Late Cretaceous chronology of large, rapid sea-level changes: Glacioeustasy during the greenhouse world Kenneth G. Miller Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA Peter J. Sugarman New Jersey Geological Survey, P.O. Box 427, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, USA James V. Browning Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA Michelle A. Kominz Department of Geosciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5150, USA John C. HernaÂndez Richard K. Olsson Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA James D. Wright Mark D. Feigenson William Van Sickel* Department of Geosciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5150, USA ABSTRACT boundaries are recognized by physical stratig- We provide a record of global sea-level (eustatic) variations of the Late Cretaceous (99± raphy and age breaks. Upper Cretaceous coast- 65 Ma) greenhouse world. Ocean Drilling Program Leg 174AX provided a record of 11± al plain sections generally follow a predictable 14 Upper Cretaceous sequences in the New Jersey Coastal Plain that were dated by in- transgressive-regressive pattern (e.g., Miller et tegrating Sr isotopic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy. Backstripping yielded a Late Cre- al., 1998a) consisting of: (1) a basal unconfor- taceous eustatic estimate for these sequences, taking into account sediment loading, com- mity; (2) a thin lower glauconite sand (trans- paction, paleowater depth, and basin subsidence. We show that Late Cretaceous sea-level gressive systems tract); and (3) a coarsening- changes were large (.25 m) and rapid (K1 m.y.), suggesting a glacioeustatic control. upward regressive succession of medial silts Three large d18O increases are linked to sequence boundaries (others lack suf®cient d18O and upper quartz sands (highstand systems data), consistent with a glacioeustatic cause and with the development of small (,106 km3) tract). Lowstand deposits are usually absent. ephemeral ice sheets in Antarctica. Our sequence boundaries correlate with sea-level falls recorded by Exxon Production Research and sections from northwest Europe and Russia, METHODS indicating a global cause, although the Exxon record differs from backstripped estimates We obtained a ®rm chronology by integrat- in amplitude and shape. ing biostratigraphic and Sr isotopic ages on age-depth plots (http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/ Keywords: eustasy, sequence stratigraphy, New Jersey Coastal Plain, Late Cretaceous, ;kgm/age-depth) using the Gradstein et al. backstripping. (1994) time scale. Sr isotopic age estimates were obtained from mollusk and foraminifer INTRODUCTION small. A 10 m eustatic change over 1 m.y. can shells. Sr-isotopic ages were assigned using Drilling by the Ocean Drilling Program be explained by several mechanisms (e.g., Pit- two new linear regressions (http://www.rci. (ODP) has established the number and timing man and Golovchenko, 1983). For example, rutgers.edu/;kgm/CretaceouspSr-standard) of late Eocene±Miocene sequences boundaries Milankovitch-scale sea-level changes during developed for upper Coniacian through Maas- and has demonstrated that these boundaries the Late Triassic have been attributed to var- trichtian sections, with an age error of 61.0 18 correlate with d O increases. This links their iations in storage of groundwater and lakes; m.y. (i.e., the external precision of ;0.000020 formation with glacioeustatic falls and ice- this mechanism can explain 5±8 m of total divided by the slopes of the regressions of volume increases (e.g., Miller et al., 1998a). change (Jacobs and Sahagian, 1993). (3) In- ;0.000020/m.y.). Integration of Sr isotopic Large (tens of meters), rapid (occurring in ,1 termittent ice sheets were present throughout and biostratigraphic data sets provides age res- m.y.) eustatic changes have also been reported much of the Triassic±early Eocene (Frakes and olution of ;60.5 m.y. for the middle Cam- for the Triassic to early Cenozoic (ca. 250±42 Francis, 1988; Stoll and Schrag, 1996; Miller panian to earliest Tertiary (ca. 80±64.5 Ma), Ma; e.g., Haq et al., 1987; Hallam, 1992). This et al., 1999a; Price, 1999). (4) Some unrec- although ages are estimated to one signi®cant poses an enigma to geologists and climatolo- ognized mechanism caused large, rapid eu- decimal place (Table 1) to maintain consisten- gists. The growth and decay of continental- static changes during the Triassic±Eocene cy. The chronology is less certain for the early scale ice sheets is the only known mechanism greenhouse world. Campanian. Diagenesis affects early Campan- for producing large, rapid eustatic changes The New Jersey passive continental margin ian and older Sr isotopic age estimates at Bass (Pitman and Golovchenko, 1983), yet warm provides an excellent location for sea-level River. At both sites, the upper Turonian±San- high latitudes have been well documented for studies due to quiescent tectonics (Kominz et tonian nonmarine Magothy I and II sequences the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic, and this in- al., 1998), well-developed Late Cretaceous± are dated primarily using pollen biostratigra- terval is generally assumed to be ice free (e.g., Miocene sequences (unconformity-bounded phy. Moderate (61 m.y.) resolution is provid- Huber et al., 2002). Possible solutions to this units), and biostratigraphic and Sr isotopic age ed by biostratigraphy for the Cenomanian±Tu- apparent paradox include the following: (1) control (Miller et al., 1998a). ODP Leg ronian sections. Triassic to early Eocene sequences were re- 174AX drilling at Bass River and Ancora, We provide a eustatic estimate (Fig. 1) stricted to local basins and re¯ect regional or New Jersey, identi®ed 11 marine Upper Cre- based on one-dimensional backstripping of the local signals rather than eustasy. (2) Eustatic taceous sequences (Miller et al., 1998b, Bass River and Ancora records (e.g., Kominz falls during the Triassic to early Eocene were 1999b); we tentatively recognize three addi- et al., 1998). Backstripping progressively re- *Present address: Polaris Energy Inc., 500 West tional sequences (Navesink II, Merchantville moves the effects of sediment accumulation Michigan Avenue, Jackson, Michigan 49204, USA. I, and Merchantville II; Fig. 1). Sequence and loading, including the effects of compac- q 2003 Geological Society of America. For permission to copy, contact Copyright Permissions, GSA, or [email protected]. Geology; July 2003; v. 31; no. 7; p. 585±588; 1 ®gure; 1 table. 585 Figure 1. Comparison of Late Cretaceous, deep-sea oxygen benthic foraminiferal d18O records (Sites 463 and 690, Barrera and Savin, 1999; Site 511, Huber et al., 1995; Sites 1049 and 1050, Huber et al., 2002), planktonic foraminiferal d18O records (Site 463, Barrera and Savin, 1999), New Jersey (NJ) composite sequences (derived from age-depth plots; Miller et al., 2003), backstripped R2 eustatic estimates for Bass River (blue discontinuous lines) and Ancora (red discontinuous lines), and our best estimate of eustatic changes derived from R2 curves (dark blue indicates portions of curve constrained by data, light blue indicates portions inferred), relative sea-level curve from northwestern Europe (red continuous line; Hancock, 1993) and backstripped record from Russian platform (black continuous line; Sahagian et al., 1996), and Exxon Production Research (EPR) eustatic estimate (green line; Haq et al., 1987). Pink arrows indicate positive d18O in¯ections (inferred cooling and/or ice-volume increases). For composite: blue boxes indicate time represented, white areas indicate hiatuses, and thin white lines indicate inferred hiatuses. Arrows are drawn through in¯ection points of European and Russian platform records. Thin, horizontal dashed lines are drawn at 5 m.y. increments. CCÐnannofossil zones. Inset map shows location of boreholes. tion and paleowater depth from basin subsi- panian Marshalltown sequence. (2) A nearly strata are not discussed due to poor age dence. By modeling thermal subsidence on a complete Santonian±Campanian section con- control. passive margin, the tectonic portion of subsi- tains six sequences separated by brief hiatuses The sequence boundaries at the base of the dence can be assessed and a eustatic estimate K1 m.y. long. The Santonian Cheesequake Navesink, Marshalltown, upper Englishtown, can be obtained (Kominz et al., 1998). The sequence is separated from the Magothy III Merchantville I, Cheesequake, Magothy III, backstripped Late Cretaceous records (R2) sequence by a 1.5 m.y. hiatus (85.2±86.7 Ma). Magothy I, and Bass River I sequences are from Bass River and Ancora are similar (Fig. (3) The upper Turonian±Coniacian Magothy regional in extent, occurring not only in both 1), indicating that we have successfully re- Formation may represent two or three se- boreholes (Fig. 1), but throughout the Atlantic moved any differential effects of thermal sub- quences; differentiation of the Magothy II Coastal Plain (e.g., Owens and Gohn, 1985). sidence, loading, and water-depth variations. The signi®cance of other potential sequence (pollen zone V) at Ancora from the Magothy boundaries (Navesink II, Merchantville II, I (zone IV) at Bass River is based on pollen RESULTS Merchantville III, Magothy II, Bass River I, data. (4) A major middle Turonian sequence Comparison of the ages of sequences and and Bass River II) requires veri®cation. hiatuses shows (Fig. 1; Table 1) the following: boundary separates the Magothy I from the