Ge. Tenzer et al., SOURCES AND DISTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC AND CARBONATE CARBON IN SURFACE SEDIMENTS OF PYRAMID LAKE, NEVADA, Journal of sedimentary research, 67(5), 1997, pp. 884-890
Surface sediment samples from 32 sites in Pyramid Lake, Nevada, have b
een studied to investigate the sources and distribution of carbon with
in a large, terminal lake basin, The origins of organic and inorganic
carbon in the sediments of this lake are predominantly from in-lake so
urces, Dilution of these sedimentary materials by land-derived elastic
components occurs near the mouth of the Truckee River, the only peren
nial river entering the lake, Total organic carbon (TOC) concentration
s and CaCO3 concentrations and delta(18)O values increase while organi
c matter C/N atomic ratios and delta(13)C values decrease with increas
ing distance from the river mouth as the proportion of river-derived c
omponents decreases, Aragonite precipitates from lake water and domina
tes CaCO3 deposition in most parts of the lake, except near underlake
springs, where calcite precipitates, TOC concentrations increase as wa
ter depth increases, reflecting grain sorting as smaller particles are
resuspended and focused toward the deep basin center.