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Application of Avaatech X-ray fluorescence core-scanning in Sr/Ca analysis of speleothems

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Abstract

Application of X-ray fluorescence core-scanning (XRF-CS) on both marine and lake sediments has achieved remarkable results. However, its application has not been widely extended to the research on speleothems. In this study, we measure the Sr abundance and the Sr/Ca ratios of three stalagmites (two aragonite stalagmites, one calcite stalagmite) using the state-of-the-art fourth-generation Avaatech high-resolution XRF core scanner. Through comparisons among different scan paths and among different scan resolutions, as well as comparisons with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), Itrax XRF, and Artax XRF results, we confirm that the Avaatech XRF core scanner could precisely, quickly, and non-destructively analyze the high-resolution Sr abundance of speleothems. Furthermore, we combine the stalagmite δ18O records to explore the paleoclimatic significance of the measured stalagmite Sr/Ca.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the two reviewers for their constructive comments. This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0603401), Shaanxi Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (Grant No. 2018JC-023), Youth Innovation Promotion Association (Grant No. 2012295) and West Light Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences. This work is a part of The “Belt & Road” Project of the Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Dong Li, Liangcheng Tan, Fei Guo, Yanjun Cai, Youbin Sun, Gang Xue, Xing Cheng & Hong Yan

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Dong Li, Fei Guo, Gang Xue & Xing Cheng

  3. Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Liangcheng Tan, Yanjun Cai, Youbin Sun & Hong Yan

  4. Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Liangcheng Tan, Yanjun Cai & Hai Cheng

  5. Open Studio for Oceanic-Continental Climate and Environment Changes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Liangcheng Tan & Yanjun Cai

  6. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, USA

    Hai Cheng & R. Lawrence Edwards

  7. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, 78249, USA

    Yongli Gao & Jessica Kelley

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  1. Dong Li
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  2. Liangcheng Tan
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Correspondence to Liangcheng Tan.

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Li, D., Tan, L., Guo, F. et al. Application of Avaatech X-ray fluorescence core-scanning in Sr/Ca analysis of speleothems. Sci. China Earth Sci. 62, 964–973 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-018-9344-2

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