Use of natural and artificial radionuclides to determine the sedimentation rates in two North Caucasus lakes.

The specific activities of natural (Pb, Ra, and Th) and artificial (Cs, Pu, and Am) radionuclides in the sediments of two North Caucasus lakes were determined. The two lakes, Lake Khuko and Lake Donguz-Orun, differ in their sedimentation conditions. Based on the use of unsupported Pb and both Chernobyl-derived and bomb-derived Cs as chronological markers, it was established that the sedimentation rates in Lake Khuko over the past 55-60 y did not exceed 0.