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First geophysical and shallow ice core investigation of the Kazbek plateau glacier, Caucasus Mountains

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Abstract

First-ever ice core drilling at Mt. Kazbek (Caucasus Mountains) took place in the summer of 2014. A shallow ice core (18 m) was extracted from a plateau at ~4500 m a.s.l. in the vicinity of the Mt. Kazbek summit (5033 m a.s.l.). A detailed radar survey showed that the maximum ice thickness at this location is ~250 m. Borehole temperature of −7 °C was measured at 10 m depth. The ice core was analyzed for oxygen and deuterium isotopes and dust concentration. From the observed seasonal cycle, it was determined that the ice core covers the time interval of 2009–2014, with a mean annual snow accumulation rate of 1800 mm w. eq. Multiple melt layers have been detected. δ18O values vary from −25 to −5‰. The dust content was determined using a particle sizing and counting analyzer. The dust layers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Dust can be separated into two categories by its origin: local and distant. Samples reflecting predominantly local origin consisted mainly of magmatic rocks, while clay minerals were a characteristic of dust carried over large distances, from the deserts of the Middle East and Sahara. The calculated average dust flux over three years at Kazbek was of 1.3 mg/cm2 a−1. Neither δ18O nor dust records appear to have been affected by summer melting. Overall, the conditions on Kazbek plateau and the available data suggest that the area offers good prospects of future deep drilling in order to obtain a unique environmental record.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Prof. Maria Shahgedanova (University of Reading, UK) for providing critical comments on the early version of the manuscript. Critical suggestions by the two anonymous Reviewers allowed substantially improving the manuscript. We are grateful to Jason Cervenec (Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center) for English improvement when preparing the revised version. This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant No. 14-05-00137). SEM and XRD equipment that was employed this work became available at the Department of Engineering and Ecological Geology of the Moscow State University through the Development Program of the Moscow State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Glaciology, Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29 Staromonetniy Pereulok, Moscow, Russia, 119017

    Stanislav S. Kutuzov, Vladimir N. Mikhalenko, Alexi M. Grachev & Ivan I. Lavrentiev

  2. Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), IRD-UGA-CNRS, Grenoble, France

    Patrick Ginot

  3. Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement (LGGE), UGA-CNRS, Grenoble, France

    Patrick Ginot

  4. Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 38 Beringa St., St. Petersburg, Russia, 199397

    Anna V. Kozachek & Alexey A. Ekaykin

  5. Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrology, Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 35 Staromonetniy Pereulok, Moscow, Russia, 119017

    Victoria V. Krupskaya

  6. Department of Engineering and Ecological Geology, Faculty of Geology, Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskiye Gory, Moscow, Russia, 119992

    Victoria V. Krupskaya

  7. Institute of Earth Sciences, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 199178

    Alexey A. Ekaykin

  8. Department of Geomorphology, Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute of Geography, Ivane, Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 6 Tamarashvili st., 0177, Tbilisi, Georgia

    Levan G. Tielidze

  9. Department of Meteorology and Climatology, Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskiye Gory, Moscow, Russia, 119992

    Pavel A. Toropov

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  1. Stanislav S. Kutuzov
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  2. Vladimir N. Mikhalenko
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  3. Alexi M. Grachev
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  4. Patrick Ginot
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  5. Ivan I. Lavrentiev
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  6. Anna V. Kozachek
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  7. Victoria V. Krupskaya
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  8. Alexey A. Ekaykin
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  10. Pavel A. Toropov
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Correspondence to Stanislav S. Kutuzov.

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Kutuzov, S.S., Mikhalenko, V.N., Grachev, A.M. et al. First geophysical and shallow ice core investigation of the Kazbek plateau glacier, Caucasus Mountains. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1488 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6295-9

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