Late Cretaceous changes in oceanic currents and sediment sources in the eastern Tethys: insights from Nd isotopes and clay mineralogy
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The Late Cretaceous is marked by geodynamical changes including Africa-Eurasia convergence that resulted in the narrowing of the Tethys Ocean and in ophiolite obduction along the southern margin of the various continental blocks in eastern Tethys. Geochemical and mineralogical analyses were performed on the Shahneshin section (Zagros Basin - eastern Tethys), to explore the consequences of this evolution on oceanic circulation, and to estimate the role of ophiolite weathering that can impact climate through atmospheric CO2 drawdown. [Ni] and [Cr] sharply increase in the uppermost Campanian – Maastrichtian interval and are not coeval with an increase in the Nd isotope composition (ɛNd) of the detrital fraction of the sediments. This is interpreted as reflecting weathering of the mantellic, ultramafic part of the ophiolite sequence at that time, implying that ophiolites were exposed on the continents as soon as the Coniacian in the vicinity of the Zagros Basin. Hence their weathering could have contributed to the Late Cretaceous climatic cooling. Clay mineralogy reveals an alternation of kaolinite-rich humid periods (Coniacian/Santonian and late early Campanian to latest Campanian) and kaolinite-depleted arid periods (early Campanian and the latest Campanian to late Maastrichtian). The ɛNd(t) of bathyal waters (carbonate leached fraction) appears quite radiogenic, in the range of -3.4 to -5.2 ɛ-units, about 2 to 4 ɛ-units higher than the detrital fraction. Changes in the ɛNd(t) of detrital material delivered to the Zagros Basin appear to control the ɛNd(t) of the local bottom waters from the Coniacian to the middle Campanian. By contrast, decoupling of detrital ɛNd(t) from that of the local bottom waters from the middle Campanian to the Maastrichtian points to increasing fluxes of westward flowing Pacific radiogenic water masses into the eastern Tethys at that time. These results support an intensification of the Tethyan Circumglobal Current, likely related to the narrowing of the Tethyan seaway.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103353 |
Journal | Global and Planetary Change |
Volume | 198 |
Number of pages | 18 |
ISSN | 0921-8181 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the ANR Anox-Sea coordinated by E. Pucéat. We would like to thank Marie-Laure Rouget, Emmanuel Ponzevera, Yoan Germain, Alexis de Prunelé and Philippe Telouk for their technical support in the geochemical analyses. M.J. Razmjooei and N. Thibault were funded by Carlsbergfondet CF16-0457 . We are grateful to Thierry Adatte and an anonymous reviewer for constructive comments on the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020
- Climate, Continental weathering, Iran, Late Cretaceous, Ocean circulation, Shahneshin section
Research areas
ID: 272600952