The use of mineral magnetism in the reconstruction of fire history: a casestudy from Lago di Origlio, Swiss Alps

The use of magnetic measurements in the detection of fire signals has been neglected since the work of Rummery et al. (1979), yet considerable develop ments have been made in the interpretation of magnetic measurements over th e last 16 years. This paper presents a study of the fire history of Lago di Origlio in the southern Swiss Alps. The study utilises the technique of mi neral magnetism alongside the stratigraphic pollen, spore and charcoal reco rds. Correlation between the various proxy records indicates that a magneti c 'fire' record is present within the sediments for the last 4 ka. The magn etic fire record has a distinct mineralogical and magnetic grain size signa ture that can be recognised against the background sedimentary signal. The results suggest that magnetic measurements may be usefully employed in the reconstruction of fire history. Their application is rapid and non-destruct ive and the results may provide additional information in relation to the l inks between catchment fire events and the sedimentary record. (C) 2000 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.