Brief communication: Unravelling the composition and microstructure of a permafrost core using X-ray computed tomography

Abstract

The microstructure of permafrost ground contains clues to its formation and hence its preconditioning to future change. We applied X-ray computed microtomography (CT) to obtain high-resolution data (Δx = 50 μm) of the composition of a 164 cm long permafrost core drilled in a Yedoma upland in north-eastern Siberia. The CT analysis allowed the microstructures to be directly mapped and volumetric contents of excess ice, gas inclusions, and two distinct sediment types to be quantified. Using laboratory measurements of coarsely resolved core samples, we statistically estimated the composition of the sediment types and used it to indirectly quantify volumetric contents of pore ice, organic matter, and mineral material along the core. We conclude that CT is a promising method for obtaining physical properties of permafrost cores which opens novel research potentials.