P. Negrel et C. Grosbois, Changes in chemical and Sr-87/Sr-86 signature distribution patterns of suspended matter and bed sediments in the upper Loire river basin (France), CHEM GEOL, 156(1-4), 1999, pp. 231-249
The mineralogy of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) transported by the
upper Loire liver consists mainly of quartz and K-feldspar during periods
of high river flow, with an increase in calcite concentration during period
s of low flow. Concurrently, large fluctuations are observed in the levels
of CaO and Fe2O3, the main oxides present in the SPM along with SiO2. The a
nalysed trace elements also fluctuate significantly. The bed sediments (BS)
have a similar oxide content to the SPM, but lower Zn and Pb levels and hi
gher Zr levels. Fluctuations in the chemical-element concentrations with ri
ver discharge are related to fluctuation in the mineral assemblages present
in the SPM. Thus K, Ti and Rb levels increase with increasing in K-feldspa
r abundance during high flow, and Ca and Sr levels decrease with increasing
discharge due to a decrease in calcite abundance. These mineralogical and
chemical variations relate to different sources of sediments under differen
t flow conditions-sources that can be distinguished by Sr isotopic study. T
he Sr isotopic composition fluctuates according to the rate of river discha
rge i.e., the Sr-87/Sr-86 ratio increases with increasing discharge and rea
ches a maximum Sr-87/Sr-86 ratio also increases with the combined increase
in K-feldspar abundance and with peak flow, and vice versa. The decrease in
calcite abundance. These similarities suggest the existence of at least tw
o particulate-matter reservoirs, one with detrital silicates and the other
with carbonates. Finally, the relationship between the Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios i
n the suspended and dissolved loads suggests the coexistence of authigenic
calcite in the carbonate reservoir. The SPM flow is related to a specific m
echanical erosion rate over the whole Loire watershed ranging from 9 to 23
t km(-2) yr(-1). During the survey at Orleans, the SPM flow of the Loire ri
ver was 37.10(4) t yr(-1), providing an estimate of the specific erosion ra
te of around 9.8 t km(-2) yr(-1). From the shift in the SPM flux between th
e sampling point and the mouth of the Loire river and the divergence in the
mean annual discharge, a calculation was made of the input of solid matter
by the tributaries and by supplementary erosion processes along the river.
(C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V, All rights reserved.