Occurrence and abundance of late Early Cretaceous radiolarians at DSDP Leg 62 Holes

Well-preserved Mesozoic radiolarian faunas have been recovered at four sites of Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 62. Late Early Cretaceous assemblages, which occur always with foraminifers or calcareous nannoplankton, allow the description of 21 new species, the introduction of a new zone scheme, and calibration of the radiolarian zones with the geochronological scale.

Chemistry and accumulation rates of Jurassic to early Cretaceous sediments from the central equatorial Pacific

Sedimentation in the central Pacific during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous was dominated by abundant biogenic silica. A synthesis of the stratigraphy, lithology, petrology, and geochemistry of the radiolarites in Sites 801 and 800 documents the sedimentation processes and trends in the equatorial central Pacific from the Middle Jurassic through the Early Cretaceous. Paleolatitude and paleodepth reconstructions enable comparisons with previous DSDP sites and identification of the general patterns of sedimentation over a wide region of the Pacific. Clayey radiolarites dominated sedimentation on Pacific oceanic crust within tropical paleolatitudes from at least the latest Bathonian through Tithonian. Radiolarian productivity rose to a peak within 5° of the paleoequator, where accumulation rates of biogenic silica exceeded 1000 g/cm**2/m.y. Wavy-bedded radiolarian cherts developed in the upper Tithonian at Site 801 coinciding with the proximity of this site to the paleoequator. Ribbon-bedding of some radiolarian cherts exposed on Pacific margins may have formed from silicification of radiolarite deposited near the equatorial high-productivity zone where radiolarian/clay ratios were high. Silicification processes in sediments extensively mixed by bioturbation or enriched in clay or carbonate generally resulted in discontinuous bands or nodules of porcellanite or chert, e.g., a "knobby" radiolarite. Ribbon-bedded cherts require primary alternations of radiolarian-rich and clay-rich layers as an initial structural template, coupled with abundant biogenic silica in both layers. During diagenesis, migration of silica from clay-rich layers leaves radiolarian "ghosts" or voids, and the precipitation in adjacent radiolarite layers results in silicification of the inter-radiolarian matrix and infilling of radiolarian tests. Alternations of claystone and clay-rich radiolarian grainstone were deposited during the Callovian at Site 801 and during the Berriasian-Valanginian at Site 800, but did not silicify to form bedded chert. Carbonate was not preserved on the Pacific oceanic floor or spreading ridges during the Jurassic, perhaps due to an elevated level of dissolved carbon dioxide. During the Berriasian through Hauterivian, the carbonate compensation depth (CCD) descended to approximately 3500 m, permitting the accumulation of siliceous limestones at near-ridge sites. Carbonate accumulation rates exceeded 1500 g/cm**2/m.y. at sites above the CCD, yet there is no evidence of an equatorial carbonate bulge during the Early Cretaceous. In the Barremian and Aptian, the CCD rose, coincident with the onset of mid-plate volcanic activity. Abundance of Fe and Mn and the associated formation of authigenic Fe-smectite clays was a function of proximity to the spreading ridges, with secondary enrichments occurring during episodes of spreading-center reorganizations. Callovian radiolarite at Site 801 is anomalously depleted in Mn, which resulted either from inhibited precipitation of Mn-oxides by lower pH of interstitial waters induced by high dissolved oceanic CO2 levels or from diagenetic mobilization of Mn. Influx of terrigenous (eolian) clay apparently changed with paleolatitude and geological age. Cyclic variations in productivity of radiolarians and of nannofossils and in the influx of terrigenous clay are attributed to Milankovitch climatic cycles of precession (20,000 yr) and eccentricity (100,000 yr). Diagenetic redistribution of biogenic silica and carbonate enhanced the expression of this cyclic sedimentation. Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sediments were deposited under oxygenated bottom-water conditions at all depths, accompanied by bioturbation and pervasive oxidation of organic carbon and metals. Despite the more "equable" climate conditions of the Mesozoic, the super-ocean of the Pacific experienced adequate deep-water circulation to prevent stagnation. Efficient nutrient recycling may have been a factor in the abundance of radiolarians in this ocean basin.

Occurrence of tethyan radiolarian species in early Cretaceous sediments of ODP Hole 123-765C in the Northeast Indian Ocean (Fig. 4)

During ODP Leg 123, abundant and well-preserved Neocomian radiolarians were recovered at Site 765 (Argo Abyssal Plain) and Site 766 (lower Exmouth Plateau). Assemblages are characterized by the numerical dominance of a small number of non-tethyan forms and by the scarcity of tethyan taxa. Remarkable contrasts exist between radiolarian assemblages extracted from claystones of Site 765 and reexamined DSDP Site 261, and faunas recovered from radiolarian sand layers, only found at Site 765. Clay faunas are unusual in their low diversity of apparently ecologically tolerant (or solution resistant?), ubiquist species, whereas sand faunas are dominated by non-tethyan taxa. Comparisons with Sites 766 and 261, as well as sedimentological observations, lead to the conclusion that this faunal contrast resulted from a difference in provenance, rather than from hydraulic sorting or selective dissolution. The ranges of 27 tethyan taxa from Site 765 were compared to the tethyan radiolarian zonation by Jud ( 1992 ) by means of the Unitary Associations Method. This calculation allows to directly date the Site 765 assemblages and to estimate the amount of truncation of ranges for tethyan taxa. Over 70% of the already few tethyan species of Site 765, have truncated ranges during the Valanginian-Hauterivian. Radiolarian assemblages recovered from claystones at Sites 765 and 261 in the Argo Basin apparently reflect restricted oceanic conditions during the latest Jurassic-Barremian. Neither sedimentary facies nor faunal associations bear any resemblance to what we know from typical tethyan sequences. We conclude that the Argo Basin was paleoceanographically separated from the Tethys during the Late Jurassic and part of the Early Cretaceous by its position at higher paleolatitudes and/or by enclosing land masses. Assemblages recovered from radiolarian sand layers are dominated by non-tethyan species that are interpreted as circumantarctic. Their first appearance in the late Berriasian-early Valanginian predates the oceanization of the Indo-Australian breakup (M11, late Valanginian), but coincides with a sharp increase in margin-derived pelagic turbidites. The Indo-Australian rift zone and the adjacent margins must have been submerged deeply enough to allow an intermittent influx of circumantarctic cold water into the Argo Basin, creating increased bottom current activity. Cold-water radiolarians carried into the Argo Basin upwelled along the margin, died, and accumulated in radiolarite layers due to winnowing by bottom currents. High rates of faunal change and the sharp increase of bottom current activity are thought to be synchronous with possible pronounced late Berriasian-early Valanginian lowstands in sea level. Hypothetically, both phenomena might have been caused by a tendency to glaciation on the Antarctic-Australian continent, which was for the first time isolated from the rest of Gondwana by oceanic seaways as a result of Jurassic-Early Cretaceous sea-floor spreading. The absence of most typical tethyan radiolarian species during the Valanginian-Hauterivian is interpreted as reflecting a time of strong influx of circumantarctic cold water following oceanization (M 11) and rapid spreading between Southeast India and West Australia. The reappearance and gradual abundance/diversity increase of tethyan taxa, along with the still dominant circumantarctic species are thought to result from overall more equitable climatic conditions during the Barremian-early Aptian and from the establishment of an oceanic connection with the Tethys Ocean during the early Aptian.

Strontium-isotope stratigraphy and oxygen- and carbon-isotope record of Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous belemnites in the South Atlantic

87Sr/86Sr data of belemnites are presented from a Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous succession from the Falkland Plateau (Deep Sea Drilling Project Sites 511 and 330) that was deposited in a periodically anoxic, semi-enclosed shallow water basin. Diagenetically screened strontium-isotope values of 0.706789 rise to 0.707044 before increasing sharply to 0.707428 in the uppermost part of the sampled succession. Comparison with published strontium calibration curves suggests that the oldest samples were Callovian to Oxfordian in age, whilst the remainder of the Jurassic part of the succession consisted of Kimmeridgian and Early Tithonian age sediments. The nannofossil, dinoflagellate and molluscan assemblages provide comparable age determinations. The strontium-isotope analysis of the youngest belemnites points to a Hauterivian-Barremian age, whilst age interpretations based upon the fauna provide a wide age range from the Barremian to early Albian. Strontium-isotope stratigraphy of this succession hence offers increased age resolution providing data regarding the timing of episodes of bottom water anoxia which have been recorded throughout the South Atlantic Basin. Well-preserved belemnite specimens display an oxygen-isotope range between +0.08 and -2.22? (PDB, Peedee belemnite international standard) and a carbon-isotope range from +2.35 to -1.33? (PDB). Delta13C values become increasingly negative through the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous and in concert with the 87Sr/86Sr data reveal a trend that could be accounted for by increasing levels of weathering and erosion. The oxygen-isotope data if interpreted in terms of palaeotemperature are consistent with warm palaeotemperatures in the Kimmeridgian and slightly cooler temperatures for the Tithonian and Early Cretaceous parts of the succession. The proposed relative Kimmeridgian warmth (based upon strontium-isotope age assignments) is thus in good agreement with other published palaeotemperature records.

Paleomagneitc of early Cretaceous sediments from the western Central Atlantic

Drilling at Sites 534 and 603 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project recovered thick sections of Berriasian through Aptian white limestones to dark gray marls, interbedded with claystone and clastic turbidites. Progressive thermal demagnetization removed a normal-polarity overprint carried by goethite and/or pyrrhotite. The resulting characteristic magnetization is carried predominantly by magnetite. Directions and reliability of characteristic magnetization of each sample were computed by using least squares line-fits of magnetization vectors. The corrected true mean inclinations of the sites suggest that the western North Atlantic underwent approximately 6° of steady southward motion between the Berriasian and Aptian stages. The patterns of magnetic polarity of the two sites, when plotted on stratigraphic columns of the pelagic sediments without turbidite beds, display a fairly consistent magnetostratigraphy through most of the Hauterivian-Barremian interval, using dinoflagellate and nannofossil events and facies changes in pelagic sediment as controls on the correlations. The composite magnetostratigraphy appears to include most of the features of the M-sequence block model of magnetic anomalies from Ml to Ml ON (Barremian-Hauterivian) and from M16 to M23 (Berriasian-Tithonian). The Valanginian magnetostratigraphy of the sites does not exhibit reversed polarity intervals corresponding to Ml 1 to M13 of the M-sequence model; this may be the result of poor magnetization, of a major unrecognized hiatus in the early to middle Valanginian in the western North Atlantic, or of an error in the standard block model. Based on these tentative polarity-zone correlations, the Hauterivian/Barremian boundary occurs in or near the reversed-polarity Chron M7 or M5, depending upon whether the dinoflagellate or nannofossil zonation, respectively, is used; the Valanginian/Hauterivian boundary, as defined by the dinoflagellate zonation, is near reversed-polarity Chron M10N.

Geochemistry of Early Cretaceous basaltic rocks from ODP Sites 123-765 and 123-766

The Early Cretaceous basaltic rocks obtained from Sites 765 and 766 in the eastern Indian Ocean floor were mostly iron-rich normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB), which were derived from a depleted mantle source having strongly light rare earth element (LREE)-depleted rare-earth patterns and a high titanium/zirconium (Ti/Zr) ratio. Basaltic rocks in the upper part of the Site 765 basement section include megacrysts and gabbroic fragments of widely varying mineral chemistry. These megacrysts range from An90 plagioclase, including highly magnesian basaltic glass coexisting with augite of Mg# (= 100 Mg/[Fe+Mg]) at 85, to An50 plagioclase coexisting with hypersthene. This varying mineralogy of megacrysts and gabbroic fragments indicates that a considerable degree of fractional crystallization took place in the magma chamber. The unusual negative correlation between incompatible elements (e.g., TiO2) and FeO*/MgO observed among Site 765 basement basalts and fresh volcanic glasses suggest source-mantle heterogeneity in terms of FeO*/MgO. Strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) of the basaltic rocks from both sites are between 0.7027 and 0.7033 and are comparable to those of mid-Indian Ocean ridge basalts (MIORB). The basalt pebbles encountered in the sedimentary section may have been transported from the basement highs nearer the Australian continent and include basaltic compositions ranging from primitive N-MORBs to evolved enriched (E)-MORBs. Their mantle source was not as depleted as that of the basement basalts. These rocks may be the products of earlier volcanism that took place during the rifting of the Australian continent.