Mechanisms of Accumulation of Chemical Elements in a Peat Deposit in the Eastern Part of Vasyugan Swamp (West Siberia)

Abstract

The results of mineralogical–geochemical studies of the oligotrophic pine–fruticulose–sphagnum segment of Vasyugan Swamp (West Siberia) in the winter of 2017 are presented. A mathematical model is developed for the depth distribution of chemical elements in water and acid extracts of peats, organo-mineral sediments, and inorganic soil. It is shown that two complex geochemical barriers related to the changes in filtration properties of soils and contributing to the formation and/or accumulation of Fe compounds and other chemical elements function in the peat deposit. The first (oxidizing, reduction, sulfide, and adsorption hydroxide) barrier is found approximately at a depth of 0.40–1.25 m; the second (alkaline carbonate and hydrolytic, adsorption hydroxide, clayey, and carbonate) barrier lies in the lower layer of the peat deposit (a depth of 2.25–2.50 m). The result obtained is important for understanding the production–destruction methane cycle.