Two Cretaceous Volcanic Episodes in the Western Pacific Ocean

Two Cretaceous volcanic episodes in the western Pacific Ocean

DAVID K. REA Oceanography Program, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 TRACY L. VALLIER Pacific-Arctic Branch of Marine Geology, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California 94025

ABSTRACT many of the volcanic forms of the central and the Magellan, Shatsky, and Hess Rises. and western Pacific (Menard, 1964). Later All oceanic plateaus of the western Pacific Stratigraphic analyses of cores recovered results of the Deep Sea Drilling Project may be the result of spreading-ridge vol- by the Deep Sea Drilling Project from the (DSDP) from drill holes in the region (Fig. canic activity (Watts and others, 1980), and western Pacific Ocean confirm that Cre- 1) confirmed a Cretaceous age for most of all except the Shatsky Rise, which is in part taceous volcanic activity in that region was these features. The problem of the sudden older, appear to be Early to middle Cre- common, and that two separate major epi- drowning of the guyot-atolls in middle to taceous in age. It is evident that the western sodes of activity can be distinguished. The Late Cretaceous time, however, remains Pacific has had a complex tectonic history older episode, Aptian to Cenomanian in unresolved (Matthews and others, 1974; in terms of both sea-floor spreading (Larson age, resulted in the formation of most of the Winterer, 1980; Schlager, 1981). and Chase, 1972; Larson, 1976; Hilde and oceanic plateaus in the western Pacific. In Volcanic activity in the western Pacific others, 1977) and volcanic activity (Jack- the younger, Santonian to Maastrichtian Ocean has produced four major types of son, 1976; Winterer, 1976a; Watts and oth- episode, several island and seamount chains geomorphic features: (1) island arcs; (2) lin- ers, 1980; Schlanger and others, 1981). formed, especially those in the west-central ear, oceanic island and seamount chains; (3) Most of the information on volcanism in Pacific that trend north-northwest. These oceanic islands, seamounts, and guyots that the western Pacific has been obtained from volcanic events, among the most extensive are isolated or occur in irregular groups; examinations of dredged rocks, piston in the marine geologic record, covered an and (4) oceanic plateaus (aseismic rises). cores, drill holes, and geophysical data. 6 2 area of at least 30 xlO km . Possibly, the Morgan's (1972a, 1972b) hypothesis that Information from volcanogenic sediments older episode was responsible for a Cre- linear island and seamount chains were has not been used to attempt a coherent taceous sea-level high and concomitant epi- formed by the migration of the Pacific plate story of volcanism on the Pacific plate, continental transgression. The younger epi- over a (fixed) melting point in the Earth's although its potential significance has been sode of volcanism certainly covered an mantle stimulated a variety of investigations recognized for some time (Nayudu, 1964; extensive area, but its effect upon sea level into the age of those features. Morgan's Horn and others, 1969; Scheidegger, 1973; may not have been as great as that of the hypothesis appears to hold for many of the Kennett and Thunell, 1975). older event. west-northwest-trending chains but, except Attempts to synthesize data from the for the Emperor Seamounts, not for the results of the DSDP have been both gratify- INTRODUCTION north-northwest-trending chains (Duncan ing and frustrating (Moore, 1972). The most and McDougall, 1976; Jackson, 1976; Jar- common frustration involves the incom- The ages of guyots, seamounts, and oce- rard and Clague, 1977; Jackson and others, plete recovery of the drilled section. During anic islands of the central and western Paci- 1980). earlier legs of the project, many sections fic Ocean have been a topic of discussion Linear island and seamount chains, such were spot-cored, and large parts of the sed- since Hess (1946) presumed that guyots are as the Line Islands and the Marshall- imentary column were not sampled. Con- Precambrian in age. Hess reasoned that the Gilbert-Ellice chain that appear to be iso- tinuous coring improved recovery marked- guyots must have submerged before the evo- chronous along their length, may have ly, but several problems remain. For exam- lution of carbonate-secreting organisms; formed by offridge volcanic extrusion ple, rotary drilling commonly churns un- otherwise, atolls would have formed. Sub- along pre-existing fracture zones (Hilde and consolidated sediments into a thick slurry sequent sampling of guyots during the early others, 1977). Isolated and irregular groups and displaces initially horizontal boundar- 1950s resulted in recovery of a suite of of volcanic islands and seamounts number ies through several metres of core. Particu- Aptian and younger Cretaceous, shallow- in the thousands and volumetrically consti- larly low recovery occurs in holes that water fossils (Hamilton, 1953, 1956). Two tute a large part of the oceanic crust (Batiza, encounter chert. The Pacific Cretaceous holes were drilled on Eniwetok Atoll in 1977). These volcanic forms vary greatly in sections contain abundant chert, and in 1952; the recovered section included shal- size, shape, distribution, age, relation to tec- some holes thick sequences of cored sedi- low-water Eocene limestone overlying ba- tonic features, and petrology. The several ments yielded nothing but chert fragments. salt (Ladd and others, 1953). Thus, by the broad oceanic plateaus of the western When recovery is not total (100%), the mid-1950s, the Cretaceous and younger Pacific include the Manihiki and Ontong- materials brought on deck in the 9.5-m core ages were reasonably well established for Java Plateaus, the Mid-Pacific Mountains, barrel are, by convention, stratigraphically

Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 94, p. 1430-1437, 5 figs., 1 table, December 1983.

1430

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150° 160° 170° E 180° 170° W 160° 150°

50° 50°

40°

Figure 1. Map of the western Pacific Ocean show- ing the locations of the 35 DSDP sites where Creta- 30° 30° ceous sediments were recovered.

20° 20°

10° N 10° N

0° 0°

I0°S 10° s

150° 160° 170° E 180° 170° W 160° 150°

"hung" from the top of that 9.5-m interval. relied primarily on the descriptions given in VOLCANOGENIC SEDIMENTS There is no way to determine what is miss- the DSDP Initial Reports. ing and thereby position the recovered We studied sediment data from 73 sites of Volcanogenic sediments are volumetri- material more accurately. As a result of 16 DSDP legs (6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, cally important in the total sediment vol- these mechanical problems, the positions of 30, 32, 33, 55, 60, 61, and 62) in a region ume in the world's oceans. Sediment aprons biostratigraphic boundaries are commonly bounded approximately by 160°W, 40° N, and fans along some island arcs and large only approximate. This unavoidable impre- 20°S, and the west Pacific trenches, an area chains or groups of oceanic islands can be ssion is carried over in determining linear of about 40 x 106 km2. Within this region, several kilometres thick. Volcanogenic sedimentation rates and all values based on cores at 35 drill sites (Table 1 and Fig. 1) material also is found in deep-sea sediments those rates. penetrated Cretaceous sediments. We exam- far from landmasses, where its contribution In this study, however, we are more inter- ined the relevant data in order to unravel may be masked by biogenic sediment. red in the age of a specific stratigraphic the temporal and spatial records of volcan- Sources for most of these volcanogenic unit and less so in the rates of sedimenta- ism and constructed a plot of the strati- components in deep-sea sediment are island ;ion. We assigned ages to volcanogenic graphic position of volcanogenic material at volcanoes, from where the products of materials on the basis of the associated each site versus the age of that occurrence explosive volcanism are transported by nicrofossils (van Hinte, 1976), and we did (Fig. 2) to show that volcanic activity took wind and, in places, probably by turbidity lot specifically re-examine any samples but place episodically during the Cretaceous. and other bottom currents. Studies of mod-

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TABLE 1. DRILL SITES WHERE CRETACEOUS SEDIMENT WAS RECOVERED. GROUPED AS WITH OR WITHOUT em (Cook and others, 1981) and past ash VOLCANOGENIC MATERIAL deposits (Huang and others, 1975; Kennett and Thunell, 1975) show that most ash is Time interval recovered deposited within 500 or 1,000 km of the 65-80 m.y. ago 80-95 m.y. ago 95-110 m.y. ago 110-125 m.y. ago 125-140 m.y. ago source. Only the largest eruptions result in deep-sea ash layers at greater distances (Ninkovich and Shackleton, 1975; Ninko- 47 66 66 164 164 196 166 164 vich and others, 1978). It is unlikely, then, 48 163 169 167 166 305 194 167 61 164 170 196 167 306 288 196 that more than a small percentage of the 165 167 171 305 169 307 289 303 169 288 288 310 170 307 304 volcanogenic sediment now in the western 170 289 462 317 171 317 305 Pacific came from beyond that general 171 317 463 194 462 306 192 464 288 463 region. Submarine volcanism on seamounts 196 465 289 198 466 310 and other parts of the sea floor also 199 317 accounts for some of the volcanic sediment, 305 462 310 463 but the amount is difficult to assess (Mob- 313 464 315 465 erly and Jenkyns, 1981). 316 466 462 The main difficulty in measuring amounts 463 of volcanic detritus in marine sediments is 464 465 the masking by other sedimentary components. Bioturbation usually destroys all

EXPLANATION

I 1 Occurrence of volcanogenic sediments S^r*. Approximate age of Igneous Crust | | (f|ows and si||s a, site 462)

Boundary age known ||[|||||||| Probable occurrence of volcanogenic sediments — Boundary age uncertain ? Uncertain of occurrence and/or age Wtfft Possible occurrence of volcanogenic sediments — Oldest sediment drilled

Figure 2. Temporal occurrence of volcanogenic sediments in western Pacific DSDP sites.

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bedding features of ash layers, and the other than from volcanic material, and in (1976), Kelts and McKenzie (1976), Jenkyns resultant mixed strata are either ash-rich or, many samples the original component can- (1976), Hein and others (1976), Moberly in altered sediments, zeolite- or clay-rich. not be definitely established. and Jenkyns (1981), Schlanger and others As a result of these problems of masking by In this study, we recognized volcanogenic (1981), Rea and Janecek (1981a, 1981b), other sediments, bioturbation and diagene- materials in sediments chiefly from visual Rea and Harrsch (1981), Hein and Vanek sis, volcanogenic components in marine sed- examination of the cores and from DSDP (1981), Vallier and Jefferson (1981), Thiede iments are commonly underestimated or core descriptions and photographs in the and others (1981b), and Vallier and others completely overlooked. DSDP Initial Report volumes. Authors of (1981). Volcanogenic components in sediments some of the cited papers, however, had Figure 2 shows volcanic contributions to include both primary and secondary mate- combined data from smear slides, X-ray dif- the Cretaceous deep-sea sediments. The rials (Vallier and Kidd, 1977). Products are fraction, mass accumulation rates, and primarily qualitatively assessed occurrences pyroclastic, epiclastic, and authigenic and chemistry. Besides site report chapters in were divided into (1) the occurrence of vol- consist mainly of volcanic rock fragments, the DSDP Initial Report volumes, the fol- canogenic sediments (plus sills and flows at volcanic glass, feldspar, mafic minerals, lowing papers were of particular help in Site 462), (2) the probable occurrence, and opaque minerals, and secondary minerals. assessing the volcanogenic components in (3) the possible occurrence. The occurrence Major secondary minerals are the smectite Cretaceous sedimentary deposits of the of volcanogenic sediment is based upon group of clays (mostly montmorillonite), western Pacific: Okada and Tomita (1973), good stratigraphie evidence, such as the palagonite, and the zeolite minerals. Some Zemmels and Cook (1975), Moberly and presence of flows and sills and of discrete secondary components can have origins Keene (1975), Jackson and Schlanger ash or bentonite beds. A probable occur-

150° 160° 170° E 180° 170° W 160" 150°

Figure 3. Distribution of 65 to 80- and 80 to 95-m.y.- old volcanic materials in sediment.

10° N - 10° N

10° S - 10° S

150° 160° 170° E 180° 170° W 160° 150°

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rence was assigned to intervals that contain deposits of Berriasian to Valanginian age Fig. 3). The middle Cretaceous volcanic no discrete ash beds but have abundant were recovered at only six locations. Vol- event (110 to 95 m.y. ago) is recorded in 16 smectite minerals as the dominant clay min- canic activity did not proceed at a uniform of 20 sites that recovered materials of that eral or have abundant volcanic glass as pace throughout the Cretaceous; rather, age (Table 1 and Fig. 4). About half (8 of determined from smear slides. Possible there are two distinct time periods charac- 15) of the sites that recovered Aptian to occurrences were assigned to intervals terized by increased activity (Table 1 and Hauterivian sediments and 2 of the 6 sites where evidence is weak, such as the presence Fig. 2). These major periods are the Late that recovered Valanginian to Berriasian of ash fragments in a section of poor recov- Cretaceous between about 80 and 65 m.y. sediments show some evidence of volcanic ery or the presence of interspersed volcanic ago (Santonian-Maastrichtian) and the activity (Table 1 and Figs. 4, 5). glass. middle Cretaceous between about 110 and Our studies of the DSDP data, therefore, 95 m.y. ago (late Aptian-Cenomanian). document that the Late Cretaceous vol- CRETACEOUS VOLCANISM Between and before these pulses of activity, canic-thermal event, long recognized by the extent of volcanism was not as great. marine geologists as cited above, is actually The Cretaceous sections of DSDP drill Volcanic sediments occur at 21 of 28 DSDP two major and separable events: an inten- cores recovered from the western Pacific holes that penetrated the Santonian-Maas- sive episode from 110 to 95 m.y. ago, and a contain evidence for some volcanism trichtian interval (Fig. 3). The activity slightly less intensive episode from 80 to 65 throughout Cretaceous time (Fig. 2). Most between the two major events is indicated m.y. ago. of the Cretaceous Period is adequately by the occurrence of volcanic debris in only Most information that we compiled is represented in the DSDP data base, but 6 of the 16 appropriate sites (Table i. and qualitative, consisting of notations as to

150" 160" 1 70" E 180° 170° W 160° 150°

Figure 4. Distribution of 95 to 110-, 110 to 125-, and 125 to 140-m.y.-o!d volcanic materials in sediment (flows and sills at Site 462).

10° N - 10° N

10° S - - 10° S

150° 160° 170° E 180° 170° W 160° 150°

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100 -, 5 28- nTTTl No Volcanic

> 60 ~

s pilipi 111111 to ::¥:::¥:¥¥:>::: ;:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥ ::¥:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥ Ï ® :¥:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥ :;¥:¥:¥¥:¥:¥: ::¥:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥ O >¥:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥ :¥:¥:¥:;:¥:¥:|: X 40- 10 ¥¥¥:¥¥:¥:¥ 1 : ¥:*:¥:i*:¥:S Q. '1 4 - mmmmwmmm 288 and 289), Manihiki Plateau (Site 317), a ' O. ¥:¥*¥:¥:¥:>: :¥:¥:¥:¥:¥:¥ :>¥:¥:¥:¥>:¥: :¥:¥:¥:¥?¥¥ CO O J. U.H.U :¥:¥:¥:¥¥•:¥: iii:¥:*:¥S:i iSSSWii ¥:¥¥:¥¥¥:¥ Magellan Rise (Site 167), Mid-Pacific a in :::¥:¥:::¥:¥:-¥ ¥:¥:¥>:¥:¥:¥ :¥:¥i¥:¥iS iSSiSwi: ¥:¥¥i¥¥:¥: Q 0 |v¥;>:v:-:-x.:^ Mountains (Sites 171 and 463), and Hess o 135-125 125-110 110-95 95-80 80-65 - 20- Rise (Sites 310, 464, 465, and 466). Only c o Time Intervals in Millions of Years Shatsky Rise drilled sections (Sites 305 and o 0 306) show no evidence for this middle Cre- 0. The quantitative information available taceous volcanic activity (Table I and 1 Fig. 4). o -L- — - from Sites 462 and 463 clearly shows large increases in the input of the inorganic min- The Santonian to Maastrichtian volcanic 135-125 125-110 110-95 95-80 80-65 eral components during Campanian period resulted in the formation of, and Time Intervals in Millions of Years through Maastrichtian and Aptian through continuing activity from, many of the west- Cenomanian times. Furthermore, minera- ern Pacific island and seamount chains whether evidence for volcanic activity is logic studies show that the clay minerals are (Fig. 3). Some of this constructional volcan- absent, present, or abundant. For the drill dominated by smectite, which is consistent ism was superimposed on the older pla- sites of Legs 61 (Site 462) and 62 (Sites 463, with a volcanic source (Rea and Janecek, teaus, such as on the Mid-Pacific Moun- 464, 465, and 466), however, quantitative 198la). We conclude from the quantitative tains and Hess Rise, and some formed information exists on the input of inor- information that during two periods of Cre- entirely new features, such as the Line ganic, crystalline materials. These materials taceous volcanism in the western Pacific, Islands and other north-northwest-trend- are almost entirely eolian and are composed volcanic activity increased by as much as an ing features (Jackson, 1976; Jarrard and of volcanic and nonvolcanic continental order of magnitude. Clague, 1977) (Fig. 3). dusts. Inputs of 300 to 400 mg/cm2/103 yr during Campanian and Maastrichtian time DISCUSSION Early Cretaceous Volcanism (the Late Cretaceous event) and of 500 to 1,500 mg/cm2/103 yr during Aptian and The widespread evidence for Cretaceous Lower Cretaceous (before 110 m.y. ago) Albian time (the middle Cretaceous event) volcanic activity, in general, has been rec- cores from sites in the western Pacific con- were calculated for smectite-dominated ognized for many years (Menard, 1964; tain some volcanogenic sediments (Table 1 mineral assemblages at DSDP Site 463 in Jackson and Schlanger, 1976). Our data and Figs. 2, 4, 5). Neither the total number the western Mid-Pacific Mountains (Rea (Table 1 and Figs. 2, 5) show that most Cre- of holes that penetrated Lower Cretaceous and Janecek, 1981a, 1981b). taceous volcanism in the western Pacific volcanogenic sediments, nor the percentage An essentially complete section of Cre- occurred during two separate episodes in of holes containing volcanogenic material is taceous sediments extending back to middle the middle and late parts of that period, a as great as for the intervals of 110 to 95 and Albian age overlies an extensive basalt flow conclusion similar to that of Winterer 80 to 65 m.y. ago (Fig. 5). The smaller and sill sequence at Site 462 in the Nauru (1976a, 1980), who also noted the probabil- number of holes, of course, is the result of Basin (Larson, Schlanger, and others, ity of two volcanic episodes, one about 100 less drilling on older crust. The most signifi- 1981). The mass accumulation rates of the to 110 m.y. ago and the younger one per- cant pulse within the pre-110-m.y. interval inorganic minerals plus volcanic glass of haps 75 to 80 m.y. ago. is one at about 120 to 115 m.y., which is that section approximately double in Al- Furthermore, it also appears that specific particularly evident in Nauru Basin (Site bian to Cenomanian deposits to 190 to 230 volcanic structures in the western Pacific 462) and in the Central Pacific Basin (Site mg/cm2/103 yr, and increase fivefold dur- were built during those same time periods. 166). The volcanic crust on Manihiki Pla- ing the Campanian to early Maastrichtian Most of the volcanic record now preserved teau (Site 317) is about that same age. 2 3 to 470 to 750 mg/cm /10 yr (Rea and in Aptian through Cenomanian sediments The Early Cretaceous volcanism is re- Thiede, 1981). The input of illite-dominated apparently was associated with the oceanic lated both to the early formation of the sea polian assemblages derived from continen- plateaus of the central and western Pacific. floor (Sites 166 and 317) and to later intra- tal weathering is normally less than 100 These sediments may record the waning basin volcanic activity (Sites 307 and 462), 2 3 tng/cm /10 yr for most other Upper Cre- volcanic stages of their formation. For as reported by Schlanger and others (1981) taceous sediments from Leg 61 and Leg 62 example, volcanic activity of this age oc- and by Larson and Schlanger (1981a, kites. curred on the Ontong-Java Plateau (Sites 1981b) for Site 462.

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Middle Cretaceous Volcanism Moberly and Jenkyns, 1981; Haggerty and triangular region at a triple junction (Kula- others, 1982). Late Cretaceous volcanism Phoenix-Farallon) to the largest oceanic Middle Cretaceous (110-95 m.y. ago) occurred in the vicinity of the Line, Mar- plate (Hilde and others, 1976, 1977; Larson, volcanism is well documented in the deep- shall, and Caroline Islands, and in the 1976). During Aptian to Cenomanian time, sea cores (Table 1 and Figs. 2, 3, 5). Vol- Wake-Marcus Island region. We presume the growing Pacific plate was subject to the canogenic sediments of this age are particu- this activity to represent the latter stages of intense pulse of volcanic activity, docu- larly abundant in the oldest deposits from the formation of most of these features mented above, that resulted in the forma- several oceanic plateaus. At those plateau except the Carolines, which are Neogene in tion of many of the Pacific oceanic plateaus sites where volcanogenic sediment occurs age (Mattey, 1981). Some also display evi- (Hilde and others, 1977; Watts and others, directly above the igneous basement, the dence for Eocene volcanism (Ladd and oth- 1980). Modern features that may be anala- sediments probably record the late stages of ers, 1953; Haggerty and others, 1982). In gous to the Cretaceous platforms include the same volcanic activity that built the vol- addition, evidence for volcanism of Late the Iceland, Azores, and Galapagos regions, canic platform. Cretaceous age occurs in the Mid-Pacific all of which lie near, but not necessarily In several holes, the middle Cretaceous Mountains and Hess Rise. Hess Rise sec- across, spreading centers. In contrast, the volcanogenic sediments are found in the tions are incomplete, but in the Mid-Pacific Late Cretaceous (Santonian to Maastrich- section high above volcanic basement and Mountains the Late Cretaceous volcanic tian) volcanic pulse resulted in the forma- are unrelated to the formation of the igne- activity was a discrete event (Rea and tion of numerous seamount and island ous basement rocks. These sites include the Janecek, 1981a) and not a continuation of chains on older sea floor, away from the Nauru Basin (Site 462), where flows, sills, middle Cretaceous activity. spreading ridges (Winterer, 1976a; Hilde and volcanogenic sediments are interlayer- The Musicians Seamounts, a north- and others, 1977; Watts and others, 1980). ed; Central Pacific Basin (Site 166); East northeast-trending group of 65 seamounts The region affected by each of the two Pacific Basin (Site 164); Ontong-Java Pla- and ridges lying north of the Hawaiian major Cretaceous volcanic events is vast, teau (Site 288); Mid-Pacific Mountains Ridge, may also be Late Cretaceous in age perhaps 30 x 106 km2 (Figs. 3, 4). Schlanger (Site 463); and Magellan Rise (Site 317). (Clague and Dalrymple, 1975). The uniform and others (1981) showed that these events, The area covered by middle Cretaceous magnetic polarity of all seamounts in that through both thermally associated uplift volcanism is extensive, and we support the group, however, suggests that they were and volumetric basin filling, reduced the suggestion that the ocean must have been emplaced before the onset of the Late volume of the world's ocean basins and dotted with large archipelagoes during that Cretaceous-Cenozoic sequence of magnetic thereby may have caused the Late Creta- time interval. As other Pacific region plates field reversals about 80 m.y. ago (Rea and ceous transgressions (Vail and others, 1977). (Kula, Farallon, and Phoenix) may also Naugler, 1971). Assuming that the region Vail and others (1977) did not publish the have been affected, volcanic edifices proba- that experienced Late Cretaceous volcanism fine details of the Cretaceous sea-level curve bly covered large parts of the ocean on the Pacific plate extended only west and, although the Aptian to Cenomanian (Schlanger and others, 1981). Some of these from the Musicians Seamounts and Line volcanic event correlates almost exactly volcanic landmasses should be recognizable Islands and had the approximate latitudinal with a significant sea-level rise, it is not clear along margins of the Pacific where they may distribution illustrated in Figure 3, this vol- that there is a similar sea-level rise asso- have been accreted (Nur and Ben-Avraham, canic episode covered about 27 x ]06 km2. ciated with the Santonian to Maastrichtian 1982). Independent data also suggest the con- event. We do not fully understand the reasons struction of a large number of islands in the for this prolific volcanism during the inter- Late Cretaceous in the form of reworked SUMMARY val between 110 and 95 m.y. ago. Unfortu- shallow-water fossils recovered from deep- nately, this time span is not recorded by the water sites (Jackson and Schlanger, 1976; Detailed examination of the Cretaceous magnetic-reversal anomalies, because the Premoli Silva and Brusa, 1981; Schlanger stratigraphy of volcanogenic materials re- volcanic activity responsible for the sea and Premoli Silva, 1981; Schlanger and covered in DSDP cores from the western floor occurred during the long Cretaceous others, 1981;Thiede, 1981; Rea and Thiede, Pacific Ocean has allowed improved spatial magnetic quiet period, such that changes in 1981; Thiede and others, 1981a). These and temporal definition of the widely rec- ridge orientations, ridge jumps, and differ- authors showed that the first significant ognized Cretaceous volcanic activity. Al- ing rates of spreading cannot be docu- input of neritic fossils to the pelagic fossil- though some volcanism occurred through- mented. The interval, however, was a time dominated abyssal environment occurred out the Cretaceous period, there are two of probable rapid sea-floor spreading (Lar- during Campanian and Maastrichtian distinct periods, 110 to 95 and 80 to 65 m.y. son and Pitman, 1972) and possibly a time times. Of several similar events involving ago, when extensive activity occurred. The of major ridge jumps and other changes of significant downslope displacement, only older, Aptian to Cenomanian, event ap- ridge orientations (Hilde and others, 1976, the Late Cretaceous event does not corre- pears to have been volumetrically and 1977). spond to a time of lowered sea level (Vail areally the more important. This event, and others, 1977); rather, it appears to apparently dominated by ridge and near- Late Cretaceous Volcanism reflect the creation of numerous neritic ridge extrusions (Watts and others, 1980), regions on the Late Cretaceous seamounts resulted in the formation of several Pacific Several authors acknowledged that many and islands (Thiede, 1981). oceanic plateaus. The younger, Santonian of the islands and seamounts in the western to Maastrichtian, event was characterized Pacific may be of Late Cretaceous age, Regional Implications by offridge volcanism and formed many of especially the well-dated Line Islands (Win- the island and seamount chains. These two terer, 1973, 1976a, 1976b; Moberly and Lar- Beginning in Early Jurassic time, the events both spanned a region larger than son, 1975; Jackson and Schlanger, 1976; Pacific plate apparently grew from a small present-day North America and were of the

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appropriate magnitude to be responsible for Jenkyns, H. C., 1976, Sediments and sedimentary history of the Mani- Rea. D. K.. and Janecek. I". R., 1981a, Late Cretaceous history of hiki Plateau, South Pacific Ocean, in Schlanger. S. O.. Jackson. eolian deposition in the Mid-Pacific Mountains, central North the middle and Late(?) Cretaceous sea-level E. D., and others. Initial reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Pro- Pacific Ocean: Palaeogeographv, Palaeoclimatology, Paleoccol- ject. Volume 33: Washington. D.C.. U.S. Government Printing ogy, v. 36, p. 55-67. rises and resulting transgressions (Schlanger Office, p. 873-890. 1981b, Mass-accumulation rates of the non-authigenic. inorganic, and others, 1981). Kelts, K., and McKenzie, J. A., 1976, Cretaceous volcanogenic sedi- crystalline (eolian) component of deep-sea sediments Irom the ments from the Line Island chain: Diagenesis and formation of western Mid-Pacific Mountains. Deep Sea Drilling Project Site K-feldspar, DSDP Leg 33. Hole315Aand Site 316, in Schlanger. 463. in Thiede. J.. Vallier. T. I... and others. Initial reports of the S. O., Jackson, E. D., and others. Initial reports of the Deep Sea Deep Sea Drilling Project. Volume 62: Washington. D C.. U.S. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Drilling Project, Volume 33: Washington. D.C.. U.S. Govern- Government Printing Office, p. 653-660. ment Printing Office, p. 789-803. Rea, D. K.. and Naugler, F. P.. 1971. Musicians seamount province and Kennett. J. P.. and Thunell. R. C., 1975. Global increase in Quaternary related cruslal structures north of the Hawaiian Ridge: Marine Our interest in this problem was stimu- explosive activity: Science, v. 187, p. 497-503. Geology, v. 10. p. 89-111. Ladd, H., Ingerson. E.. Townsend, R. C., Russell. M., and Stephenson, Rea, D. K.. and Thiede. J.. 1981. Meso/oic and Ceno/oic mass- lated by our participation in Legs 61 and 62 H. K.. 1953. Drilling on Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands: accumulation rales of the major sediment components in the of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, for which American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 37, Nauru Basin, western Equatorial Pacific, in Larson. R. L., p. 2257-2280. Schlanger. S. O., and others. Initial reports of the Deep Sea we thank that organization and our scien- Larson. R. L., 1976, Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous evolution of the Drilling Project, Volume 61: Washington. D.C., U.S. Govern- western central Pacific Ocean: Journal of Geomagnetism and ment Printing Office, p. 549-555. tific colleagues on those cruises. We had Geoelectricity. v. 28. p. 2/9-236. Scheidegger, K. F., 1973, Volcanic ash layers in deep-sea sedimentsand useful discussions with Jorn Thiede, Walter Larson. R. L., and Chase, C. G.. 1972. Late Mesozoic evolution of the their penological significance: Earth and Planetary Science Let- western Pacific Ocean: Geological Society of America Bulletin, ters. v. 17. p. 397-407. Dean, and Seymour Schlanger. This manu- v. 83. p. 3627-3644. Schlager, W.. 1981, The paradox of drowned reefs and carbonate Larson. R. L„ and Pitman, W. C.. III. 1972, World-wide correlation of platforms: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 92, Pari I. script was reviewed by Jim Hein, Jon Gale- Meso/oic magnetic anomalies and its implication: Geological p. 197-21 I. house, Roger Larson, and Seymour Society of America Bulletin, v. 83. p. 3645-3661. Schlanger. S. O.. and Premoli Silva. L, 1981. Tectonic, volcanic, and Larson. R. L., and Schlanger. S. 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