X-Ray Fluorescence data from the Pacific margin of the Antarctic Peninsula
Description
X-Ray Fluorescence data for sediment cores SED-11, SED-12, SED-18 and SED-20, acquired from the Pacific margin of the Antarctic Peninsula.
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X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) scanning data conducted on the SEDANO-II sediment cores gathered offshore the Pacific margin of the Antarctic Peninsula. XRF scans were carried out at laboratory ISMAR-CNR in 2017-2018, using an Avaatech XRF core scanner with a Rhodium-anode. This non-destructive method yields semi-quantitative elemental data for major and minor elements in total counts. The XRF scans were performed at 1 cm resolution, using voltages of 10 kV, 30 kV and 50 kV and a current of 0.4 mA. Central log ratios (clr) were also calculated after Aitchison (1982) and Martin-Puertas et al. (2017), as they provide a better estimation of element concentration in the sediments. The central log ratios were subsequently used to produce a robust cluster analysis and evaluate the geochemical composition of the sediments without prior knowledge. Further information was derived from biplots of the clustering analyses, which helped visualize the loadings (variables) of the principal component analyses (PCA) and estimate the best element associations to represent the cored sediments. Element ratios were plotted as log-normalized ratios of element peak intensities (=ln(A/B)) after Weltje and Tjallingii (2008). The XRF data, cluster analyses and PCA are included in the supplementary data files.