Coupling of Marine and Continental Oxygen Isotope Records During the Eocene-Oligocene Transition
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Geological Society of America Bulletin, published online on 14 September 2015 as doi:10.1130/B31315.1 provided by Plymouth Electronic Archive and Research Library Coupling of marine and continental oxygen isotope records during the Eocene-Oligocene transition Coupling of marine and continental oxygen isotope records during the Eocene-Oligocene transition Nathan D. Sheldon1,†, Stephen T. Grimes2, Jerry J. Hooker3, Margaret E. Collinson4, Melanie J. Bugler2, Michael T. Hren5, Gregory D. Price2, and Paul A. Sutton2 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA 2School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK 3Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK 4Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK 5Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION can be difficult to link marine and terrestrial records of the Eocene-Oligocene transition for While marine records of the Eocene-Oligo- The Eocene-Oligocene transition, onset at two reasons: (1) Continental successions are cene transition indicate a generally coherent ca. 34 Ma, represents a climatic regime change most often preserved in endorheic basins, far response to global cooling and the growth from “greenhouse” conditions to “icehouse” from marine incursions that would make direct of continental ice on Antarctica, continental conditions. Physical evidence (various; e.g., age comparison possible, and (2) oxygen iso- rec ords indicate substantial spatial variabil- Davies et al., 2012) indicates the initiation tope records from continental interiors can be ity. Marine Eocene-Oligocene transition rec- of large-scale Antarctic glaciation during the complicated by a variety of non-temperature- ords are marked by an ~+1.1‰ foraminiferal Eocene-Oligocene transition, with permanent related factors (e.g., changing circulation δ18O shift, but continental records rarely re- ice sheets formed on Antarctica for the first patterns, orographic effects) or may respond cord the same geochemical signature, mak- time between 34.0 and 33.65 Ma, peaking at the to local, rather than global hydrologic cycle ing both correlation and linking of causal onset of an oxygen isotopic event known as Oi-1 drivers (e.g., Sheldon et al., 2012). Thus, sec- mechanisms between marine and conti- (Miller et al., 1991; Zachos et al., 1996, 2001; tions in continental strata that span the Eocene- nental records challenging. Here, a new Coxall et al., 2005; Pälike et al., 2006, supple- Oligo cene transition and that are well cali- high-resolution continental δ18O record, ment), which is an ~+1.1‰ shift that reflects brated to the geomagnetic polarity time scale derived from the freshwater gill-breathing a combination of temperature and salinity/ and to marine geochronology are rare. gastropod Viviparus lentus, is presented ice-volume change (Zachos et al., 2008). Both The English Hampshire Basin Solent Group from the Hampshire Basin, UK. The Solent benthic (Coxall et al., 2005; Coxall and Wil- (Fig. 1) was deposited in a coastal floodplain Group records marine incursions and has son, 2011) and planktonic (Pearson et al., 2008) environment. It has documented magneto- an established magnetostratigraphy, mak- foraminifera record a coherent spatial and tem- stratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, mamma- ing it possible to correlate the succession poral isotopic response, which implies global- lian and charophyte biostratigraphy, and brief directly with marine records. The V. lentus scale changes to Earth’s oceans and global-scale calcareous nannoplankton events (Hooker, δ18O record indicates a penecontemporane- climatic cooling. 1987, 2010; Sille et al., 2004; Gale et al., 2006; ous, higher-magnitude shift (>+1.4‰) than In contrast, continental records are spatially Hooker et al., 2009) that allow good calibra- marine records, which reflects both cool- variable (Sheldon, 2009; Zanazzi et al., 2015), tion to marine records through the entire late ing and a source moisture compositional with regional differences in the magnitude Eocene (Priabonian) and early Oligocene shift consistent with the growth of Antarc- of temperature change (e.g., Zanazzi et al., (Rupelian). The depositional rate of the Solent tic ice. When combined with “clumped” 2007 vs. Retallack, 2007), the magnitude of Group strata is high, ranging from ~3 to 10 cm isotope measurements from the same suc- precipitation change (Sheldon and Retallack, k.y.–1 (Hooker et al., 2009), which facilitates cession, about half of the isotopic shift can 2004; Abels et al., 2011), and even whether high-resolution sampling. The only significant be attributed to cooling and about half to precipitation increased or decreased (Sheldon hiatus was during the glacial maximum follow- source moisture change, proportions similar et al., 2009). The widely recognized positive ing the Oi-1 event, caused by major sea-level to marine forami niferal rec ords. Thus, the isotope excursion seen in marine foraminiferal fall. Hren et al. (2013) recently published a new record indicates strong hydro logical d18O records of the Eocene-Oligocene transi- “clumped isotope” paleotemperature recon- cycle connections between marine and mar- tion glaciation is rarely found in terrestrial struction of the Eocene-Oligocene transition ginal continental environments during the records (cf. Zanazzi et al., 2007; Zanazzi and from the Solent Group based on the proso- Eocene-Oligocene transition not observed Kohn, 2008), which instead often show no branch gastropod Viviparus lentus (Solander), in continental interior records. discernible shift in d18O (e.g., Sheldon et al., where they found: (1) the magnitude of mean 2012) or a delayed shift relative to marine annual air temperature change (~4–6 °C) †[email protected] records (Zanazzi et al., 2007). In addition, it was comparable to North Atlantic sea-surface GSA Bulletin; Month/Month 2015; v. 1xx; no. X/X; p. 1–9; doi: 10.1130/B31315.1; 4 figures; Data Repository item 2015314.; published online XX Month 2015. For permission to copy, contact [email protected] Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 1XX, no. XX/XX 1 © 2015 Geological Society of America Sheldon et al. 2 Mag- Hampshire Ma Stage chron C Basin 32 Cranmore Member F Geological SocietyofAmericaBulletin,publishedonlineon14September2015 12r 5W 0W Upper Hamst. 33 Member N 53N RUPELIAN E London Geological Societyof 13n D E. and F. Bouldnor foreshore and cliff L. Hamst. D. Hamstead Ledge 50N Isle of Wight 34 Bembridge Marls Member B. Sconce 1n Bemb. Lst America Bulletin S.B Newport Osborne C A. Colwell Bay / Cliff End 13r Member Fishbourne Member C. Whitecliff Bay 35 NAINOBAIRP Lacey’s B Farm , v. 15n 15r Cliff 1XX, no. End 16n Member 1n Hath. Lin. A 16n1r Mbr Mbr Paleogene XX/XX Colwell 36 16n Cretaceous 2n Bay Member 10 km asdoi:10.1130/B31315.1 16n 2r Totland 17n Bay 1n Member 37 BAR Becton S. Figure 1. Sample locations and their stratigraphic context. The extent of sections selected for sampling at sites A–F is shown against the stratigraphic column of Hooker et al. (2009). Map is modified from Daley (1999). The time scale used here and in Figures 3–4 is that of Pälike et al. (2006, supplement). Stratigraphic abbreviations: BAR—Bartonian; Becton S.—Becton Sand Formation; Bemb. Lst—Bem- bridge Limestone Formation; Hamst.—Hamstead; Hath.—Hatherwood Limestone; L.—lower; Lin.—Linstone Chine; Mbr—Member; S.B.—Seagrove Bay Member. Geological Society of America Bulletin, published online on 14 September 2015 as doi:10.1130/B31315.1 Coupling of marine and continental oxygen isotope records during the Eocene-Oligocene transition temperature changes, and (2) growing-season temperatures for V. lentus were essentially 60N Isle of constant prior to the Eocene-Oligocene tran- Montana Wight sition but dropped by nearly 10 °C following Oregon Ebro Basin Nebraska Spain Oi-1. An earlier climate study of the Solent 30N Group from the combined proxies of mammal tooth enamel, pulmonate gastropod (Lymnaea longiscata Brongniart) shells, fish otoliths, IODP 1218 and charophyte gyrogonites at six horizons (Grimes et al., 2005) also found little evidence TDP 12/17 for variability in summer temperatures prior to the Eocene-Oligocene transition. However, 30S both of those previous studies had limited data for the early Oligocene. 60S To build upon these low-resolution isotope- derived climate studies and to provide greater data coverage for the early Oligocene, we ana- Figure 2. Locations of marine and terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene transition sites. Marine lyzed the d18O composition of shell carbon- comparative sites include Integrated Ocean Drilling Project Site 1218 (IODP; e.g., Coxall ate of V. lentus at numerous horizons through et al., 2005) and Tanzanian Drilling Project Sites 12 and 17 (TDP; e.g., Pearson et al., 3 m.y. (35.4–32.4 Ma) of the Solent Group 2008). North America terrestrial sites were reviewed in Sheldon (2009), and the Ebro Basin (Bugler, 2011). We then compared this new, (Spain) site was described in Sheldon et al. (2012). Late Eocene paleogeographic base map denser paleoclimatic record (with ~750 k.y. is used with permission from Ron Blakey, Colorado Plateau Geosystems (original reference: leading up to Oi-1 having a frequency inter- Blakey, 2008). val of ~35 k.y.) with marine oxygen isotope records and with paleoclimatic records from other continental Eocene-Oligocene transition sites (Fig. 2). using mesh sizes of 2 mm, 1 mm, and 250 µm. 90 °C for ~1 h. The CO2 produced was analyzed SAMPLE LOCATIONS AND Each size fraction was oven dried at 25 °C. on an Isoprime mass spectrometer with a Gilson METHODOLOGY Between 7 and 15 randomly selected V. lentus multiflow carbonate auto-sampler at Plymouth fragments were picked from the >2 mm size University. The results were calibrated against Six localities representing different parts of fraction and cleaned in an ultrasonic bath.