Influencia antropogénica en el registro sedimentario de la Ria de Muros (NO de España)

Based on textural analyses, solid phase geochemistry and Pb-210 and C-14 dating of four cores recovered from the outer and inner ria sectors it has been established the chronology of the anthropogenic signatures on the sedimentary record of the Ria de Muros (NW Spain). Recent sedimentation rates were obtained by 210Pb dating according to the Constant Rate of Supply model. Sedimentation rates during the last millennia rose from 0.29 to 3.9 mmyr-1 in the outer ria and from 0.38 to 6.2 mm yr-1 in the inner ria. Pre-anthropogenic background levels for trace elements were established considering the deepest core samples, and then, the human influence on metal contents, such as Cu, Zn and Pb, were assessed. A continuous upward increase in the enrichment factors of these elements was detected since the 16th century, reflecting a pre-industrial human environmental impact.