Development of the "rare-earth" hypothesis to explain the reasons of geophagy in Teletskoye Lake are kudurs (Gorny Altai, Russia)

Abstract

The mineral and chemical composition of the liquid and lithogenous substances, consumed by the wild ungulate animals, at the kudurs of the Teletskoye Lake, Gorny Altai, Russia, was studied. It was investigated that all examined kudurits are argillous-aleurolitic and get in the interval from 1 to 100 μm with the predominance of the fraction 10 μm. By the mineral composition, the lithogenous kudurits present the quartz-feldspathic-hydromicaceous-chloritic mineral formations with the large content of the quartz particles (20-43%) and sodium-containing plagioclases (albite, 15-32 wt%). The lithogenous kudurits are the products of the reconstitution of the metamorphic cleaving stones as a result of the glacier abrasive effect, subsequent its aqueous deposits and then eolation in the subaerial conditions. The fontinal waters consumed at the kudurs are subsaline chloride-hydrocarbonate-sodium and sulphated-hydrocarbonate-calcium types. It essentially differs by the increased content of rare-earth elements in reference to the lake water. The acid (HCl, pH-1) extracts from the kudurits more actively extract calcium (10-35% of the gross contents; sodium extracts at the level of 1-3%). The most fluent in the microelements composition are Cu, Be, Sr, Co, Cd, Pb, Sc, Y and rare-earth elements. The transit of all these elements into the dissoluted form fluctuates about 10% from the gross contents. The reason of geophagy is related to tendency of herbivores to absorb mineralized subsoils enriched by the biologically accessible forms of rare-earth elements, arisen as a result of vital activity of specific microflora.

Keywords: Geochemistry; Geology; Geophagy; Gorny Altai; Kudurs.