Climatic signals in the Holocene carbonate sedimentary record of Namshi-Nur lake, West Baikal region

A new high-resolution Holocene climate record of the Western Baikal region from the evaporite sediments of one of the small saline lakes with the carbonate type of sedimentation are obtained on the basis of detailed mineralogical and crystallochemical studies of chemogenic carbonates. All carbonate phases occurring in the sediment are identified by decomposition of complex XRD-profiles of carbonates into individual peaks using the Pearson VII function, and the quantitative relationships between them are determined. Mg-calcites provide the major paleoclimatic information. The carbonate record contains data on the stratigraphic distribution of Mg-calcites, in which the number and ratio between the phases of different magnesium contents are determined by the past values of the Mg/Ca ratio, salinity, and total alkalinity of lake water that vary according to climatic cycles and fluctuations of the lake level. The high potential of the approach proposed for paleoclimatic reconstructions is demonstrated.