Late Eocene to early Oligocene carbonate and barite accumulation rates in the Pacific Basin ...

• Main Authors: Griffith, Elizabeth M, Calhoun, Michael, Thomas, Ellen, Averyt, Kristen, Erhardt, Andrea M, Bralower, Timothy J, Lyle, Mitchell W, Olivarez Lyle, Annette, Paytan, Adina
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: Deep Sea Drilling Project DSDP; Ocean Drilling Program ODP; Antarc*; Antarctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.831385; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.831385

The late Eocene through earliest Oligocene (40-32 Ma) spans a major transition from greenhouse to icehouse climate, with net cooling and expansion of Antarctic glaciation shortly after the Eocene/Oligocene (E/O) boundary. We investigated the response of the oceanic biosphere to these changes by reconstructing barite and CaCO3 accumulation rates in sediments from the equatorial and North Pacific Ocean. These data allow us to evaluate temporal and geographical variability in export production and CaCO3 preservation. Barite accumulation rates were on average higher in the warmer late Eocene than in the colder early Oligocene, but cool periods within the Eocene were characterized by peaks in both barite and CaCO3 accumulation in the equatorial region. We infer that climatic changes not only affected deep ocean ventilation and chemistry, but also had profound effects on surface water characteristics influencing export productivity. The ratio of CaCO3 to barite accumulation rates, representing the ratio of ... : Supplement to: Griffith, Elizabeth M; Calhoun, Michael; Thomas, Ellen; Averyt, Kristen; Erhardt, Andrea M; Bralower, Timothy J; Lyle, Mitchell W; Olivarez Lyle, Annette; Paytan, Adina (2010): Export productivity and carbonate accumulation in the Pacific Basin at the transition from a greenhouse to icehouse climate (late Eocene to early Oligocene). Paleoceanography, 25(3), PA3212 ...