High resolution benthic foraminiferal stable isotope records from the late early Oligocene

Abstract

The Oligocene (33.5-23.8 Ma) represents in many ways the “neglected middle child” of Cenozoic palaeoceanography – caught between the early Paleogene greenhouse and the well-developed Neogene icehouse. This situation is attributed to the view that the Oligocene marks a persistent interval of relative stasis in palaeoclimate and biotic turnover, reflected in deep-sea micropalaeontological communities by conservative body plans, confusing taxonomy and low biostratigraphic resolution. However, in some respects this interval represents the most interesting episode of the Cenozoic palaeoceanographic puzzle because it allows us to unravel the processes that lie behind the transition from a world free of large-scale continental icecaps and rapid eustatic sea-level oscillations to one dominated by these climatic changes. Here we present a high-resolution (~3 ka) epi- (Cibicidoides grimsdalei) and infaunal (Oridorsalis umbonatus) benthic foraminiferal stable isotope (oxygen, carbon) record of the late Early Oligocene equatorial Pacific (ODP Site 1218) between magnetochrons C11n.2n and C12n (29.9-31 Ma) in order to assess and quantify on astronomical timescales palaeoclimatic and palaeoceanographic changes.

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ORCID for P.A. Wilson: orcid.org/0000-0001-6425-8906

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