| Title | High Arctic paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes in the Mid-Cretaceous |
| Author | Herrle, J O; Schroder-Adams, C J; Selby, D; Du Vivier, A; Flögel, S; McAnena, A; Davis, W; Pugh, A; Galloway, J; Hofmann, P; Wagner, T |
| Source | Geophysical Research Abstracts vol. 16, 2014 p. 1-2 |
| Links | Online - En ligne
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| Year | 2014 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20130410 |
| Publisher | European Geosciences Union |
| Meeting | European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2014; Vienna; AT; April 27 - May 2, 2014 |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf |
| Area | Arctic |
| Subjects | paleontology; geochronology; paleoclimatology; paleoclimates; paleoenvironment; oceanography; uranium lead dating; Cretaceous |
| Program | Sverdrup Sedimentary Basin, GEM:
Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals |
| Abstract | Although major progress in Cretaceous (145-66 Ma) paleoclimate and paleoceanography has been made during the last decades (e.g., Hay, 2008, 2011; Föllmi, 2012 and references therein), our knowledge of
high latitudinal environmental change remains largely unknown compared to low- and mid-latitude marine and terrestrial environments. Drilling the Arctic Ocean remains challenging and expensive, whereas the Sverdrup Basin provides excellent exposures
on land. To fully understand the climate and paleoceanographic dynamics of the warm, equable greenhouse world of the Cretaceous Period it is important to determine polar paleotemperatures and to study paleoceanographic changes in a well-established
and continuous bio- and chemostratigraphic context. Exceptional exposures of Cretaceous sediments on the central to southern part of Axel Heiberg Island at a Cretaceous paleolatitude of about 71 N (Tarduno et al., 1998) provide a unique window on the
Cretaceous Arctic paleoenvironment and climate history (Schröder-Adams et al., 2014). Here we present high-resolution records combining sedimentological studies, U-Pb zircon geochronology, marine organic carbon isotopes and initial 187Os/188Os data,
TEX86-derived sea-surface temperatures (SST) and climate modelling, that constrain the timing and magnitude of major Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) and climate events constructed from a 1.8 km sedimentary succession exposed on Axel Heiberg and Ellef
Ringnens islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The first high latitude application of initial 187Os/188Os data are agreeable with global profiles (Du Vivier et al., 2014) indicating the widespread magmatic pulse of the Caribbean Large Igneous
Province (LIP) at the onset of OAE2 but also record the emplacement of local High Arctic LIP prior to the OAE2 in the Sverdrup Basin. Initial SST data suggest a slightly lower meridional temperature gradient during the Middle/Late Albian compared to
present and a similar to the present one during the OAE2 period which shades a new light on temperature gradients during different climate states of the Cretaceous. In contrast, to the Late Cenomanian to Early Turonian the distinct occurrence of
several widespread glendonite beds in the Late Aptian to Early Albian support cool bottom waters of about 0 C in the Arctic Sverdrup Basin, consistent with much lower TEX86-SST 28 C, McAnena et al., 2013) and bottom water temperatures (6 C, Huber et
al., 2011) in the low latitude North Atlantic. This supports the global character of the proposed Late Aptian cold snap (Kemper, 1987; Herrle & Mutterlose, 2003; Mutterlose et al. 2009; McAnena et al. 2013) and perhaps a northern hemisphere
high-latitude intermediate bottom water source. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The paleoclimate of the High Arctic during Cretaceous time (145-66 Ma) is poorly understood. Excellent exposures of Cretaceous rocks on Axel Heiberg and
Ellef Ringnes islands in the Canadian Arctic were investigated to provide a high-resolution reconstruction of polar paleotemperatures and paleoeoceanographic changes during the equable greenhouse world of the Cretaceous. We combine sedimentological
studies, U-Pb geochronology, marine organic carbon isotopes and initial 187Os/188Os data, TEX86-derived sea surface temperature reconstructions and climate modelling to constrain the timing and magnitude of major Ocean Anoxic Events and climate
events. Preliminary data suggest that a lower temperature gradient compared to present and a gradient similar to present occurred at times in the Cretaceous. Data also provide evidence to support the concept of a global "cold snap" in the Late
Aptian and perhaps a northern hemisphere high-latitude oceanic intermediate bottom water source. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 293515 |
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