Geochemical variations detected with continuous XRF measurements on ANDRILL AND-1B core - preliminary results

Antarctica and especially its ice sheets play a major role in both the global ocean current system and climate. The ANDRILL (Antarctic Geological Drilling) MIS deep drilling project (McMurdo Sound, NE Ross Ice Shelf, drilled core AND-1B during austral summer 2006/2007) is located in a flexural moat basin filled with glaciomarine, terrigenous, volcanic, and biogenic sediments (Horgan et al., 2005). This basin contains a well-preserved outstanding record of paleoclimate history. During the drilling phase, some major and minor chemical elements were measured directly using a non-destructive X-Ray Fluorescence Core Scanner (XRF-CS) method. For the first time, sediments beneath an ice shelf were drilled, which provides a unique opportunity to investigate the variability of the Ross Ice Shelf. The sediment core covers a time period much longer than any Antarctic ice core record. The high-resolution data set of non-destructive XRF-core scans makes it possible to estimate climate changes on small time scales. Due to the early stage of the project phase, this report will focus mainly on data preparation and correction and provides a first rough interpretation of the measured data.