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13. Late Pliocene-Pleistocene Glaciation

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13. Late Pliocene-Pleistocene Glaciation 13. LATE PLIOCENE - PLEISTOCENE GLACIATION W. A. Berggren, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts The discussion in this chapter is broken down into two increase in the former exceeding that of the latter; or parts: the first deals with glaciation in the North Atlantic as (v) less detritals, clay and carbonate deposited per unit time revealed in the data obtained on Leg 12; in the second part (that is, decreased sedimentation rate) with the decrease in an attempt is made to provide a chronologic framework of the latter exceeding the former. In view of the demon- Late Pliocene-Pleistocene glaciation and to correlate gla- strable increase in sedimentation rate above the preglacial/ cial/interglacial sequences as recorded in land and deep-sea glacial boundary at Sites 111, 112 and 116 due to increased sediments. amounts of detrital minerals and the fact that glacial periods in high latitudes are characterized by a carbonate GLACIATION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC minimum (Mclntyre et al., in press) it can be seen that the One of the most significant aspects of Leg 12 was the correct explanation for the increase in natural gamma activ- various results which were obtained regarding glaciation in ity in the glacial part of the section is rather complex. Thin the North Atlantic. Glacial sediments were encountered at bands of carbonate were found at various levels intercalated all sites in the North Atlantic with the exception of Site with detrital-rich clays which indicates interglacial intervals, 117 (for the purpose of this discussion the North Atlantic so that the correct explanation probably lies with (iii) encompasses Sites 111 through 117; Sites 118 and 119 are above. In short, then, the increased natural gamma activity referred to as the Bay of Biscay). The glacial sediments is an aid in determining the preglacial/glacial boundary but consist predominantly of quartz sand and silt, clay and vari- it is not entirely clear why this increase occurs. ous amounts of igneous and metamorphic rock and mineral Samples from Cores 116-1 to 11 and from Core 116-1 fragments. were treated with hydrochloric acid. The preglacial/glacial The natural gamma activity and lithology may serve as boundary can be picked at about 71 meters (116A-8-5, 79 useful methods of distinguishing between pre-glacial and to 80 centimeters; 116-1-3, CC) with the first (upward) influx glacial sediments and estimating the approximate intervals of detrital minerals. In Core 116-1 this increases to about 45 and relative intensity of glaciation. The contact between per cent of the volume of the HC1 insoluble, clay-free residue glacial and pre-glacial sediments was cored at three sites: in Section 1 (69 to 71 centimeters). It should be pointed out 111 (145 meters), 112 (115 meters) and 116 (71 meters). that the residue volumes are quite small, ranging from about Above the glacial/preglacial boundary a sharp increase in 0.001 to 0.24 cubic centimeters, and averaging about 0.06 gamma-ray activity (1500 to 2000±300 counts at Site 111) cubic-centimeter. The approximate mean residue volume in occurs. At Site 116 the gamma-ray activity increased just the glacial sediments of Cores 116A-1-1 through 116A-8-5 above 71 meters at the same level at which an increase in is about 0.09 cubic-centimeter and in the preglacial sedi- detrital mineral grains is seen. At Site 112 the exact depth ments it is about 0.02 cubic-centimeter. These numbers are cannot be picked by means of natural gamma activity only estimates based upon the amount of residue occupying because the boundary seems to lie between two cores (4 a 60 square micropaleontology faunal slide, and the quan- and 5). The boundary in this case has been determined tities should be considered in relative terms only. paleontologically and lithologically. An examination of the data shown in Figure 1 is of From the data available on Leg 12, it seems that the interest to our discussion of glaciation in the North significance of the natural gamma counts is as follows: Atlantic. Generally it may be said that the counts are a measure of If we place the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary in Hole the proportion of (non-carbonate + non-silica) in a core. 116A at about 60 meters and assign an age of 2 million This fraction contains detrital minerals and clays, both of years to it we obtain an average sedimentation rate of 3 which contribute toward the gamma count. This dual cm/1000 yrs for the Pleistocene. The 30-meter level would source of counts explains the generally poor correlation be about 1 million years old. Broadly speaking the data between the detrital minerals (excluding the clays) curve suggest two trends: 1) between 71 to 24 meters, or roughly (see Figure 1) and the gamma curve (see Figure 2). This between 3 to 0.8 million years, fluctuating percentages of poor correlation may also be due to unrepresentative sam- detrital minerals ranging from 0 to 90 per cent with average pling. The increase in gamma-ray activity at the preglacial/ peaks at about 60 per cent; 2) above 24 meters a large glacial boundary can only be due to an increasing propor- amount of detrital mineral grains, reaching a peak value tion of clays and detrital minerals. In absolute terms this of 95 per cent at about 15 meters tapering off to values means either (i) more detritals and clay deposited per unit of 40 per cent at the top of the hole. The significant time; or (ii) less organic carbonate and silica deposited decrease in detrital mineral and increase in radiolarians per unit time; or (iii) both (i) and (ii); or (iv) more and sponge spicules in 116A-3-4, 28 centimeters (about detritals, clay and carbonate deposited per unit time 24 meters) suggests the presence of an interglacial period (that is, increased sedimentation rate) with the proportional (?Yarmouthian). 953 Figure 1. Plot of percent detrital mineral grains in pre-glacial-glacial Pliocene of Site 116. Glacial Preglacial 10 Counts inn 150 112 Glacial Preglacial 10" Counts 50 100 150 116 10 Counts w "Z 10 w 50 ° 150 a Figure 2. Interpretation of natural gamma-ray plots in upper parts of Sites 111, 112, and 116. The pre-glacial/glacial boundary is denoted by a marked increase in r natural gamma rays and is marked by an • in each case. W. A. BERGGREN If maximum percentages of mineral grains can be an integration of the data we have obtained in the North interpreted as indicative of major glacial advances, the data Atlantic and the published literature dealing with marine suggest the following interpretation: (deep-sea cores) and non-marine sequences. Maximum % Mineral Grains Estimated Age (m.y.) All too often the assumption is made that the "Glacial 10-15 m 0.4-0.6 Period" is synonymous with the Quaternary. "Date the -30 m 1 base of the earliest glaciation and you have dated the base 40-50 m 1.3-1.6 of the Quaternary," or, from the other point of view, "date -60 m 2 the base of the Quaternary and you have dated the earliest There is a general tendency for the maximum percentage glaciation." This is bad stratigraphy, to say the least, if one values of detrital mineral grains to increase upwards (from a is familiar with the Stratigraphic Code. On the contrary, the maximum of about 60 per cent at about 60 meters to about base of the Pleistocene has a clearly defined lithologic base 95 per cent at about 13 meters). All the values, and the and it is upon this base that the concept of a Pliocene/ estimates based upon them, should be considered as yield- Pleistocene boundary must be founded. This boundary can ing information of primarily a qualitative rather than quan- be recognized by paleontologic means and has been dated titative nature. by paleomagnetic stratigraphy at about 2 million years The most significant information about glaciation which (Berggren et al., 1967; Phillips et al, 1968; Glass et al, was obtained on Leg 12 concerns the chronology and bio- 1967). Current discussion about the identification of one or stratigraphy of its initiation. Our data indicate that glacia- more polarity events between 1.6 to 2.0 million years and tion began in the North Atlantic about 3 million years ago. their terminology are of secondary importance to our In terms of biostratigraphy this event occurs approximately discussion. Recent work in our laboratory at Woods Hole at the Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilica/Discoaster surculus suggests that the extinction level of discoasters occurs near boundary (calcareous nannoplankton). It occurs at a level the top of the Olduvai (=Gilsa) at about 1.65 my and that correlative with the lower part of Zone N21 (although the the G. tosaensis-G. truncatulinoides transition appears to system of N-zones cannot be systematically applied to occur near the base of the Olduvai, between 1.8-1.75 my. North Atlantic biostratigraphy). More precisely it occurs, as The extinction of Globorotalia miocenica and G. exilis was seen at Site 111 in the Labrador Sea, just prior to the appears to occur at about 2.25 and 2.0 my, respectively. We extinction of Globoquadrina altispira, Sphaeroidinellopsis prefer to use the base of the Olduvai in drawing the seminula, S. subdehiscens and Globorotalia multicamerata Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary and accordingly we place (see Figure 3), and it would appear that the extinction of the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary at about 1.8 my. The these forms is causally related to the onset of glaciation.
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