Composition of bottom sediments from Core SO201-2-101, Shirshov Ridge, Bering Sea

• Main Authors: Levitan, Mikhail A, Kuzmina, Tatyana G, Luksha, V L, Roshchina, I A, Syromyatnikov, KV, Max, Lars, Nürnberg, Dirk, Riethdorf, Jan-Rainer, Tiedemann, Ralf
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2013
• Subjects: Archive of Ocean Data; ARCOD; Bering Sea; Shirshov Ridge; Yukon; Yukon river; Alaska; Beringia
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.816985; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.816985

Analysis of lithology, grain-size composition, clay minerals, and geochemistry of Upper Pleistocene bottom sediments from the submarine Shirshov Ridge (Bering Sea) showed that the Yukon-Tanana terrane of the Central Alaska was main source area of the sediments. Sedimentary material was transported by the Yukon River through Beringia up to the shelf break, where they were entrained by a strong north-west sea current. Lithological data revealed several pulses of ice-rafted debris deposition roughly synchronous with Heinrich events and periods of weaker bottom current intensity. Based on geochemical results we distinguished intervals of an increase in paleoproductivity and extension of the oxygen minimum zone. Our results suggest that there were three stages of deposition driven by glacioeustatic sea-level fluctuations and glacial cycles in Alaska.