An early Lutetian carbon-cycle perturbation: Insights from the Gorrondatxe section (western Pyrenees, Bay of Biscay)

作者:Payros Aitor*; Ortiz Silvia; Alegret Laia; Orue Etxebarria Xabier; Apellaniz Estibaliz; Molina Eustoquio
来源:Paleoceanography, 2012, 27: PA2213.
DOI:10.1029/2012PA002300

摘要

A distinctive low-carbonate interval interrupts the continuous limestone-marl alternation of the deep-marine Gorrondatxe section at the early Lutetian (middle Eocene) C21r/C21n Chron transition. The interval is characterized by increased abundance of turbidites and kaolinite, a 3 parts per thousand decline in the bulk delta C-13 record, a %26gt; 1 parts per thousand decline in benthic foraminiferal delta C-13 followed by a gradual recovery, a distinct deterioration in foraminiferal preservation, high proportions of warm-water planktic foraminifera and opportunistic benthic foraminifera, and reduced trace fossil and benthic foraminiferal diversity, thus recording a significant environmental perturbation. The onset of the perturbation correlates with the C21r-H6 event recently defined in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which caused a 2 degrees C warming of the seafloor and increased carbonate dissolution. The perturbation was likely caused by the input of C-13-depleted carbon into the ocean-atmosphere system, thus presenting many of the hallmarks of Paleogene hyperthermal deposits. However, from the available data it is not possible to conclusively state that the event was associated with extreme global warming. Based on our analysis, the perturbation lasted 226 kyr, from 47.44 to 47.214 Ma, and although this duration suggests that the triggering mechanism may have been similar to that of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), the magnitude of the carbon input and the subsequent environmental perturbation during the early Lutetian event were not as severe as in the PETM.

  • 出版日期2012-6-27