Sequential extraction of iron in marine sediments from the Chilean continental margin

Iron content of the bulk marine sediment from the Chilean continental margin has been used to infer millenial-scale climate changes in southeast Pacific [Lamy, F., Klump, J., Hebbeln, D., Wefer, G., 2000. Rapid climate change in northern Chile over the last 80 ka recorded in a marine sediment core. Terra Nova 12: 8–13]. Changes of iron contents have been related to a varying contribution of Andean (Fe-rich) versus Coastal Range (Fe-poor) source rocks ultimately controlled by continental rainfall changes. However, variations observed could also be produced by changes in the proportions of two components in the sediment — a detrital component with low and constant Fe content and an authigenic phase (Fe oxide, pyrite, apatite, etc.) with high Fe content. A sequential extraction has been used to partition the total iron content in the sediment of core GeoB 7101 at the continental margin of Chile. The extraction steps included five fractions: exchangeable, bound to carbonates, bound to Fe–Mn oxides, bound to organic matter, and residual. Iron appeared to be mainly present in the residual fraction, i.e. in the detrital component. Our study indicates that total Fe or Fe/Al may be used to infer millenial-scales climate changes in the southeastern Pacific.