Carbonate and barite content accross the Eocene/Oligocene boundary of ODP Leg 198 sites, Shatsky Rise

The barite and CaCO3 content (in weight percent) of marine sediments can be used to determine spatial and temporal changes in export production (organic and carbonate carbon flux) and/or CaCO3 preservation (inorganic carbon burial). Here we report barite and CaCO3 content in Eocene/Oligocene (E/O) boundary sediments from locations drilled on Shatsky Rise during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 198. Records of these indexes may be used along with other data to determine how the major E/O boundary climatic transition (initiation of Antarctic glaciation and resultant ocean-climate system changes) affected marine export production/preservation at Shatsky Rise. Such data are necessary to elucidate the timing and phasing of changes in the carbon cycle relative to fluctuations in oceanographic conditions across this climatically important interval.

Maastrichtian calcareous nannofossils of the Indian Ocean and Shatsky Rise

The biotic effects of volcanism have long been the unknown factors in creating biotic stress, and the contribution of the Deccan volcanism to the K-T mass extinction remains largely unknown. Detailed studies of the volcanic-rich sediments of Indian Ocean Ninetyeast Ridge Sites 216 and 217 and Wharton Basin Site 212 reveal that the biotic effects of late Maastrichtian volcanism on planktic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils are locally as severe as those of the K-T mass extinction. The biotic expressions of these high stress environments are characterized by the Lilliput effect, which includes reduced diversity by eliminating most K-strategy species, and reduction in specimen size (dwarfing), frequently to less than half their normal adult size of both r-strategy and surviving K-strategy species. In planktic foraminifera, the most extreme biotic stress results are nearly monospecific assemblages dominated by the disaster opportunist Guembelitria, similar to the aftermath of the K-T mass extinction. The first stage of improving environmental conditions results in dominance of dwarfed low oxygen tolerant Heterohelix species and the presence of a few small r-strategy species (Hedbergella, Globigerinelloides). Calcareous nannofossil assemblages show similar biotic stress signals with the dominance of Micula decussata, the disaster opportunist, and size reduction in the mean length of subordinate r-strategy species particularly in Arkhangelskiella cymbiformis and Watznaueria barnesiae. These impoverished and dwarfed late Maastrichtian assemblages appear to be the direct consequences of mantle plume volcanism and associated environmental changes, including high nutrient influx leading to eutrophic and mesotrophic waters, low oxygen in the water column and decreased watermass stratification.

Uranium and thorium isotopes and sedimentation rates in metalliferous sediments from the western flank of the East Pacific Rise at 21°-22°S

Isotopic compositions of uranium (234U and 238U) and thorium (230Th and 232Th) were measured in metalliferous sediments from the western flank of the East Pacific Rise at 21°-22°S, in the area of hydrothermal activity and massive sulfide accumulation at the axis of the EPR. Concentration of 232Th (on the carbonate-free base) is consistent with composition of mafic extrusive rocks; isotope ratios 232Th/238U and 234U/238U indicate that about 70% of uranium passes into sediments from sea water with hydrothermal iron hydroxide. Mean sedimentation rates are calculated for seven cores by the nonequilibrium 230Th method with use of the constant concentration model. Flux of 230Th to bottom sediments is calculated and its mean value is used to determine sedimentation rate in four other cores. The constant flux model is used to calculate change of sedimentation rate with depth for seven cores over time interval of 100-300 ky. Sedimentation rates varied not much (0.3-0.6 cm/ky). The greatest changes occurred in two cores: one located near massive sulfide structures, and another near the spreading axis. Determinations of mean rates by the radiocarbon method and the nonequilibrium thorium method are in good agreement.

Chemical composition of phosphorites, Fe-Mn nodules and crusts, and basalts from the West Pacific

The monograph gives the first systematic description of ore-bearing guyots from the West Pacific. It is mostly based on data obtained in numerous expeditions of Russian vessels during 1984-1992. Ore deposits located on upper parts of all slopes and tops of the guyots include phosphorites associated with cobalt- and platinum-rich ferromanganese crusts. Location, origin and prospecting of mineral deposits are discussed on the base of new data on metallogenic factors (geodynamics, tectonics, magmatism, sedimentation and morphostructures).

Maestrichtian through Neogene benthic foraminifers of Maud Rise

Upper abyssal to lower bathyal benthic foraminifers from ODP Sites 689 (present water depth 2080 m) and 690 (present water depth 2941 m) on Maud Rise (eastern Weddell Sea, Antarctica) are reliable indicators of Maestrichtian through Neogene changes in the deep-water characteristics at high southern latitudes. Benthic foraminiferal faunas were divided into eight assemblages, with periods of faunal change at the early/late Maestrichtian boundary (69 Ma), at the early/late Paleocene boundary (62 Ma), in the latest Paleocene (57.5 Ma), in the middle early Eocene to late early Eocene (55-52 Ma), in the middle middle Eocene (46 Ma), in the late Eocene (38.5 Ma), and in the middle-late Miocene (14.9-11.5 Ma). These periods of faunal change may have occurred worldwide at the same time, although specific first and last appearances of deep-sea benthic foraminifers are commonly diachronous. There were minor faunal changes at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary (less than 14?7o of the species had last appearances at Site 689, less than 9% at Site 690). The most abrupt benthic foraminiferal faunal event occurred in the latest Paleocene, when the diversity dropped by 50% (more than 35% of species had last appearances) over a period of less than 25,000 years; after the extinction the diversity remained low for about 350,000 years. The highest diversities of the post-Paleocene occurred during the middle Eocene; from that time on the diversity decreased steadily at both sites. Data on faunal composition (percentage of infaunal versus epifaunal species) suggest that the waters bathing Maud Rise were well ventilated during the Maestrichtian through early Paleocene as well as during the latest Eocene through Recent. The waters appeared to be less well ventilated during the late Paleocene as well as the late middle through early late Eocene, with the least degree of ventilation during the latest Paleocene through early Eocene. The globally recognized extinction of deep-sea benthic foraminifers in the latest Paleocene may have been caused by a change in formational processes of the deep to intermediate waters of the oceans: from formation of deep waters by sinking at high latitudes to formation of deep to intermediate water of the oceans by evaporation at low latitudes. Benthic foraminiferal data (supported by carbon and oxygen isotopic data) suggest that there was a short period of intense formation of warm, salty deep water at the end of the Paleocene (with a duration of about 0.35 m.y.), and that less intense, even shorter episodes might have occurred during the late Paleocene and early Eocene. The faunal record from the Maud Rise sites agrees with published faunal and isotopic records, suggesting cooling of deep to intermediate waters in the middle through late Eocene.

Stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of foraminifera from Oligocene to Miocene sediments of DSDP Hole 39-354 from Ceara Rise, West Altlantic (Table 1)

The oxygen- and carbon-isotope compositions of planktic and benthic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils from Middle Oligocene-Early Miocene Equatorial Atlantic sediments (DSDP Site 354) indicate two important paleoceanographic changes, in the Late Oligocene (foraminiferal Zone P.21) and in the Early Miocene (foraminiferal Zone N.5). The first change, reflected by a delta18O increase of 1.45? in Globigerina venezuelana, affected only intermediate pelagic and not surface, deep or bottom waters. The second change affected surface and intermediate waters, whereas deep and bottom waters showed only minor fluctuations. In the case of the former the isotope effect of the moderate ice accumulation on the Antarctic continent is amplified in the Equatorial Atlantic by changes in the circulation pattern. The latter paleoceanographic change, reflected by a significant increase in 18O in both planktic and benthic forms (about 1.0? and 0.5?, respectively), may have been caused by ice volume increase and temperature decrease. Both oxygen- and carbon-isotope compositions indicate a marked depth-habitat stratification for planktic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. Three different dwelling groups are recognized: shallow Globigerinoides, Globoquadrina dehiscens, Globorotalia mayeri and nannofossils; intermediate Globigerina venezuelana; and deep Catapsydrax dissimilis. The comparison of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils suggests that the isotopic compositions of nannofossils are generally controlled by the same parameters which control the isotopic composition of shallow-dwelling foraminifera, but the former are more enriched in 18O.

Stable oxygen and carbon isotopes from ODP sites on Maud Rise and Kerguelen Plateau

Paleogene stable oxygen and carbon isotopes were measured in formainifera from ODP Sites 689 and 690 at Maud Rise in the Atlantic Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean, and from Sites 738, 744, 748 and 749 at the southern Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean sector. These data were compared with sedimentological data from the same sample set. Both benthic and planktic d18O values document a cooling trend beginning around 49.5 Ma at all sites. During the late middle Eocene planktic d18O values indicate a steepening latitudinal temperature gradient from 14°C at the northern sites towards 10°C at the southernmost sites. Terrigeneous sand grains of probably ice rafted origin and clay mineral assemblages point to the existence of a limited East Antarctic ice cap with some glaciers reaching sea level as early as middle Eocene time around 45.5 Ma. Between 45 and 40 Ma, average paleotemperatures were between 5° and 7°C in deep and intermediate water masses, while near-surface water masses ranged between 6° and 10°C. During the late Eocene, between 40 and 36 Ma, average temperatures further decreased to 4°-5°C in the deep and intermediate water masses and to 5°-8°C near the sea surface. Abruptly increasing d18O values at approximately 35.9 Ma exactly correlate with a sharp pulse in the deposition of ice-rafted material on the Kerguelen Plateau, a dramatic change in clay mineral composition, and an altered Southern Ocean circulation indicated by a differentiation of benthic d13C values between sites, increasing opal concentrations and decreasing carbonate contents. For planktic and benthic foraminifera this d18O increase ranges between 1.0 and 1.3 per mil, and between 0.9 and 1.4 per mil, respectively. We favour a hypothesis that explains most of the d18O shift at 35.9 Ma with a buildup of a continental East Antarctic ice sheet. Consequently, relatively warm Oligocene Antarctic surface water temperatures probably are explained by a temperate, wet-based nature of the ice sheet. This would also aid in the fast build-up of an ice sheet by enhancing the moisture transport on to the continent.

Stable isotope record of benthic foraminifera and the planktic foraminifera Globigerinoides sacculifer from sediment core GIK13519-1, Sierra Leone Rise, eastern equatorial Atlantic

From a 10.7 m long gravity core from the Sierra Leone Rise (5°39.5' N, 19°51' W) a detailed oxygen and carbon isotope record of both planktonic and benthonic foraminifera species was obtained extending from the Recent to Jaramillo event. The analysis yielded six major results. 1. Benthos oxygen isotopes varied by 1.8-2.2 per mil from interglacial to glacial times and may indicate a synglacial cooling of North Atlantic Deep Water at 2800 m depth by 1-3°C. 2. Variable anomalies between the benthos and plankton d18O record indicate a cooling of sea-surface temperatures (SST) by up to 6 °C during some glacial stages. 3. Southerly trade winds and equatorial upwelling may excert the primary control off SST variations, in particular of extremee values of cold and warm stages and of the abrupt character of climate transitions and their leads and lags, and finally, of variable sedimentation rates. 4. The benthos d13C record correlates well with the flux and preservation of organic matter. 5. A new time scale, CARPOR, was established from the assumption that terrigenous sediment supply was ± constant bit CaCO3 varied considerably. When applied to the d18O record, three major and numerous short-term variations of sedimentation rates (0.8 to 4.0 cm/kyr) can be distinguished. 6. The climatic record was modified by bioturbation much more strongly during cold than during warm stages.

Composition of bioclastic sands, carbonates and pyroclastic rocks of the Great Meteor and Josephine Seamounts, eastern North Atlantic

1. Great Meteor Seamount (GMS) is a very large (24,000 km**3) guyot with a flat summit plateau at 330-275 m; it has a volcanic core, capped by 150-600 m of post-Middle-Miocene carbonate and pyroclastic rocks, and is covered by bioclastic sands. The much smaller Josephine Seamount (JS, summit 170- 500 m w. d.) consists mainly of basalt which is only locally covered by limestones and bioclastic sands. 2. The bioclastic sands are almost free of terrigenous components, and are well sorted, unimodal medium sands. (1) "Recent pelagic sands" are typical of water depths > 600 m (JS) or > 1000 m (GMS). (2) "Sands of mixed relict-recent origin" (10-40% relict) and (3) "relict sands" (> 40% relict) are highly reworked, coarse lag deposits from the upper flanks and summit tops in which recent constituents are mixed with Pleistocene or older relict material. 3. From the carbonate rocks of both seamounts, 12 "microfacies" (MF-)types were distinguished. The 4 major types are: (1) Bio(pel)sparites (MF 1) occur on the summit plateaus and consist of magnesian calcite cementing small pellets and either redeposited planktonic bioclasts or mixed benthonic-planktonic skeletal debris ; (2) Porous biomicrites (MF 2) are typical of the marginal parts of the summit plateaus and contain mostly planktonic foraminifera (and pteropods), sometimes with redeposited bioclasts and/or coated grains; (3) Dense, ferruginous coralline-algal biomicrudites with Amphistegina sp. (MF 3.1), or with tuffaceous components (MF 3.2); (4) Dense, pelagic foraminiferal nannomicrite (MF 4) with scattered siderite rhombs. Corresponding to the proportion and mineralogical composition of the bioclasts and of the (Mgcalcitic) peloids, micrite, and cement, magnesian calcite (13-17 mol-% MgCO3) is much more abundant than low-Mg calcite and aragonite in rock types (1) and (2). Type (3) contains an "intermediate" Mg-calcite (7-9 mol-X), possibly due to an original Mg deficiency or to partial exsolution of Mg during diagenesis. The nannomicrite (4) consists of low-Mg calcite only. 4. Three textural types of volcanic and associated gyroclastic rocks were distinguished: (1) holohyaline, rapidly chilled and granulated lava flows and tuffs (palagonite tuff breccia and hyaloclastic top breccia); (2) tachylitic basalts (less rapidly chilled; with opaque glass); and (3) "slowly" crystallized, holocrystalline alkali olivine basalts. The carbonate in most mixed pyroclastic-carbonate sediments at the basalt contact is of "post-eruptive" origin (micritic crusts etc.); "pre-eruptive" limestone is recrystallized or altered at the basalt contact. A deuteric (?hydrothermal) "mineralX", filling vesicles in basalt and cementing pyroclastic breccias is described for the first time. 5. Origin and development of GMS andJS: From its origin, some 85 m. y. ago, the volcano of GMS remained active until about 10 m. y. B. P. with an average lava discharge of 320 km**3/m. y. The volcanic origin of JS is much younger (?Middle Tertiary), but the volcanic activity ended also about 9 m. y. ago. During L a t e Miocene to Pliocene times both volcanoes were eroded (wave-rounded cobbles). The oldest pyroclastics and carbonates (MF 3.1, 3.2) were originally deposited in shallow-water (?algal reef hardground). The Plio (-Pleisto) cene foraminiferal nannomicrites (MF 4) suggest a meso- to bathypelagic environment along the flanks of GMS. During the Quaternary (?Pleistocene) bioclastic sands were deposited in water depths beyond wave base on the summit tops, repeatedly reworked, and lithified into loosely consolidated biopelsparites and biomicrites (MF 1 and 2; Fig. 15). Intermediate steps were a first intragranular filling by micrite, reworking, oncoidal coating, weak consolidation with Mg-calcite cemented "peloids" in intergranular voids and local compaction of the peloids into cryptocrystalline micrite with interlocking Mg-calcite crystals up to 4p. The submarine lithification process was frequently interrupted by long intervals of nondeposition, dissolution, boring, and later infilling. The limestones were probably never subaerially exposed. Presently, the carbonate rocks undergo biogenic incrustation and partial dissolution into bioclastic sands. The irregular distribution pattern of the sands reflects (a) the patchy distribution of living benthonic organisms, (b) the steady rain of planktonic organism onto the seamount top, (c) the composition of disintegrating subrecent limestones, and (d) the intensity of winnowing and reworking bottom current