Characterization of northeast Greenland cave sediments

Clastic sediments deposited in caves are useful archives of past hydrological and environmental conditions. Here we report the results of investigations into three samples of clastic sediments collected from caves in northeast Greenland. The samples have a mineralogical composition dominated by calcite, dolomite and quartz. Two of the samples are homogenous silts, whereas the third sample is laminated with couplets that begin with a pale grey silt, and fine upwards to a darker clayey-silt that is higher in organic carbon. All sediments were deposited in calm to stagnant conditions though the laminae in the one sample indicate pulsing in the depositional process, possibly caused by waxing and waning of an internal ice plug or external glacier.