations of varved sediments should provide decadal to annual records of seasonal sediment flux and its relation to climatic parameters. Especially the diatomaceous layer is regarded to indicate summer climatic fluctuations, while the thick siliciclastic layer could be an indictor of dust events.