Chemical and visual characterisation of EGRIP glacial ice and cloudy bands within

Abstract. Impurities in polar ice play a critical role flow, deformation, and the integrity of core record. Especially cloudy bands, visible layers with high impurity concentrations, are prominent features from glacial periods. Their physical chemical properties poorly understood, highlighting need to analyse them more detail. We bridge gap between decimetre micrometre scales by combining visual stratigraphy line scanner, fabric analyser, microstructure mapping, Raman spectroscopy, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry 2D imaging. classified approximately 1300 bands East Greenland Ice-core Project (EGRIP) into seven different types. determine localisation mineralogy than 1000 micro-inclusions at 13 depths. The majority minerals found related terrestrial dust, such as quartz, feldspar, mica, hematite. further carbonaceous particles, dolomite, gypsum abundance. Rutile, anatase, epidote, titanite, grossular infrequently observed. imaging 20 µm resolution revealed that clearly distinguishable data. Na, Mg, Sr mainly present grain boundaries, whereas dust-related analytes, Al, Fe, Ti, located interior, forming clusters insoluble impurities. novel vast micrometre-resolution insights describe differences within outside these bands. Combining data results new formation band types could be starting point for future in-depth studies on signal internal deformation deep cores.