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Impact of dissolution on the sedimentary record of the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum

Impact of dissolution on the sedimentary record of the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum
Impact of dissolution on the sedimentary record of the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum
The input of massive amounts of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ?55.53 Ma?55.53 Ma) resulted in pervasive carbonate dissolution at the seafloor. At many sites this dissolution also penetrated into the underlying sediment column. The magnitude of dissolution at and below the seafloor, a process known as chemical erosion, and its effect on the stratigraphy of the PETM, are notoriously difficult to constrain. Here, we illuminate the impact of dissolution by analyzing the complete spectrum of sedimentological grain sizes across the PETM at three deep-sea sites characterized by a range of bottom water dissolution intensity. We show that the grain size spectrum provides a measure of the sediment fraction lost during dissolution. We compare these data with dissolution and other proxy records, electron micrograph observations of samples and lithology. The complete data set indicates that the two sites with slower carbonate accumulation, and less active bioturbation, are characterized by significant chemical erosion. At the third site, higher carbonate accumulation rates, more active bioturbation, and possibly winnowing have limited the impacts of dissolution. However, grain size data suggest that bioturbation and winnowing were not sufficiently intense to diminish the fidelity of isotopic and microfossil assemblage records.
dissolution, chemical erosion, nannofossils, planktonic foraminifera, Paleocene Eocene thermal maximum
0012-821X
70-82
Bralower, Timothy J.
8d16a733-85c8-4837-aa95-f070d61494a7
Kelly, D. Clay
92ea9d1d-0eae-4036-8fca-dd06537c185a
Gibbs, Samantha J.
82dfbcbc-3a8a-40da-8a80-fe7ad83f3110
Farley, Kenneth
38777d47-9fb0-4d3b-ab7e-d1f1657a9f37
Eccles, Laurie
a48dbbb9-634f-416d-8767-ff6ab2e5eb84
Lindemann, T. Logan
73afbf11-e4a1-4185-a4c2-d200fb978daa
Smith, Gregory J.
1c09a73c-df92-4aa7-87f1-9777cad7b7fa
Bralower, Timothy J.
8d16a733-85c8-4837-aa95-f070d61494a7
Kelly, D. Clay
92ea9d1d-0eae-4036-8fca-dd06537c185a
Gibbs, Samantha J.
82dfbcbc-3a8a-40da-8a80-fe7ad83f3110
Farley, Kenneth
38777d47-9fb0-4d3b-ab7e-d1f1657a9f37
Eccles, Laurie
a48dbbb9-634f-416d-8767-ff6ab2e5eb84
Lindemann, T. Logan
73afbf11-e4a1-4185-a4c2-d200fb978daa
Smith, Gregory J.
1c09a73c-df92-4aa7-87f1-9777cad7b7fa

Bralower, Timothy J., Kelly, D. Clay, Gibbs, Samantha J., Farley, Kenneth, Eccles, Laurie, Lindemann, T. Logan and Smith, Gregory J. (2014) Impact of dissolution on the sedimentary record of the Paleocene–Eocene thermal maximum. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 401, 70-82. (doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.05.055).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The input of massive amounts of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; ?55.53 Ma?55.53 Ma) resulted in pervasive carbonate dissolution at the seafloor. At many sites this dissolution also penetrated into the underlying sediment column. The magnitude of dissolution at and below the seafloor, a process known as chemical erosion, and its effect on the stratigraphy of the PETM, are notoriously difficult to constrain. Here, we illuminate the impact of dissolution by analyzing the complete spectrum of sedimentological grain sizes across the PETM at three deep-sea sites characterized by a range of bottom water dissolution intensity. We show that the grain size spectrum provides a measure of the sediment fraction lost during dissolution. We compare these data with dissolution and other proxy records, electron micrograph observations of samples and lithology. The complete data set indicates that the two sites with slower carbonate accumulation, and less active bioturbation, are characterized by significant chemical erosion. At the third site, higher carbonate accumulation rates, more active bioturbation, and possibly winnowing have limited the impacts of dissolution. However, grain size data suggest that bioturbation and winnowing were not sufficiently intense to diminish the fidelity of isotopic and microfossil assemblage records.

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More information

Published date: 1 September 2014
Keywords: dissolution, chemical erosion, nannofossils, planktonic foraminifera, Paleocene Eocene thermal maximum
Organisations: Paleooceanography & Palaeoclimate

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 366309
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/366309
ISSN: 0012-821X
PURE UUID: 57b3ebb0-485f-4708-8c56-da6468f6fc63

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Date deposited: 24 Jun 2014 12:23
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 17:06

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Contributors

Author: Timothy J. Bralower
Author: D. Clay Kelly
Author: Samantha J. Gibbs
Author: Kenneth Farley
Author: Laurie Eccles
Author: T. Logan Lindemann
Author: Gregory J. Smith

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