Content and compositions of amino acids in sediments from core ZK1

ZK37 and ZK1005 in chaoshan Plain

northeast Guangdong province

have been analyzed in this paper. The results indicates that: (1) Three states

free amino acids

soluble and insoluble fractions (peptide chains) derived from indigenous proteinaceous material had been preserved in sediments over geologic time. The insoluble fraction constituted the majority. (2)With icreasing depth (age)

the content of amino acids in core ZK1 decreased rapidly. (3)The amino acid compositions in ZK1 differ from the ones in ZK1005

the former was mainly constituted by serine

and the latter was mainly constitued by glycine

valine

leucine

alanine

proline

aspartic acid and glutamic acid. (4)Samples of different depth in core ZK1 also have different amino acid composition. All these difference may be related to the biologic and lithologic composition of the sediment and to the diagenesis. In other word

amino acid content and composition may be used as an index reflecting environmental change. Racemization extens of alanine and aspartic acid in sediments and in fossil shells have also been determined. The results have been used to estimated the ages of the sediment. These dating data have been verified to be consistent with 14 C ages. Furthermore

by using the data listed in table 4

linear plots of D/L alanine and D/L aspartic acid versus depth or 14 C ages of sediments in core ZK37 have been obtained

which indicates that the racemization of alanine and aspartic acid in core ZK37 fit the law of first order kinetics.