Searching for Annually Stratified Bottom Sediments in Altai Mountain Lakes by Means of XRF Microanalysis Using Synchrotron Radiation

Bottom sediments from Lake Kucherlinskoe that contain finely-laminated layers are studied using micro-XRF on synchrotron radiation beams from the VEPP-3 storage ring. Samples with visible layers are prepared as solid specimens impregnated with epoxy. The procedure for preparing the samples preserves the original structure and composition of the sediment. Scanning X-ray fluorescence microanalysis of the samples is performed on an experimental setup at the joint usage center of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Siberian Synchrotron and Terahertz Radiation Center. Scan profiles with increments of 100 and 200 µm are obtained that contain data on the distribution of over 20 rock-forming and microelements. The experimental material is used to confirm the annual nature of the observed layering of sediments, estimate the rate of sedimentation, and construct a lithological and geochemical model of the sedimentation process.