SedimentR: A R package for identifying major stratigraphic structures in sediment cores using XRF geochemical data

SedimentR is a package to facilitate the processing and interpretation of geochemical data analysed in sediment cores. This protocol was first specifically developed for the processing and analysis of sediment cores threw X-ray fluorescence (XRF), a procedure becoming routine in sedimentology.It enables the identification and the exclusion of highly noisy elements, ensuring that only the correctly measured variables are retained for further analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) is then applied to identify the most influential variables through loadings, followed by clustering of selected variables using k-means or hierarchical methods. This protocol is usefulness and practicality for partitioning distinct and robust clusters that were consistent, statistically validated, and representative of meaningful structures despite the underlying multivariate geochemical variability.