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Clay Minerals; June 2008; v. 43; no. 2; p. 235-253; DOI: 10.1180/claymin.2008.043.2.07
© 2008 Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
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Research Paper

Clay minerals in late Quaternary sediments from the south Chilean margin as indicators of provenance and palaeoclimate

L. MARINONI1,*, M. SETTI1, C. SALVI2 and A. LÓPEZ-GALINDO3

1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy, 2 Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Ambientali e Marine, Università di Trieste, Via Weiss 2, 34127 Trieste, Italy, and 3 Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, CSIC-Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18002 Granada, Spain

* E-mail: marinoni{at}crystal.unipv.it

(Received 11 April 2007; revised 10 January 2008)

An investigation of bulk-rock and clay-fraction compositions of two sedimentary cores from southern Chile was performed to evaluate the record of temporal climatic changes during the late Quaternary (11 ky and 30 ky BP). The bulk mineralogy shows an abundance of feldspars, mica and quartz, with lesser chlorite, amphibole and pyroxene, and variable amounts of carbonates. The clay fraction consists of illite, chlorite and scarce smectite. Smectite shows platy morphology, an Al-Fe beidellite chemical composition, and is detrital. Smectite, together with biogenic carbonate, increases in levels diagnostic of warmer phases. Increases in smectite are attributed either to the beginning of chemical weathering, allowed by the glacial retreat, or to ice extension and sea-level variations. Warmer climates also favoured the increase of carbonate productivity. Levels diagnostic of colder phases show a large decrease in carbonate, small amounts of smectite and large amounts of chlorite and mica, as the abundance of glaciers reduced the productivity and prevented chemical weathering.

KEYWORDS: Chile, Strait of Magellan, marine sediments, palaeoclimate, provenance, clay minerals, smectite, XRD, TEM






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