Abstract:
Circulation in the North Atlantic during the Late Cretaceous has implications for poleward heat transport and nutrient distribution during an extreme greenhouse interval with episodes of ocean anoxia. Nd isotopes of fossil fish teeth and debris represent one of the few water mass tracers that can be used to reconstruct deep ocean circulation. We present Nd isotopic data interpreted as bottom water values for 290 samples from three Ocean Drilling Program sites on Demerara Rise (Sites 1258, 1260, and 1261) along with 102 analyses from four other North Atlantic sites (Cape Verde, Goban Spur, Bermuda Rise and Blake Nose) that provide additional geographic and bathymetric control. Our results confirm the presence of a water mass with low epsilon (sub Nd) values (-14 to -17) that are believed to be influenced by continental material during local water mass formation at low latitudes. This Demerara Bottom Water (DBW) is the primary water mass in the region from the Cenomanian to Coniacian and from the late Campanian through early Maastrichtian following a hiatus of approximately 10 my. A positive 8 epsilon (sub Nd) unit excursion occurs during Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) that cannot be explained by changes in weathering inputs, diagenesis or magmatic sources of Nd; instead, it appears to represent an influx of bottom waters sourced from the Tethys or North Atlantic. This replacement of DBW during OAE2 argues for decreased production of DBW or enhanced production of Tethys/North Atlantic waters during peak greenhouse conditions. From the late Campanian through early Maastrichtian, DBW becomes the only water mass recorded at Demerara Rise and it appears to expand to abyssal depths at Cape Verde in the Campanian. This water mass is ultimately replaced by waters that appear to be sourced from the North Atlantic starting in the late Maastrichtian. Observed variations in circulation in the tropical North Atlantic during the Late Cretaceous can account for extensive deposition of black shales in the region prior to the hiatus, as well as local warming during a global cooling event in the Maastrichtian. Abstract Copyright (2012) Elsevier, B.V.