Materials and Methodology

Abstract

Two borehole cores extracted between Old House Rocks and Black Rock, East Falkland, were studied using a combination of detailed sedimentary logging and geochemical analyses. The former involved grain and clast studies while the latter included X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and reflectance scanning using an Avaatech XRF core scanner. Logging data collected incorporated details on grain composition, size, shape, sorting, orientation, colour, sedimentary structures and fossils as well as a detailed account of variations in clast characteristics. A full scan of the original hand-drawn log is presented in the data postscript at the end of this book, and a digital version may be found online as a SPRINGER EXTRA. The high-resolution log was generated at a scale comparable to the X-ray fluorescence and reflectance data collected by the core scanner to encourage subsequent, more detailed climatic interpretations. The core scanner measured variations in element concentrations downcore and three reflectance parameters: lightness, red:green ratio and yellow:blue ratio. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) measurements on loose fragments throughout core DD090 were also taken. Cyclicity observed in the XRF and reflectance data was compared alongside Milankovitch orbital cycles through age modelling, thereby helping to constrain the time frame spanned by the deposits.