Impregnation method for detecting annual laminations in sediment cores: An overview

Annually laminated sediments can provide an absolute time scale (by varve counting) and a high-resolution palaeoclimate information (from varve thickness). Both types of information may be directly measured from sediment core surfaces. In this paper, we stress that varve counting and varve thickness measurements derived from fresh core surfaces could not systematically reveal the internal sedimentary structure, even if assisted by high resolution image analysis. We present an example of a homogeneous sediment core for which the varves were only observable after core impregnation and polishing steps. Because the impregnation methods are not yet standardized, the aim of this paper is to give an updated review of the methodology. In this review, we present the major critical points during impregnation steps. In particular, we focus on all of the post-treatment sediment disturbances that can alter the laminated micro-structure and, consequently, varve measurements. Finally, we propose a modified impregnation protocol, especially adapted for tracking varved intervals in long cores.