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MS: Fachverband Massenspektrometrie
MS 4: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
MS 4.4: Talk
Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 11:30–11:45, MS-H9
Study of Actinide Signatures as Potential Markers for the Anthropocene — •Janis Wolf1, Karin Hain1, Maria Meszar2, Michael Strasser3, Michael Wagreich2, and Robin Golser1 — 1University of Vienna, Faculty of Physics, Währinger Str. 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria — 2University of Vienna, Department of Geology, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria — 3University of Innsbruck, Department of Geology, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
The Anthropocene is the proposed geological epoch that follows the Holocene and is defined by the predominance of human impact on the Earth System. An epoch-defining impact must produce stratigraphic signals that are unique, distributed globally, and well preserved for a long time. Long-lived radionuclides released in atmospheric nuclear weapon testings may have produced a suitable signal. The proposed markers for the Anthropocene, Pu-239 and Am-241, and additionally U-233, U-236, Np-237 and Pu-241 were analyzed in the different reservoirs, urban strata and Austrian lake sediments, using the AMS facility VERA. The anthropogenic radionuclides have been successfully detected in layers corresponding to the active phase of nuclear weapons testing. In the urban strata, the isotopic ratio U-233/U-236, a new signature for nuclear weapons fallout, marks the onset of the Anthropocene whereas the concentrations of the other radionuclides in general gradually increase towards younger ages.