Project Details
Projekt
Quantifying the bulk mineralogy of Arctic Ocean sediments of the last 80 Ma: Terrigenous sediment transport, climate and sediment deposition characteristics
Applicant
Professor Dr. Reinhard X. Fischer
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Term
from 2005 to 2009
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 13330149
This project continues to aim on the full quantitative phase analysis (QPA) of Cretaceous to Quaternary sediments of the central Arctic Ocean (AO). As indicated by the extensive use of the X-ray diffraction data for the determination of lithologica! units of the IODP Leg 302-Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX) cores it is an important part of the internationally coordinated investigation of the cored Quaternary to Cretaceous sediments. Currently, 230 powdered samples are investigated with Xray diffraction revealing the sedimentation and early diagenetic history of the ACEX cores. The second year of this research project aims on a higher resolution sampling of the most relevant sediment sequences. Initial stratigraphic results of the ACEX cores assume a continuous sedimentation from about 15-16 Mill, years ago (middle Miocene) to today. This provides for the first time the change to resolve the increasing glaciations of the Northern Hemisphere in unprecedented detail in a record from about 88° N. The mineralogical fingerprints of the potential glaciated regions are well known. As a result, sediment transport by sea ice and/ or icebergs are reconstructable and the early glaciation history can be cleared. The mineral assemblage has strongly changed between the late Cretaceous/ Early Tertiary Greenhouse and the middle Tertiary Icehouse sediment sequences. Here, we will try to decipher if only tectonic reasons (separation and drowning of the Lomonosov Ridge slide) or additionally source region change have been the reason.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
Participating Person
Professor Dr. Rüdiger Stein
