Influence of provenance and transport process on the geochemistry and radiogenic (Hf, Nd, and Sr) isotopic composition of Pleistocene glacial sediments, Minnesota, USA

We develop a broad geochemical dataset from 50 samples of Pleistocene glacial till matrix (including three lacustrine samples) representing four sediment provenances collected from across Minnesota, USA. Such a dataset is useful both in the context of regional studies of glaciation, and in efforts to understand how provenance and glacial processes impact the geochemistry of sediment archives. The principal sediment sources of the four provenances include materials from the Archean-Proterozoic Canadian Shield, the Proterozoic Midcontinent Rift, Paleozoic carbonates, and Cenozoic and Mesozoic clastic sediments. We measured major element geochemistry in all till samples in both <2 mm and <63 μm size fractions, the trace element geochemistry in most samples, radiogenic isotopic compositions (Sr, Nd) in 13 representative samples, and Hf-isotope composition in 6 samples. Differences in source rock composition explain the primary variations in the geochemistry of our samples. In untreated (carbonate-bearing) samples, Na2O + K2O versus Fe2O3 or CaO are distinct in tills sourced from crystalline rocks versus sedimentary basins, and mechanical mixing from different source areas is evident on 100-km glacial transport length scales. Glacial materials originating from sedimentary rocks have higher chemical index of alteration (CIA) relative to materials sourced from the predominately igneous and metamorphic Canadian Shield. Increased values of Rb + Sr, Zr/Sc, and Cr + Ni are also associated with tills derived from crystalline rocks relative to tills derived from sedimentary rocks. Both the Hf- and Nd-isotopic composition of glacial sediments distinguish crystalline rock sources (less radiogenic) versus sedimentary rock sources (more radiogenic). The Sr-, and, to a lesser degree, the Hf-isotopic composition of lacustrine samples is influenced by subtle changes in sample mineral composition, reflecting both source rock variability and the sorting of clay and heavy mineral components during sediment transport. A carbonate-free composite of our till samples was found to be broadly representative of a Canadian Shield source. The ability to discern provenance and sediment transport process controls on glacial sediment geochemistry presents an opportunity to extend our understanding of past ice-sheet dynamics, and validates approaches that use tills as a proxy for continental crustal composition, provided that the influences of sediment recycling are carefully considered.