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Title: Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration

Abstract

Applying the clumped isotope (Δ47) thermometer to foraminifer microfossils offers the potential to significantly improve paleoclimate reconstructions, owing to its insensitivity to the isotopic composition of seawater (unlike traditional oxygen isotope (δ18O) analyses). However, the extent to which primary Δ47 signatures of foraminiferal calcites can be altered during dia-genesis is not well known. Here, we present Δ47 data as well as high-resolution (~10 kyr) δ18O and δ13O middle Eocene time series, measured on benthic and planktic foraminifera from ODP/IODP Sites 1408, 1409, 1410, 1050, 1260 and 1263 in the Atlantic Ocean. The sites examined span various oceanographic regimes, including the western tropical to mid-latitude North Atlantic, and the eastern mid-latitude South Atlantic. Comparing data from contemporaneous foraminifera with different preservation states, we test the effects of diagenetic alteration on paleotemperature reconstructions for the deep and surface ocean. We find that overall, primary Δ47 signatures appear similarly sensitive to diagenetic overprinting as δ18O, with differ-ences in sensitivity depending on pore fluid chemistry and the amount of secondary calcite. Where planktic foraminifera are significantly altered, sea surface temperatures derived from Δ47 and δ18O values are biased towards cool temperatures. In comparison, Δ47 and δ18O values of benthic and well preserved planktic foraminiferamore » are less affected by diagenesis and thus likely to yield robust foraminiferal calcification temperatures. With independent estimates of diagenetic calcite fractions, secondary overprints could be corrected for, using end-member modeling and Δ47-based temperatures from benthic foraminifera.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); European Union (EU)
OSTI Identifier:
1547221
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1611376
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-13ER16402; SC0010288; 638467; NE/P019331
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Journal Volume: 257 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0016-7037
Publisher:
Elsevier; The Geochemical Society; The Meteoritical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; geochemistry & geophysics; clumped isotopes; foraminifera; preservation; diagenesis; eocene; stable-isotope geochemistry

Citation Formats

Leutert, Thomas J., Sexton, Philip F., Tripati, Aradhna, Piasecki, Alison, Ho, Sze Ling, and Meckler, A. Nele. Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005.
Leutert, Thomas J., Sexton, Philip F., Tripati, Aradhna, Piasecki, Alison, Ho, Sze Ling, & Meckler, A. Nele. Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005
Leutert, Thomas J., Sexton, Philip F., Tripati, Aradhna, Piasecki, Alison, Ho, Sze Ling, and Meckler, A. Nele. Mon . "Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005.
@article{osti_1547221,
title = {Sensitivity of clumped isotope temperatures in fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera to diagenetic alteration},
author = {Leutert, Thomas J. and Sexton, Philip F. and Tripati, Aradhna and Piasecki, Alison and Ho, Sze Ling and Meckler, A. Nele},
abstractNote = {Applying the clumped isotope (Δ47) thermometer to foraminifer microfossils offers the potential to significantly improve paleoclimate reconstructions, owing to its insensitivity to the isotopic composition of seawater (unlike traditional oxygen isotope (δ18O) analyses). However, the extent to which primary Δ47 signatures of foraminiferal calcites can be altered during dia-genesis is not well known. Here, we present Δ47 data as well as high-resolution (~10 kyr) δ18O and δ13O middle Eocene time series, measured on benthic and planktic foraminifera from ODP/IODP Sites 1408, 1409, 1410, 1050, 1260 and 1263 in the Atlantic Ocean. The sites examined span various oceanographic regimes, including the western tropical to mid-latitude North Atlantic, and the eastern mid-latitude South Atlantic. Comparing data from contemporaneous foraminifera with different preservation states, we test the effects of diagenetic alteration on paleotemperature reconstructions for the deep and surface ocean. We find that overall, primary Δ47 signatures appear similarly sensitive to diagenetic overprinting as δ18O, with differ-ences in sensitivity depending on pore fluid chemistry and the amount of secondary calcite. Where planktic foraminifera are significantly altered, sea surface temperatures derived from Δ47 and δ18O values are biased towards cool temperatures. In comparison, Δ47 and δ18O values of benthic and well preserved planktic foraminifera are less affected by diagenesis and thus likely to yield robust foraminiferal calcification temperatures. With independent estimates of diagenetic calcite fractions, secondary overprints could be corrected for, using end-member modeling and Δ47-based temperatures from benthic foraminifera.},
doi = {10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005},
journal = {Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta},
number = C,
volume = 257,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.05.005

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Cited by: 21 works
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