TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantification of termite bioturbation in a savannah ecosystem: Application of OSL dating
AU - Kristensen, Jeppe Ågård
AU - Thomsen, Kristina Jørkov
AU - Murray, Andrew
AU - Buylaert, Jan-Pieter
AU - Jain, Mayank
AU - Breuning-Madsen, Henrik
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Luminescence dating is one of the most promising technique available for studying bioturbation on
pedological timescales. In this study, we use multi-grain and single-grain quartz OSL to quantify termite
bioturbation processes (Macrotermes natalensis) in a savannah ecosystem in Ghana. Termites transport
soil from depth to the surface to construct termitaria. Over time, erosion levels these mounds and returns
the sediment to the soil surface. These two processes of construction and erosion together represent an
upward “conveyor belt” sediment transport process. We find that the sediment is effectively bleached
during the erosion process allowing us to quantify retrospectively, for the first time, the surface deposition
rate, the inverse of the upwards transport rate. At this site, this is ~0.28 mm year-1 and began
about 4.000 years ago. Downward mixing through subsurface galleries may replace 10e20% of the
volume ka-1 below the unit formed by reburied termite deposits.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
AB - Luminescence dating is one of the most promising technique available for studying bioturbation on
pedological timescales. In this study, we use multi-grain and single-grain quartz OSL to quantify termite
bioturbation processes (Macrotermes natalensis) in a savannah ecosystem in Ghana. Termites transport
soil from depth to the surface to construct termitaria. Over time, erosion levels these mounds and returns
the sediment to the soil surface. These two processes of construction and erosion together represent an
upward “conveyor belt” sediment transport process. We find that the sediment is effectively bleached
during the erosion process allowing us to quantify retrospectively, for the first time, the surface deposition
rate, the inverse of the upwards transport rate. At this site, this is ~0.28 mm year-1 and began
about 4.000 years ago. Downward mixing through subsurface galleries may replace 10e20% of the
volume ka-1 below the unit formed by reburied termite deposits.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
KW - Bioturbation
KW - Macrotermes natalensis
KW - Soil formation
KW - Luminescence dating
U2 - 10.1016/j.quageo.2015.02.026
DO - 10.1016/j.quageo.2015.02.026
M3 - Journal article
VL - 30
SP - 334
EP - 341
JO - Quaternary Geochronology
JF - Quaternary Geochronology
SN - 1871-1014
IS - Part B
ER -