Comparison of sediment composition by smear slides to quantitative shipboard data: a case study on the utility of smear slide percent estimates, IODP Expedition 353, northern Indian Ocean

Phillips, Stephen C.; Littler, Kate

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-30-59-2022

Articles | Volume 30

https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-30-59-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-30-59-2022

© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 30

Technical development

|

25 Feb 2022

Technical development |

| 25 Feb 2022

Comparison of sediment composition by smear slides to quantitative shipboard data: a case study on the utility of smear slide percent estimates, IODP Expedition 353, northern Indian Ocean

Stephen C. Phillips and Kate Littler

Data sets

Natural Gamma Radiation-derived K, U and Th contents of marine sediments obtained during IODP Expeditions with DV JOIDES Resolution, Version 1.0 D. De Vleeschouwer https://doi.org/10.1594/IEDA/100668

LIMS Reports International Ocean Discovery Program JOIDES Resolution Science Operator https://web.iodp.tamu.edu/LORE/

Short summary

Smear slides are a method of estimating sediment composition that is widely used as part of scientific drilling expeditions. These estimates are frequently used to classify sediments but are often not used in further analysis. We show that smear slide estimates, even if not highly accurate, track well with downcore physical property and elemental analyses. This work gives confidence in smear slide estimates in characterizing trends and cycles in sediment composition.