CHARCOAL DEPOSITION AND REDEPOSITION IN ELK LAKE, MINNESOTA, USA

Sedimentary charcoal, diatom and phytolith records of the past 1500 ye ars at Elk Lake, Minnesota, in combination with sediment trap studies and a transect of surface sediment samples, document the mechanisms by which previously deposited charcoal is redeposited and finally buried in this lake. The frequent correspondence of high diatom concentratio ns and peaks of phytolith and charcoal fragments suggests that current s and turbulence related to lake circulation are responsible for winno wing charcoal and phytoliths from shallow water depositional sites to deeper areas of the lake. High diatom concentrations in the record rel ate to increased nutrient fluxes also supplied by circulation. Despite the fact that the watershed and area around Elk Lake has not been bur ned since Ao 1922, charcoal continues to reach the profundal zone from littoral source areas in Elk Lake. The variable redeposition of withi n-lake charcoal requires evaluation before fire-history records can be related to global, regional or even local fire events.