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Tracking recorded fires using charcoal morphology from the sedimentary sequence of Prosser Lake, British Columbia (Canada)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Mihaela D. Enache  and
Brian F. Cumming
Mihaela D. Enache*
Affiliation:
Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6
Brian F. Cumming
Affiliation:
Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6
*
*Corresponding author. Fax: +1 613 533 6617.E-mail address:enachem@biology.queensu.ca(M.D. Enache).
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Abstract

Quantitative analyses of variations in morphological features of charcoal were undertaken in a 210Pb-dated sediment core from Prosser Lake (British Columbia, Canada). Seven morphological types of charcoal were defined by particle shape, major–minor axis ratio, apparent porosity and progradation to unburned material. The distribution of morphotypes and total charcoal abundances were assessed as a proxy for fire events recorded between 1919 and 2000 and to subsequent mechanisms of transportation–sedimentation to lake sediments. Charcoal morphotypes showed distinct relationships to recorded area burned by fires. Fragile charcoal fragments with highly irregular porosity (termed Type M) displayed the strongest correlation to burned area (r2 = 0.51; P = 0.0001) and did not produce any false-positive signal for fires recorded within a radius of 20 km around the lake. We infer that high porosity and low density Type M fragments are aerially transported and directly deposited on the lake, and that the fragility of Type M charcoal prevents significant quantities from being secondarily transported and incorporated into the sedimentary record. We propose that charcoal morphology is an important but underutilized technique that can yield important insights into fire type, proximity and transportation–sedimentation processes.

Keywords

FireCharcoalCharcoal morphotypeLake sedimentsProsser LakeBritish Columbia
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 65 , Issue 02 , March 2006 , pp. 282 - 292
Copyright
University of Washington

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