ISSN:
1365-3121
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Geosciences
Notes:
In order to evaluate the possible influence of oceanic crust production on climatic changes during the past 100Myr variations in total oceanic crust for this period including production at mid-ocean ridges, oceanic plateaus, and back-arc basins were calculated using the most recent and accurate time-scales. The rates presented here differ from those of Larson (1991a, b) on Cenozoic fluctuations and show that (1) maximum production values occurred during the Cenomanian, Palaeocene, and late Oligocene-early Miocene and (2) minimum values occurred in Campanian-Maastrichtian, late Eocene, and middle Miocene. Significantly, variations of oceanic crust production correspond with variations in the δ18O of deep-water benthic foraminifera: maximum values of oceanic crust production correspond with minimum values of δ18O, and minimum production values with maximum values of δ18O. This latter synchronism suggests that changes in land-sea relationships and atmospheric CO2 related to major fluctuations in oceanic crust production were the main cause of mid-Cretaceous warming and Late Cretaceous cooling, and of climatic quasi-cycles having a periodicity of 33–38 million years over the last 100 Myr. This is the first report showing variations of ocean crust production synchronized with the Cenozoic climate changes.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3121.1994.tb00510.x
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