Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Recent sedimentation events at the head of Saguenay Fjord, Canada

  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Unbioturbated marine sediments containing a record of high river discharge events occur at the head of

Saguenay Fjord, near Saint Fulgence, eastern Canada. Preservation of allochthonous benthonic foraminifera, recognition of occasional rapid sedimentation events associated with the spring runoff of the Saguenay River, and the unmixed character of the sediment can be used in conjunction with several dating techniques to obtain a temporal resolution of paleoriverine events on a time scale of months to years.

The geologic and geochemical record of the upper 150 cm of sediment reflects (1) the anoxic character of the benthic environment, resulting from the high flux of terrigeneous material to the bottom; (2) the transport and deposition of landslide-derived sediment into the head of the fjord over several years; (3) an indication of the nature and timing of dissolution processes that have altered or totally eliminated the allochthonous calcareous microfossil assemblage from the recycled sediment; and (4) a cyclic depositional pattern that may be useful in reconstructing pateoclimatologic trends that have influenced annual river discharge of this drainage system over the past millennium.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References Cited

  • Annuaire Hydrologique, Service de l'Hydrométrie, 1960–1976, Ministère des Richesses Naturelles, Québec, Canada.

  • Annuaire de la Qualité des Eaux, Gouvernment du Québec, 1971, Ministère des Richesses Naturelles (Service de la Qualité des Eaux).

  • Bewers, J. M., 1976, Report of cruise 76-006, CSSHudson, April 20–26: Atlantic Oceanographic Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

  • Christensen, E. R., J. Scherfig, and M. Koide, 1978, Metals from urban runoff in dated sediments of a very shallow estuary: Environ. Sci. Tech., v. 12, p. 1168–1173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cronin, T. M., 1977, Champlain Sea Foraminifera: A systematic and paleoecological synthesis: Géographie Physique et Quaternaire, v. 31, p. 107–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, W. W., 1968, The determination of low levels of polonium-210 in environmental materials Anal. Chim. Acta, v. 43, p. 221–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Folk, R. I., 1968, Petrology of sedimentary rocks: Austin, Texas, Hemphills, 182 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, T. G., and W. Walker, 1967. Flotation methods for obtaining foraminifera from sediment samples. Jour. Paleontol., v. 41, p. 1294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatch, W. R., and W. L. Ott, 1968, Determination of submicrogram quantities of mercury by atomic absorption spectrophotometry: Anal. Chem., v. 40, p. 2085–2087.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heezen, B. C., and C. D. Hollister, 1971, Face of the deep New York, Oxford University Press 659 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hjulstrom, F., 1939, Transportation of detritus by moving water.In P. D. Trask, Ed, Recent marine sediments: Tulsa, Oklahoma, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, p. 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRochelle, P., 1973, Rapport de Synthèse des Études de la Coulée D'Argile de Saint-Jean-Vianney. Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère des Richesses Naturelles S-151, 73 p.

  • Larsen, A. R., 1978, A note on the estimation of sedimentation rates in the Gulf of Elat (Gulf of Aquaba), by the use of foraminifera, Sedimentology, v. 25, p. 583–585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaSalle, P., G. Martineau, and L. Chauvin, 1977, Morphology, stratigraphy and Deglaciation in Beauce-Notre-Dame Mountains—Laurentide Park Area: Gouvernment du Québec, Ministere des Richesses Naturelles Paper DPV-516, 74 p.

  • Loring, D. H., 1975, Mercury in the sediments of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Can. Jour. Earth Sci., v. 12, p. 1219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loring, D. H., and J. M. Bewers, 1978, Geochemical mass balances for mercury in a Canadian Fjord: Chem. Geol., v. 22, p. 309–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loring, D. H., and D. J. Nota, 1973, Morphology and sediments of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd. Can, v. 182. 147 p.

  • Loring, D. H., and R. T. T. Rantala, 1977, Geochemical analysis of marine sediments and suspended particulate matter: Government of Canada, Fisheries and Marine Service Technical Report 700, 58 p.

  • Nichols, M. M., 1977, Response and recovery of an estuary following a river flood. Jour. Sed. Petrol., v. 47, p. 1171–1186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ochietti, S., and C. Hillaire-Marcel, 1977. Chronologie14C des Évènements Paléogéographiques du Québec Depuis 14,000 Ans. Geógraphie Physique et Quarternaire, v. 31, p. 123–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, T., and R. Rosenburg, 1976. A comparative study of the effects on the marine environment of wastes from cellulose industries in Scotland and Sweden: Ambio, v. 5, p. 77–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocklington, R., 1976, Terrigeneous organic matter in surface sediments from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can., v. 33, p. 93–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocklington, R., and G. T. Hagell, 1975, The quantitative determination of organic carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and lignin in marine sediments: BIO Report Series, BI-R-75-18, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 16 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocklington, R., and W. H. Hardstaff 1974. A rapid semiquantitative screening procedure for lignin in marine sediments. Jour. Conseil Internatl. Explor. Mer., v. 36, p. 92–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocklington, R., and J. D. Leonard, 1979. Terrigeneous organic matter in sediments of the St. Lawrence estuary and the Saguenay Fjord. J. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. v. 36, p. 1250–1255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pocklington, R., and C. D. MacGregor, 1973, The determination of lignin in marine sediments and particulate form in seawater: Internatl. Jour. Environ. Anal. Chem. v. 3, p. 81–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poole, N. J., R. J. Parkes, and D. J. Wildish, 1977, Reaction of estuarine ecosystems to effluent from pulp and paper industry: Helgolander Wiss. Meeresunters, v. 30, p. 622–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, C. T., 1973, Distribution of foraminifera near pollution sources in Chaleur Bay. Water Air Soil Poll., v. 2, p. 219–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, C. T., and F. E. Cole (Frape), 1974. Distribution of benthonic foraminifera: Their use in delimiting local nearshore environments: Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 74–30, v. 1, p. 103-108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, C. T., and F. E. Cole, 1978, Distribution of foraminifera in Chaleur Bay, Gulf of St. Lawrence: Geological Survey of Canada, Paper 77–30, 55 p.

  • Schafer, C. T., F. J. E. Wagner, and C. Ferguson, 1975. Occurrence of foraminifera, mollusks and ostracods adjacent to the industrialized shoreline of Canso Strait, Nova Scotia: Water Air Soil Poll., v. 5, p. 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. N. and A. Walton, 1980, Sediment accumulation rates measured in the Saguenay Fjord using the Pb-210 dating method. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., v. 45 (in press).

  • Sundby, B., and D. H. Loring, 1978. Geochemistry of suspended particulate matter in the Saguenay Fjord. Can. Jour. Earth Sci., v. 15, p. 1002–1011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wildish, D., N. J. Poole, and D. D. Kristmanson, 1976, The effect of anerobiosis on measurement of sulfite pulp mill effluent concentration by U. V. spectrophotometry: Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., v. 16, p. 208–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atlantic Geoscience Centre Geological Survey of Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

    Charles T. Schafer

  2. Chemical Oceanography Division Atlantic Oceanographic Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

    John N. Smith

  3. Marine Ecology Laboratory, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

    Douglas H. Loring

Authors
  1. Charles T. Schafer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John N. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Douglas H. Loring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schafer, C.T., Smith, J.N. & Loring, D.H. Recent sedimentation events at the head of Saguenay Fjord, Canada. Geo 3, 139–150 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473489

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473489

Keywords

Search

Navigation