Thermal conductivity of ODP Leg 110 holes

Thirty-four sediment and mudline temperatures were collected from six drill holes on ODP Leg 110 near the toe of the Barbados accretionary complex. When combined with thermal conductivity measurements these data delineate the complicated thermal structure on the edge of this convergent margin. Surface heat-flow values from Leg 110 (calculated from geothermal gradients forced through the bottom-water temperature at mudline) of 92 to 192 mW/m**2 are 80% to 300% higher than values predicted by standard heat flow vs. age models for oceanic crust, but are compatible with earlier surface measurements made at the same latitude. Measured heat flow tends to decrease downhole at four sites, suggesting the presence of heat sources within the sediments. These results are consistent with the flow of warm fluid through the complex along sub-horizontal, high-permeability conduits, including thrust faults, the major decollement zone, and sandy intervals. Simple calculations suggest that this flow is transient, occurring on time scales of tens to tens of thousands of years. High heat flow in the vicinity of 15°30'N and not elsewhere along the deformation front suggests that the Leg 110 drill sites may be situated over a fluid discharge zone, with dewatering more active here than elsewhere along the accretionary complex.

(Table 1) Average sea surface temperature, average sea surface salinity, C37 concentration, palmitic acid concentration, Uk'37, C37/C38 ratio, dD of water, dD of C37 and dD of palmitic acid of water samples from a transect across the Amazon Plume

The stable hydrogen isotope composition of lipid biomarkers, such as alkenones, is a promising new tool for the improvement of palaeosalinity reconstructions. Laboratory studies confirmed the correlation between lipid biomarker dD composition (dDLipid), water dD composition (dDH2O) and salinity; yet there is limited insight into the applicability of this proxy in oceanic environments. To fill this gap, we test the use of the dD composition of alkenones (dDC37) and palmitic acid (dDPA) as salinity proxies using samples of surface suspended material along the distinct salinity gradient induced by the Amazon Plume. Our results indicate a positive correlation between salinity and dDH2O, while the relationship between dDH2O and dDLipid is more complex: dDPAM correlates strongly with dDH2O (r2 = 0.81) and shows a salinity-dependent isotopic fractionation factor. dDC37 only correlates with dDH2O in a small number (n = 8) of samples with alkenone concentrations > 10 ng L**-1, while there is no correlation if all samples are taken into account. These findings are mirrored by alkenone-based temperature reconstructions, which are inaccurate for samples with low alkenone concentrations. Deviations in dDC37 and temperature are likely to be caused by limited haptophyte algae growth due to low salinity and light limitation imposed by the Amazon Plume. Our study confirms the applicability of dDLipid as a salinity proxy in oceanic environments. But it raises a note of caution concerning regions where low alkenone production can be expected due to low salinity and light limitation, for instance, under strong riverine discharge.

Annotated record of the detailed examination of Mn deposits from DSDP Site, Leg 4 (Cores 4-27-1 and 4-27A-1)

The northern margin of the Demerara Abyssal Plain is bordered by a low ESE-WNW trending rise known as the Barracuda Ridge. North of South America, the eastern margin of the Demerara Abyssal Plain is formed by the Barbados Ridge. An extensive sedimentary section of the Barbados Ridge is exposed on the island of Barbados and consists of a series of radiolarian to planktonic foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil biogenic sediments interlayered with ash beds. To determine the nature of the sediments and "basement," Site 27 was selected on the northern margin of the Demerara Abyssal Plain, south of the Barracuda Ridge.