Mineralogical reconstruction of Late Pleistocene - Holocene climate and environmental changes in southern wetlands of Lake Urmia

To determine the effect of climate changes on current critical conditions of Lake Urmia, paleoclimate of southern wetlands of Lake Urmia was investigated based on clay mineralogy. Solduz and Kani Barazan wetlands on the southern margin of Lake Urmia and also the southern part of the lake have been briefly studied in this research.A total of 24 sedimentary cores were taken for sedimentology and mineralogy study from south to north of Lake Urmia. The clay mineralogy analysis were done by XRD method. The main minerals in the sediments include quartz (over 40%), calcite, feldspars, mica, dolomite and clay minerals. Chlorite and kaolinite were the main clay minerals in the southern coastal plains of Lake Urmia. Distribution of surface samples represents reduction of clay minerals in the sediments from the margin to the center of the basin. This indicate that the percentage of detrital sediments decreases and chemical sediments increase from the margin to the center. Increasing the distance from the edge of the wetland causes it to move away from the source of the sediments. The concentration of water salts in the central part of the basin increases.