Sea-Level Changes and Fluid Flow on the Great Bahama Bank Slope1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Eberli, G.P., Swart, P.K., Malone, M.J., et al., 1997 Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports, Vol. 166 2. LEG SYNTHESIS: SEA-LEVEL CHANGES AND FLUID FLOW ON THE GREAT BAHAMA BANK SLOPE1 Shipboard Scientific Party2 INTRODUCTION and the abundance of biostratigraphic markers (Table 1), it was pos- sible to define the ages of the Neogene sequence boundaries and to During Ocean Drilling Program Leg 166 we drilled 17 holes at test their age consistency in the transect sites and to the boreholes pre- seven sites (Sites 1003–1009) on the western flank of the Great Ba- viously drilled on the platform (Figs. 3, 4, and back-pocket foldout). hama Bank (GBB), recovering almost 3 km of core and 3.1 km of By reaching the Oligocene at Site 1007, a sedimentary record of the wireline logs ranging in age from late Oligocene to Holocene (Figs. sea-level changes is available for the entire Neogene. At all five 1, 2). Five sites in the Straits of Florida (Sites 1003–1007) complete transect sites (Sites 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, and 1007), sedimenta- a transect through prograding carbonate sequences, the Bahamas tion rates (Fig. 5) alternate between high (up to 15 to 20 cm/k.y.) and Transect. Two boreholes (Clino and Unda) drilled previously on the low (<2 cm/k.y.) values, reflecting a long-term pattern of (1) bank western Great Bahama Bank as part of the Bahamas Drilling Project flooding (0.5–2 m.y.) with increased off-bank shedding of platform- represent the shallow-water sites of the transect (Figs. 1, 2; Eberli et derived deposits on the slope and basin, and (2) concomitant expo- al., this volume). sure of the banks resulting in a shutdown of shallow-water carbonate Leg 166 (Bahamas Transect) had two primary objectives. The production, and largely pelagic sedimentation. The pulses of bank- first objective was threefold: (1) to document the sedimentary record derived material coincide with the prograding pulses seen in the seis- of the Neogene−Holocene sea-level changes; (2) to determine the mic data as sequences. The geometries of these seismic sequences in- ages of the major unconformities in the sedimentary record; and (3) dicate base-level lowerings as a result of sea-level falls (Fig. 6). to compare the sedimentary record with the oxygen isotopic record of Within these long-term changes, high-frequency sea-level changes glacio-eustasy. Facies variations of the core borings from the com- are recorded in decimeter-scale depositional cycles. plete transect were expected to document that these variations are as- Facies and diagenesis act in concert to produce petrophysical dif- sociated with oscillations of sea level, and thereby providing the sed- ferences within the sedimentary section. Thus, log data closely image imentary response of the carbonate environment to sea-level changes. Biostratigraphy was used aboard ship to date unconformities that are Miami thought to be generated by sea-level changes. The correlation be- tween the two independent records of sea-level changes, seismic se- Florida quence stratigraphy, and the oxygen isotopic proxy, can potentially help to evaluate rate and amplitude of eustatic vs. relative sea-level changes and to establish a causal link between glacio-eustasy and the stratigraphic pattern. 25° The second objective was to investigate the significance of fluid N flow within the Great Bahama Bank. To achieve this goal, the sites of Western Line the Bahamas Transect were complemented by three additional shal- A Unda Andros Clino Island low holes on the upper slope: Sites 1004, 1008, and 1009 (Fig. 1). 1007 1003–1005 The nature and mechanisms of fluid flow through the carbonate bank 1006 were quantified through in situ temperature measurements and Straits of Florida through analyses of the composition of the interstitial fluids retained Santaren Channel in the sediment. 24° We present in the back-pocket foldout a compilation of the data Cay Sal Bank B over the Bahamas Transect (Sites 1003–1007), including the high- 1008 Great resolution multichannel seismic section, and the lithostratigraphic, Nicholas Channel 1009 Bahama biostratigraphic, and petrophysical data that compose the basic data Bank set for the interpretation of the sequence stratigraphic architecture of the Great Bahama Bank margin. 23° SEA-LEVEL CHANGES ODP Leg 166 sites High-resolution multichannel seismic lines With the sedimentary sequence recovered with advanced hydrau- Bahamas Drilling Project Cuba lic piston coring, extended core barrel, and rotary core barrel drilling 80°W79°78° Figure 1. Location map of the Bahamas showing Leg 166 site-survey lines. 1 Eberli, G.P., Swart, P.K., Malone, M.J., et al., 1997. Proc. ODP, Init. Repts., 166: College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program). Sites 1003 through 1007 are located in area A. Sites 1008 and 1009 are 2 Shipboard Scientific Party is given in the list preceding the Table of Contents. located in area B. 13 3UHYLRXV&KDSWHU 7DEOHRI&RQWHQWV 1H[W&KDSWHU SHIPBOARD SCIENTIFIC PARTY Figure 2. Cross section through the Great Bahama Bank WSW Great Bahama Bank ENE displaying the complicated internal architecture of the Straits 50 km bank. Two nuclear banks, Andros and Bimini, coalesced by of Florida Clino Unda Bimini Bank Straits of Andros Andros Bank the infilling of an intraplatform seaway, the Straits of 1003-1005 Andros. Progradation of the western margin of the platform Aggradation 1007 Progradation m. Miocene m. Miocene 0.5 during the Neogene expanded the bank more than 25 km Progradation mid-Oligocene into the Straits of Florida (modified from Eberli et al., 1.0 Aggradation 1994). The Bahamas Transect comprises Sites 1003–1007 mid-Cretaceous mid-Cretaceous Depth (km) Aggradation drilled during ODP Leg 166 and boreholes Clino and Unda 2.0 m. Miocene K/T K/T drilled as part of the Bahamas Drilling Project (Eberli et al., mid-Cretaceous this volume). Table 1. Selected calcareous nannofossils and planktonic foraminifer datums. Nannofossil Foraminifer Site 1006 Site 1007 Site 1003 Site 1004 Site 1005 age age depth depth depth depth depth Event (Ma) (Ma) (mbsf) (mbsf) (mbsf) (mbsf) (mbsf) B E. huxleyi 0.25 4.24 14.14 19.43 20.49 T P. lacunosa 0.41 20.53 57.23 38.56 69.6 T R. asanoi 0.85 39.53 86.46 81.16 126.56 T Gephyrocapsa spp. (lg) 1.2 48.49 14.23 96.98 172.74 B Gephyrocapsa spp. (lg) 1.44 68.03 31.67 182.88 B G. caribbeanica 1.72 91.78 43.54 113.19 152.03 190.49 B G. truncatulinoides 2 97.69 53.54 123.75 T G. limbata 2.4 135.36 53.54 132.70 186.41 T D. altispira 3.1 145.22 200.34 142.90 226.72 T R. pseudoumbilica 3.6 172.53 200.34 155.79 247.52 T G. nepenthes 4.2 240.28 200.34 197.98 274.1 B Ceratolithus rugosus 4.7 325.98 287.61 365 T D. quinqueramus 5.6 383.42 T Reticulofenestra spp. (sm) 6.5 417.8 304.30 415.98 B G.conglobatus 6.8 436.04 327.87 355.61 415.98 B G. cibaoensis 7.7 483.07 327.87 355.61 415.98 B G. extremus 8.1 492.05 327.87 355.61 415.98 T D. neohamatus 8.7 500.95 327.99 359.01 415.98 T D. hamatus 9.4 530.48 432.99 488.75 495.28 B D. hamatus 10.7 567.45 481.68 531.60 582.355 B C. coalitus 11.3 602.51 503.69 555.10 595.78 T G. mayeri 11.4 595.39 481.69 561.04 595.78 B G. nepenthes 11.8 625.08 532.75 630.52 651.82 T Fohsella spp. 11.9 639.96 542.48 641.30 670.90 B F. fo hs i 12.7 682.02 742.12 802.55 T C. floridanus 13.2 696.27 769.40 780.00 T S. heteromorphus 13.6 780.59 856.84 B F. praefoshi 14 791.54 910.76 T P. sicana 14.8 800.20 910.76 B O. universa 15.1 808.39 910.76 T H. altiaperta 15.6 857.50 1058.06 B P. sicana 16.4 910.25 1089.72 T C. dissimilis 17.3 925.35 1089.72 T S. belemnos 18.3 967.44 1108.08 B G. insueta 18.8 973.41 1140.00 B S. belemnos 19.2 1003.04 1171.86 B G. altiapertura 20.5 1086.75 1204.13 T G. kugleri 21.5 1099.62 1204.13 B D. druggii 23.2 1117.85 1242.52 the sedimentary and stratigraphic record, and the sequence bound- changes in facies of the Miocene sections in all the holes. The Mio- aries can be clearly identified on these data (back-pocket foldout). cene cycles display decimeter-thick alternations of light-colored, bio- Consequently, the logging data may also be used to make lithologic turbated, well-cemented biowackestones and less cemented, darker and sequence stratigraphic interpretations in gaps of core recovery. biowackestones with compacted burrows (Fig. 7). The Miocene al- ternations are interpreted to reflect changes in the rate of neritic input Stratigraphic Response of Carbonates to Sea-Level Changes (metastable aragonite and high-magnesium calcite [HMC]). Thus, the well-cemented wackestones represent higher neritic input and Overall core recovery was sufficient (55.3%) to document the fa- have a greater potential for diagenetic alteration than the less-cement- cies successions throughout the cores (Fig. 3; back-pocket foldout). ed intervals with less neritic input. As a result of the color changes The facies successions contain indications of sea-level changes on and the cementation differences associated with these alterations, two different scales.