Direct Determination of Apatite in Lake Sediments

Abstract

Apatite is a common accessory mineral in the source rocks for the glacial debris supplying sediments to many Canadian lakes. A method has been developed which uses scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray emission spectrometry for direct identification of apatite. This method has been used to examine the apatite content of various size fractions in Kamloops Lake sediments. Apatite concentrations obtained by this direct examination correlate well (r > 0.999) with apatite concentrations determined by chemical analyses and indicate that, in addition to comprising as much as 70% of the total phosphorus load, apatite may comprise as much as one-third of the "dissolved" (< 0.45 μm) inorganic phosphorus load. Consequently the use of classical (e.g. Vollenweider 1968; Vollenweider and Dillon 1974) methods of estimating lake trophic state from inorganic phosphorus concentrations in lake water must be done with care, recognizing that the bulk of inorganic phosphorus in lakes deriving sediment from glaciated igneous or metamorphic terrains may be in the form of apatite.Key words: apatite, lake, trophic state, phosphorus load, scanning electron microscopy