Multiproxy record of abrupt sea-surface cooling across the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the Gulf of Mexico
Wade, B.S.; Houben, A.J.P.; Quaijtaal, W.; Schouten, S.; Rosenthal, Y.; Miller, K.G.; Katz, M.E.; Wright, J.D.; Brinkhuis, H. (2012). Multiproxy record of abrupt sea-surface cooling across the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the Gulf of Mexico. Geology (Boulder Colo.) 40(2): 159-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/G32577.1
In: Geology. Geological Society of America: Boulder. ISSN 0091-7613; e-ISSN 1943-2682, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Wade, B.S.
- Houben, A.J.P.
- Quaijtaal, W.
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- Schouten, S., more
- Rosenthal, Y.
- Miller, K.G.
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- Katz, M.E.
- Wright, J.D.
- Brinkhuis, H., more
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| Abstract |
The Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT; ca. 33–34 Ma) was a time of pronounced climatic change, marked by the establishment of continental-scale Antarctic ice sheets. The timing and extent of temperature change associated with the EOT is controversial. Here we present multiproxy EOT climate records (~15–34 k.y. resolution) from St. Stephens Quarry, Alabama, USA, derived from foraminiferal Mg/Ca, d18O, and TEX86. We constrain sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the latest Eocene and early Oligocene and address the issue of climatic cooling during the EOT. Paleotemperatures derived from planktic foraminifera Mg/Ca and TEX86 are remarkably consistent and indicate late Eocene subtropical SSTs of >28 °C. There was substantial and accelerated cooling of SSTs (3–4 °C) through the latest Eocene “precursor” d18O shift (EOT-1), prior to Oligocene Isotope-1 (Oi-1). Our multispecies planktic foraminiferal d18O records diverge at the E/O boundary (33.7 Ma), signifying enhanced seasonality in the earliest Oligocene in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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