Last-glacial to post-glacial 10Be fluctuations in a sediment core from the Academician Ridge, Lake Baikal

Be-10 concentrations, sediment composition and sediment accumulation rates were determined in a sediment core from the Academician Ridge of Lake Baikal. The Be-10 concentrations vary from 5.07x10(8) atoms/g in the last glacial section to 11.25x10(8) atoms/g in the section representing the post-glacial climate stage. Be-10 fluxes, on the other hand, increase toward the last-glacial stage coinciding with an increase of the sediment accumulation rate. These facts imply that climate-related sedimentation is related to both flux and concentration of the nuclide in the sediment core. During the last-glacial stage, and conditions in the lake's watershed caused a marked increase in flux of clay particles with low Be-10 content to the lake, resulting in an increased flux but lowered concentration of Be-10 in the sediments. It is suggested that the Be-10 record of the bottom sediments of Lake Baikal can be used as a proxy indicator of climate change in central Asia.