X-Ray Fluorescence Core Scanning of Sediment Records

X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning has emerged as a cornerstone technique for the continuous, high-resolution characterisation of sedimentary archives. By directing an X-ray beam onto the surface of split cores and recording characteristic fluorescence from major and trace elements, researchers obtain semi-quantitative intensity profiles at sub-millimetre to centimetre intervals without sample destruction. This rapid, non-invasive approach enables reconstruction of depositional histories, provenance shifts and diagenetic transformations across a wide range of settings—from lacustrine basins and estuarine muds to deep-sea turbidites. Integration with independent chronologies (for example, radiometric dating or varve counting) and complementary proxies (organic geochemistry, mineralogy, palaeobiological indicators) permits robust palaeoenvironmental interpretations at annual to millennial scales. Advances in detector technology, portable energy-dispersive systems and synchrotron-based XRF have further extended the technique’s spatial resolution and elemental coverage. Nonetheless, the semi-quantitative nature of raw counts demands careful calibration, correction for sediment water content, grain-size effects and matrix variations. When combined with multivariate transformations and calibration against discrete sample analyses, XRF core scanning delivers reproducible elemental data that inform studies of climate variability, pollution chronology, sediment transport pathways and ecosystem response on regional to global scales.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Rapid assessment of heavy metal pollution using ion-exchange resin sachets and micro-XRF core-scanning demonstrated a novel deployment strategy for environmental forensics. In this approach, passive resin samplers accumulate cationic contaminants over defined intervals, after which µXRF core scanning quantifies elemental loadings non-destructively and with minimal analytical overhead. Calibration against resin standards yielded excellent linear regressions even at short exposure times, enabling swift identification of pollution hotspots in field trials. This methodology offers a cost-effective, high-throughput tool for large-area monitoring of metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu and Ni, with potential applications in catchment-scale water quality assessment and rapid environmental screening.

X-Ray Fluorescence Core Scanning of Sediment Records publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in x-ray fluorescence core scanning of sediment records across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) core scanning: A non-destructive analytical method whereby split sediment cores are irradiated with X-rays and emitted fluorescence from elements is recorded to yield high-resolution compositional profiles.

Semi-quantitative data: Raw intensity counts obtained from XRF scans that reflect relative element abundances but require calibration to be expressed as absolute concentrations.

Calibration: The process of converting semi-quantitative intensity counts into concentration values, often through comparison with discrete sample analyses or matrix‐matched standards.

Elemental proxy: A ratio or concentration of one or more elements used to infer environmental parameters such as sediment source, productivity or redox conditions.

Log-ratio transformation: A statistical technique applied to compositional data to address the constant‐sum constraint and facilitate valid multivariate analyses.

References

1. Inorganic geochemistry of lake sediments: A review of analytical techniques and guidelines for data interpretation. Earth-Science Reviews (2024).
2. A pan-Canadian calibration of micro-X-ray fluorescence core scanning data for prediction of sediment elemental concentrations. Environmental Advances (2024).
3. Application of Corrected Methods for High-Resolution XRF Core Scanning Elements in Lake Sediments. Applied Sciences (2020).
4. What Can We Learn From X‐Ray Fluorescence Core Scanning Data? A Paleomonsoon Case Study. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (2020).
5. Rapid assessment of heavy metal pollution using ion-exchange resin sachets and micro-XRF core-scanning. Scientific Reports (2019).
6. A new device to mount portable energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometers (p-ED-XRF) for semi-continuous analyses of split (sediment) cores and solid samples. Geoscientific Instrumentation Methods and Data Systems (2017).