Sediments have the potential for storing various information relative to past environmental conditions. Extracting and deciphering those natural archives are central to the understanding of past and present sedimentary processes and provide a dynamic view on the evolution of environmental conditions. A 56 cm long sediment core was sampled in the Sainte Marie Bay (SW New Caledonia), cut in 2 cm thick slices and analysed for carbonate content, 210Pb dating and metal concentrations. The analysis of Ni and Fe was conducted on 4 separate geochemical phases (oxidizable, acid soluble, reducible and refractory). The sole results from the refractory phase are presented in this poster.