Petrography, minerals and isotopic composition at DSDP Leg 66 Holes

We collected 20 carbonate nodules from the inner trench slope deposits of the Middle America Trench area off Mexico. Carbonate nodules are found only within the methane-rich layer beneath the mixed layer of methane and hydrogen sulfide. They have been investigated by microscopic, scanning electron microscopic (SEM), X-ray diffraction, and stable isotopic analytical methods. Calcite, magnesian calcite, dolomite, and rhodochrosite were recognized as carbonate minerals. Each carbonate nodule is usually represented by single species of carbonate minerals. Carbonate nodules are subdivided into micrite nodules and recrystallized nodules according to textural features. The carbonate crystallites in each micrite nodule are equidimensional. Their sizes range from several to 30 µm, as revealed by SEM micrographs. The chemical composition of calcite is changed from pure calcite to high magnesian calcite, as shown by the shift of the (104) reflection in X-ray diffraction patterns. Fe substitution for Ca in dolomite was also observed. Carbon isotopic composition shows an unusually wide range - from -42.9 to +13.5 per mil - in PDB scale, whereas oxygen isotopic compositions of almost all the carbonate nodules are constantly enriched in 18O from +3.4 to +7.60 per mil in PDB scale. These wide variations in carbon isotopic composition indicate several sources for the carbon in carbonate nodules. Carbon with a negative d13C value was derived from biochemical oxidation of methane with a negative d13C value. On the other hand, carbon with positive d13C value was probably formed during methane production in an anoxic condition.

Stable isotope organic chemistry of ODP Leg 105 sites

Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions as well as organic carbon and total nitrogen contents are reported for Site 645 in Baffin Bay and Sites 646 and 647 in the Labrador Sea. Both low-resolution analyses (1 sample/section) and high-resolution results (up to 7 samples/section) are presented. These records indicate that large-scale changes in productivity since the middle Miocene have occurred in Baffin Bay. Such changes are not evident in samples from the Labrador Sea. Isotopic records of all the sites are influenced strongly by rapidly changing influxes that combine terrigenous debris with planktonic production. In parts of the cores, relationships to other phenomena, such as ice stages, are present. However, these correlations are not common and indicate that these events were masked by the dynamic changes in sources of organic matter occurring in this complex system.

Radiocarbon ages, d13C values and rare earth element content of sediment cores BP00-23/07 and BP00-07/06

Two bottom sediment cores (BP00-23/7 and BP00-7/6) recovered from the Yenisei transect in the southern Kara Sea are described. Data on their grain size composition, clay and heavy mineral assemblages, and distribution of a large group of chemical elements are presented. Radiocarbon dates based on AMS C-14 method suggest the Holocene age of sediments in the cores. Literature data on physical properties and foraminifers have also been analyzed. The facies affiliation of the lithostratigraphic subdivisions has been unraveled. History of the Yenisei River runoff in the Holocene has been reconstructed on the basis of different indicators.

Pedogeomorphology, geochronology and paleobotany of soil profiles obtained in the Kyichu River catchment, sourthern Tibet

Results of pedogeomorphological, geochronological and paleobotanical investigations are presented covering the last ca. 4,000 years. The study sites are located in the heavily degraded Kyichu River catchment around Lhasa at 3,600-4,600 m a.s.l. Repeatedly, colluvial sediments have been recorded overlying paleosols. These deposits can be divided into i) coarse-grained sediments with a high proportion of stones and boulders originating from alluvial fans and debris flows, ii) matrix supported sediments with some stones and boulders originating from mudflows or combined colluvial processes such as hillwash plus rock fall, and iii) fine-grained sediments originating from hill wash. The IRSL multi-level dating of profile QUG 1 points to a short-time colluvial sedimentation between 1.0 ± 0.1 and 0.8 ± 0.1 ka. In contrast, dated paleosols of profile GAR 1 (7,908 ± 99 and 3,668 ± 57 BP) encompass a first colluvial episode. Here, the upper colluvial sedimentation took place during several periods between 2.6 ± 0.3 and 0.4 ± 0.1 ka. For the first time in Tibet, a systematic extraction, determination and dating of charcoals from buried paleosols was conducted. The charcoals confirm the Late Holocene presence of juniper forests or woodlands in a now treeless, barren environment. A pollen diagram from Lhasa shows a distinct decline of pollen of the Jumperus-type around 4,140 ± 50 BP, which is interpreted as indicating a clearing of forests on the adjacent slopes. It is assumed that the environmental changes from forests to desertic rangelands since ca. 4,000 BP have been at least reinforced by humans.

Barium concentrations und stable isotope ratios of late Paleocene deep-sea sediments

Deep-sea sediment Ba* (Ba/Al2O3(sample) * 15% - Ba(aluminosilicate) records show increasing values synchronous with the evolution of the late Paleocene global d13C maximum, reflecting an increase in marine surface primary production and biogenic barite formation at this time. At two oligotrophic locations, Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Sites 384 and 527 in the North and South Atlantic, respectively, Ba* increases from 160-360 ppm in the early Paleocene to 1100-3000 ppm during the d13C maximum. At equatorial DSDP Site 577, positioned within or near the high-productivity zone, Ba* increases from ~15,500 ppm in the early Paleocene to ~25,400 ppm in conjunction with late Paleocene maximum d13C values. Linear fitted correlation plots of sediment Ba* content versus surface water d13C in all three regions support barite originating in the euphotic zone. The early to late Paleocene relative increase in Ba* illustrates how burial rates of Corg (relative to Al2O3) accelerated by a factor of ~1.8 and ~6.0 in the eutrophic and oligotrophic areas, respectively. A tentative estimate, weighing our result for the entire ocean, suggests that accumulation rates of organic carbon increased by a factor of 2 during the late Paleocene d13C maximum.

Geochemistry, SiO2 minerals and isotopes at DSDP Hole 72-516F

Cherts recovered during DSDP Leg 72 from Rio Grande Rise sediments (Site 516) consist of both cristobalite and quartz, and contain ghosts of foraminifers and (more rare) radiolarians. Porcelanite made of disordered cristobalite is found in most old enclosing sediments. Local dissolution of siliceous microfossils during diagenesis is the most likely source of the silica required for the chert formation. As sediment age increases, the proportion of biogenic silica decreases and authigenic silica increases.

Stable isotope geochemistry of pore waters and marine sediments from the New Jersey shelf: Methane formation and fluid origin

Interstitial water and sediment samples of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) expedition 313 "New Jersey Shallow Shelf" were analyzed for chemical composition and stable isotope ratios. A total of 222 water samples were collected from the cores by Rhizon samplers and squeezing of fresh core material. Water was analyzed for its stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry (d2H and d18O) at sites M0027A and M0029A, and the carbon isotope composition of the dissolved inorganic carbon (d13CDIC) (all sites). In addition, organic material (Corg) and inorganic carbonates from sediments were analyzed for their carbon ratios (d13Corg and d13Ccarb), and in case of the carbonates also for oxygen (d18Ocarb). Carbon isotopes were also analyzed in samples containing enough methane gas (d13Cmeth). Pore fluids from site M0027A were analyzed for the sulfur isotope composition of dissolved sulfate (d34S). The combination of isotope analyses of all phases (interstitial water, sediment, and gas) with pore water chemistry is expected to enable a better understanding of processes in the sediment and will help to identify the origin of fluids under the New Jersey shelf.

Abundances and d13C values of n-alkanes extracted from sediment samples of ODP Hole 116-717C

Siwalik paleosol and Bengal Fan sediment samples were analyzed for the abundance and isotopic composition of n-alkanes in order to test for molecular evidence of the expansion of C4 grasslands on the Indian subcontinent. The carbon isotopic compositions of high-molecular-weight alkanes in both the ancient soils and sediments record a shift from low d13C values (ca. -30 per mil) to higher values (ca. -22 per mil) prior to 6 Ma. This shift is similar in magnitude to that recorded by paleosol carbonate and fossil teeth, and is consistent with a relatively rapid transition from dominantly C3 vegetation to an ecosystem dominated by C4 plants typical of semi-arid grasslands. The n-alkane values from our paleosol samples indicate that the isotopic change began as early as 9 Ma, reflecting either a growing contribution of C4 plants to a dominantly C3 biomass or a decrease in water availability to C3 plants. Molecular and isotopic analyses of other compounds, including n-alcohols and low-molecular weight n-alkanes indicate paleosol organic matter contains contributions from a mixture of sources, including vascular plants, algae and/or cyanobacteria and microorganisms. A range of inputs is likewise reflected in the isotopic composition of the total organic carbon from these samples. In addition, the n-alkanes from two samples show little evidence for pedegenic inputs and we suggest the compounds were derived instead from the paleosol's parent materials. We suggest the record of vegetation in ancient terrestrial ecosystems is better reconstructed using isotopic signatures of molecular markers, rather than bulk organic carbon. This approach provides a means of expanding the spatial and temporal records of C4 plant biomass which will help to resolve possible tectonic, climatic or biological controls on the rise of this important component of the terrestrial biosphere.

Major nannofossils, carbon and oxygen isotopes and carbon composition of ODP leg 194 site survey gravity cores

Biostratigraphic, sedimentologic, and geochemical analyses of hemipelagic periplatform sediments from shallow gravity cores taken during the Ocean Drilling Program Leg 194 site survey reveal that, despite the strong currents and almost infilled intraplatform bathymetric depressions, recent sedimentation at the location of the Leg 194 drill sites recorded glacial-interglacial cycles. Sediment analyses included determination of sediment type, carbonate content, bulk stable oxygen isotope composition, and calcareous nannofossil zones. Glacial periods, identified by elevated bulk d18O, are characterized by darker sediment color, coarser grain size, and lower carbonate content, whereas interglacial periods yield lighter-colored, finer, and carbonate-rich sediments. These data from the shallowmost few meters of Marion Plateau sediments complement the subsurface information of Leg 194 holes, in which the top few meters have not been analyzed in such a high-resolution fashion. In addition, these gravity cores are more likely to have recovered the sediments closest to the sediment/water interface as compared to the hydraulic piston cores collected during Leg 194.

Calcium carbonate, isotopes and Rock-Eval pyrolysis at DSDP Holes 77-535 and 77-540

At DSDP Sites 534 (Central Atlantic) and 535 and 540 (Gulf of Mexico), and in the Vocontian Basin (France), Lower Cretaceous deposits show a very pronounced alternation of limestone and marl. This rhythm characterizes the pelagic background sedimentation and is independent of detritic intercalations related to contour and turbidity currents. Bed-scale cycles, estimated to be 6000-26,000 yr. long, comprise major and minor units. Their biological and mineralogic components, burrowing, heavy isotopes C and O, and some geochemical indicators, vary in close correlation with CaCO3 content. Vertical changes of frequency and asymmetry of the cycles are connected with fluctuations of the sedimentation rate. Plots of cycle thickness ("cyclograms") permit detailed correlations of the three areas and improve the stratigraphic subdivision of Neocomian deposits at the DSDP sites. Small-scale alternations, only observed in DSDP cores, comprise centimetric to millimetric banding and millimetric to micrometric lamination, here interpreted as varvelike alternations between laminae that are rich in calcareous plankton and others rich in clay. The laminations are estimated to correspond to cycles approximately 1,3, and 13 yr. in duration. The cyclic patterns appear to be governed by an interplay of continental and oceanic processes. Oceanic controls express themselves in variations of the biogenic carbonate flux, which depends on variations of such elements as temperature, oxygenation, salinity, and nutrient content. Continental controls modulate the influxes of terrigenous material, organic matter, and nutrients derived from cyclic erosion on land. Among the possible causes of cyclic sedimentation, episodic carbonate dissolution has been ruled out in favor of climatic fluctuations with a large range of periods. Such fluctuations are consistent with the great geographic extension shown by alternation controls and with the continuous spectrum of scales that characterizes limestone-marl cycles. The climatic variations induced by the Earth's orbital parameters (Milankovitch cycles) could be connected to bed-interbed alternations.

Lithology and organic geochemistry at DSDP Hole 77-535

Analyses of extractable organic matter from selected core samples obtained at DSDP Site 535 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico show that the asphalt (or tar) and adjacent oil stains in Lower Cretaceous fractured limestones have a common origin and are not derived from the surrounding organic-matter-rich limestones. Organic matter indigenous to those surrounding limestones was shown to be thermally immature and incapable of yielding the hydrocarbon mixture discovered. In contrast, the oil-stained and asphaltic material appears to be a post-migration alteration product of a mature oil that has migrated from source rocks deeper in the section, or from stratigraphically equivalent but compositionally different source-facies down-dip from the drill site. Further, hydrocarbons of the altered petroleum residues were shown to be similar to Sunniland-type oils found in Lower Cretaceous rocks of South Florida. The results suggest that shallowwater, platform-type source-rock facies similar to those that generated Sunniland-type oils, or deeper-water facies having comparable oil-generating material, are present in this deep-water (> 3000 m) environment. These findings have important implications for the petroleum potential in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and for certain types of deep-sea sediments.