Glacial-interglacial sedimentation rates and turbidite frequency in the Bahamas: a clear case of carbonate shedding during high sea level stands

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:6613868

Droxler, A W; Schlager, W

Vail's sea level curve is built on a basic principle that siliciclastic continental shelves and implicitly carbonate platforms mainly export sediment toward the surrounding basins during sea level low stands. The authors late Quaternary Bahamian data demonstrate however, that sediment export from carbonate banks is just the opposite. Five, 8-13 m long, piston cores were studied from the southern Tongue of the Ocean, a 1300 m deep flat-floored basin in the Bahamas, surrounded on its three sides by wide shallow carbonate banks. Turbidite layers were visually distinguished from intervening periplatform ooze. Glacial cyclic variations of aragonite content in the periplatform ooze, along with nannoplankton stratigraphy were used to identified the last two glacial and interglacial intervals, low and high stand situations respectively. On average, turbidite frequency and accumulation rates were much higher, 14 times and 45 to 22 times respectively, during interglacial than glacial stages. The Bahamian carbonate banks export therefore more material during sea level high stands when the platform tops are flooded and produce sediment. This is in direct opposition with siliciclastic ocean margins, where sediment is stored on the inner shelf during high stands and passed on to continental rises and abyssal plains during low stands. In addition, aragonite dissolution as postulated by Droxler et al. (Geology April 1983) is working in phase with the input signal by removing material during glacial intervals.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Miami, FL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6613868
• Report Number(s): CONF-8510489-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 17
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580100* -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
580300 -- Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics-- (-1989)
580500 -- Oceanography-- (1980-1989)
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ARAGONITE
BAHAMA ISLANDS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONATES
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CONTINENTAL SHELF
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
EROSION
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GLACIERS
ISLANDS
LEVELS
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
OCEANOGRAPHY
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALEONTOLOGY
ROCKS
SEA LEVEL
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SEDIMENTATION
SEDIMENTS
STRATIGRAPHY
WEST INDIES