Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediment Cores

Abstract

Research Article| February 01, 1961 Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediment Cores DAVID B ERICSON; DAVID B ERICSON Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MAURICE EWING; MAURICE EWING Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GOESTA WOLLIN; GOESTA WOLLIN Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar BRUCE C HEEZEN BRUCE C HEEZEN Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information DAVID B ERICSON Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y MAURICE EWING Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y GOESTA WOLLIN Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y BRUCE C HEEZEN Lamont Geological Observatory (Columbia Univ.), Palisades, N. Y Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 Jul 1958 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1961, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1961) 72 (2): 193–286. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[193:ADSC]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 07 Jul 1958 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation DAVID B ERICSON, MAURICE EWING, GOESTA WOLLIN, BRUCE C HEEZEN; Atlantic Deep-Sea Sediment Cores. GSA Bulletin 1961;; 72 (2): 193–286. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[193:ADSC]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Studies of lithology, particle-size distributions, and micropaleontology and chemical analyses of 221 Atlantic and Caribbean deep-sea cores lead to new conceptions of processes of sedimentation, rates of sediment accumulation, Pleistocene chronology, and pre-Pleistocene history of the Atlantic Basin.Anomalous layers of sand, silt, and lutite occur widely in the deep basins of the Atlantic. Evidence for deposition of these layers by turbidity currents is as follows: (1) the layers occur in submarine canyons, in deltalike features at the terminal ends of canyons, in basins and depressions, never on isolated rises; (2) they are interbedded with late Pleistocene sediments of abyssal facies; (3) they are well-sorted and commonly graded; and (4) they commonly contain organic remains of shallow-water origin.Late Pleistocene slumping of compacted Neogene sediments along the banks of the Hudson Submarine Canyon at depths exceeding 3000 m indicates deepening of the canyon by erosion by turbidity currents.Variations in the planktonic Foraminifera in 108 of the cores and extrapolation of rates of sediment accumulation determined by 37 radiocarbon dates in 10 cores show that the last period of climate comparable with the present ended about 60,000 years ago. A faunal change indicating climatic amelioration, probably corresponding to the beginning of postglacial time, occurred about 11,000 years ago. Cross-correlations by micropaleontological methods establish the continuity of the climatic record deduced from the planktonic Foraminifera. Study of variation in the Planktonic Foraminifera leads to a different Pleistocene chronology from that proposed by Emiliani (1955).Cross-correlations of faunal zones and radio-carbon dates show that rates of continuous sediment accumulation, as opposed to turbidity-current deposition, range from 0.5 cm to 274.4 cm in 1000 years, depending upon bottom configuration. Cross-correlations by means of changes in coiling direction of planktonic Foraminifera give relative rates of sediment accumulation beyond the range of the radiocarbon method of dating.Forty one of the cores contain pre-Pleistocene sediments. The oldest sediment is Upper Cretaceous. Foraminifera and discoasters indicate the ages. Absence of sediment older than Late Cretaceous and thickness, 800–1000 m, of sediment in the Atlantic Basin as determined by seismic methods suggest that a large-scale reorganization of the Atlantic Basin took place in the Mesozoic. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.