USE OF MINERAL MAGNETIC MEASUREMENTS TO FINGERPRINT SUSPENDED SEDIMENT SOURCES - APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES FOR DATA-ANALYSIS

Three analytical approaches, qualitative, statistical and quantitative , are evaluated when applied to mineral magnetic data to identify the relative sediment source contributions to suspended sediment loads wit hin a small catchment system. The qualitative and statistical analyses provide useful information in their own right but, in addition, indic ate the feasibility of quantitative sediment source ascription using a sediment unmixing model based upon a linear programming algorithm. Th e criteria for such modelling are considered and the model formulation outlined. Model testing and initial output suggest that, under certai n conditions, unmixing models have considerable potential for the quan tification of suspended sediment source contributions. Qualitative and statistical analyses provide a subjective means to judge the quality of the model output. A number of limitations within the approach are i dentified and some possible solutions to these limitations suggested. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.