Geochemistry and Nd-Pb isotope ratios of sediments from the Lesser Antilles arc

The Lesser Antilles arc is a particularly interesting island arc because it is presently very active, it is located perpendicular to the South American continent and its chemical and isotopic compositions display a strong north-south gradient. While the presence in the south of a thick pile of sedimentary material coming from the old South American continent has long been suspected to explain the geochemical gradient, previous studies failed to demonstrate unambiguously a direct link between the arc lava compositions and the subducted sediment compositions. Here, we present new Nd, Sm, Th, U and Pb concentrations and Nd-Pb isotopic data for over 60 sediments from three sites located in the fore arc region of the Lesser Antilles arc. New data for DSDP Site 543 drill core located east of Dominica Island complement the data published by White et al. (1985, doi:10.1016/0016-7037(85)90082-1) and confirm their relatively uniform isotopic compositions (i.e., 206Pb/204Pb between 19.13 and 19.53). In contrast, data obtained on DSDP Site 144 located further south, on the edge of the South American Rise and on sediments from Barbados Island are much more variable (206Pb/204Pb ranges from 18.81 to 27.69). The very radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions are found in a 60 m thick black shale unit, which has no age equivalent in the Site 543 drill core. We interpret the peculiar composition of the southern sediments as being due to two factors, (a) the proximity of the South American craton, which contributes coarse grain old detrital material that does not travel far from the continental shelf, and (b) the presence of older sediments including the thick black shale unit formed during Oceanic Anoxic events 2 and 3. The north-south isotopic change known along the Lesser Antilles arc can be explained by the observed geographical changes in the composition of the subducted sediments. About 1% contamination of the mantle wedge by Site 543 sediments explains the composition of the northern islands while up to 10% sediments like those of Site 144 is required in the source of the southern island lavas. The presence of black shales in the subducted pile provides a satisfactory explanation for the very low Delta8/4 values that characterize the Lesser Antilles arc.

Distribution of Upper Cretaceous deep water agglutinated foraminifera in sediments of the North Atlantic and its marginal seas (Tab. 1)

The stratigraphic and biogeographic distribution of more than 170 species of deep-water agglutinated benthic foraminifers (DWAF) from the North Atlantic and adjacent marginal seas has been compared with paleoenvironmental data (e.g. paleobathymetry, oxygenation of the bottom waters, amount of terrigenous input and substrate disturbance). Six general types of assemblages, in which deep water agglutinated taxa occur, are defined from the Turonian to Maastrichtian times: 1. High latitude slope assemblages 2. Low to mid latitude slope assemblages 3. Flysch-type assemblages 4. Deep water limestone assemblages (,,Scaglia,,-type) 5. Abyssal mixed calcareous-agglutinated assemblages 6. Abyssal purely agglutinated assemblages Latitudinal differences in faunal composition are observed, the most important of which is the lack or extreme paucity of calcareous forms in high latitude assemblages. East-to-west differences appear to be of comparatively minor importance. Most DWAF species occur in all studied regions and are thus considered as cosmopolitan. Biostratigraphic turnovers in the taxonomic content of assemblages are observed in the lowermost Turonian, mid-Campanian and in the upper Maastrichtian to lowermost Paleocene. These datum levels correspond to inter-regional and time-constant paleooceanographic events, which probably also affected the deep-water benthic biota. This allows us to use deep-water agglutinated foraminifers for biostratigraphy in the North Atlantic sequences deposited below CCD and to geographically extend the currently used zonal schemes which have been established in the Carpathian and Alpine areas.

Physical properties of sediments at DSDP Holes 78-541 and 78-543

Sediment cored within the Barbados subduction complex at Sites 541 and 542 are underconsolidated. Underconsolidation and changes in physical properties of the cored section can be related to excess pore water pressure that equals the lithostatic load at Site 542 and to major thrust faulting observed at Site 541. Apparently, the pore fluids within the subduction complex are absorbing the tectonic shock of underthrusting. Sediment sampled from the reference Site 543 on the adjacent Atlantic Plate are also underconsolidated. However, underconsolidation in Hole 543 is apparently due to the movement of excess nitrogen gas observed deeper in the hole. Excess gas was not observed at Sites 541 and 542.