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Laser granulometry of Holocene estuarine silts: effects of hydrogen peroxide treatment

Postgraduate Research Institute for Sedimentology, University of Reading, PO Box 227, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AB, UK; j.r.l.allen{at}reading.ac.uk

D. M. Thornley

Postgraduate Research Institute for Sedimentology, University of Reading, PO Box 227, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AB, UK

The Holocene estuarine silts of the Severn Estuary Levels (southwest Britain) are representative of their kind in northwest Europe. They contain two broad types of plant material: particles codeposited with mineral grains from the estuarine water body, and extraneous debris (stems of indigenous prior plants; post depositional root matter) which is difficult to remove completely by physical means. Treatment with hydrogen peroxide before laser granulometry removes all plant material regardless of kind, drastically reduces values for the mean grain size and median size relative to untreated samples, but has little effect on the mode, except for a restricted group of bimodal-platykurtic, medium-coarse silts. It is concluded that, in the case of sediments of the general kind examined, no advantages acrue from the treatment of samples with hydrogen peroxide prior to analysis. Although a discrete rather than continuous variable, values of the mode obtained from untreated sediments are suggested to be acceptable for most purposes where a measure of central tendency is required.

Key Words: Coasts • estuaries • grain-size analysis • laser granulometry • hydrogen peroxide • plant matter • silts • techniques • Holocene

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