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Formation of “Southern Component Water” in the Late Cretaceous:Evidence from Nd-isotopes

Formation of “Southern Component Water” in the Late Cretaceous:Evidence from Nd-isotopes
Formation of “Southern Component Water” in the Late Cretaceous:Evidence from Nd-isotopes
Constraining deep-ocean circulation during past greenhouse climatic periods, such as the Cretaceous, is important for understanding meridional heat transfer processes, controls on ocean anoxia, and the relative roles of climate and tectonics in determining paleocirculation patterns. Ocean circulation models for the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene suggest that significant deep-water production occurred in the Southern Ocean, but cannot constrain when this process commenced or what the temporal relationship was between opening tectonic gateways and Late Cretaceous climatic cooling. Nd-isotope data obtained from biogenic apatite (fish teeth and bones) are presented from lower bathyal and abyssal sites in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. During the mid-Cretaceous, relatively radiogenic Nd-isotope values suggest that deep-water circulation in these basins was sluggish with inputs likely dominated by seawater-particle exchange processes and, possibly, easily weathered volcanic terranes. In the Campanian–Maastrichtian the Nd-isotopic composition of proto-Indian and South Atlantic deep waters became less radiogenic, suggesting the onset of deep-water formation in the Southern Ocean (Southern Component Water, SCW), consistent with Paleogene reconstructions and ocean circulation models. A combination of Southern Hemisphere cooling and the opening of tectonic gateways during the Campanian likely drove the onset of SCW.
0091-7613
871-874
Robinson, Stuart A.
5bc07ad4-35e6-4d20-b984-516bb747d940
Murphy, Daniel P.
7dc8e6dc-a302-4486-a5f3-8dd6fcdbbacb
Vance, Derek
9c0575d3-caf4-4d57-b08b-b7a81f6c107c
Thomas, Deborah J.
1331ccc3-1e5d-4aad-b2db-da804a9ef786
Robinson, Stuart A.
5bc07ad4-35e6-4d20-b984-516bb747d940
Murphy, Daniel P.
7dc8e6dc-a302-4486-a5f3-8dd6fcdbbacb
Vance, Derek
9c0575d3-caf4-4d57-b08b-b7a81f6c107c
Thomas, Deborah J.
1331ccc3-1e5d-4aad-b2db-da804a9ef786

Robinson, Stuart A., Murphy, Daniel P., Vance, Derek and Thomas, Deborah J. (2010) Formation of “Southern Component Water” in the Late Cretaceous:Evidence from Nd-isotopes. Geology, 38 (10), 871-874. (doi:10.1130/G31165.1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Constraining deep-ocean circulation during past greenhouse climatic periods, such as the Cretaceous, is important for understanding meridional heat transfer processes, controls on ocean anoxia, and the relative roles of climate and tectonics in determining paleocirculation patterns. Ocean circulation models for the Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene suggest that significant deep-water production occurred in the Southern Ocean, but cannot constrain when this process commenced or what the temporal relationship was between opening tectonic gateways and Late Cretaceous climatic cooling. Nd-isotope data obtained from biogenic apatite (fish teeth and bones) are presented from lower bathyal and abyssal sites in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. During the mid-Cretaceous, relatively radiogenic Nd-isotope values suggest that deep-water circulation in these basins was sluggish with inputs likely dominated by seawater-particle exchange processes and, possibly, easily weathered volcanic terranes. In the Campanian–Maastrichtian the Nd-isotopic composition of proto-Indian and South Atlantic deep waters became less radiogenic, suggesting the onset of deep-water formation in the Southern Ocean (Southern Component Water, SCW), consistent with Paleogene reconstructions and ocean circulation models. A combination of Southern Hemisphere cooling and the opening of tectonic gateways during the Campanian likely drove the onset of SCW.

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Published date: October 2010
Organisations: Geochemistry

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Local EPrints ID: 337337
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/337337
ISSN: 0091-7613
PURE UUID: c7ae6b4f-c9c1-4f9f-80e2-01b35e6499c9

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Date deposited: 23 Apr 2012 15:25
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 10:52

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Contributors

Author: Stuart A. Robinson
Author: Daniel P. Murphy
Author: Derek Vance
Author: Deborah J. Thomas

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