Documentation of the physical properties of annually laminated (varved) sediments at a sub-annual to decadal resolution for environmental interpretation

This paper describes a method to digitize high-resolution physical properties of annually laminated lake sediments. We modified a water-acetone epoxy exchange method in order to preserve all the fine structural details that varved sequences provide. By applying sediment microstratigraphical investigations (X-ray radiography, SEM) and semi-automatic image analysis, we were able to establish detailed information about varve composition and structure. Mineral magnetic measurements were also applied for comparison. By comparing all available physical data at high resolution, it will be possible to identify environmental changes that has occurred in the lake drainage basin. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.