Abstract
Bradley1 predicted, before any evidence from sediment coring in the Mediterranena Sea, that changing late Quaternary climatic conditions would result in periodic stagnations of the eastern basin and with them, accumulations of organic-rich sediments. Such organic-rich layers from the eastern Mediterranean were subsequently observed in sediment cores by Kullenberg2 and later named “sapropelitic layers”3. Since these initial observations, sapropels have been reported in most studies of Quaternary sediments from the Ionian Sea4–14. As a result, there is a great deal of information available concerning the chemical15–18 and sedimentological properties13–14, faunal characteristics19 and temporal9–11 and spatial10,12 distribution of late Quaternary sapropels. In the study reported here we have attempted to characterise the planktonic foraminiferal biogeography of such late Quaternary sapropels in terms of the modern distribution of foraminefara in the Mediterranean Sea.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bradley, W. H. Science 88, 376–379 (1938).
Kullenberg, B. Medd. Oceanogr. Inst. Goteborg 21, 1–38 (1952).
Olausson, E. Rep. Swed. Deep-Sea Exped. 8, 353–391 (1961).
Herman, Y. The Mediterranean Sea: A Natural Sedimentation Laboratory (ed. Stanley, D. J.) 129–147 (Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Stroudsburg, 1972).
Ryan, W. B. F. The Mediterranean Sea: A Natural Sedimentation Laboratory (ed. Stanley, D. J.) 149–169 (Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Stroudsburg, 1972).
Van Straaten, L. M. The Mediterranean Sea: A Natural Sedimentation Laboratory (ed. Stanley, D. J.) 631–643 (Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Strousburg, 1972).
Cita, M. B. et al. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 13, 1263–1339 (1973).
McCoy, F. W. thesis, Harvard Univ. (1974).
Cita, M. B. et al. Quat. Res. 8, 105–235 (1974).
Thunell, R. C., Williams, D. F. & Kennett, J. P. Mar. Micropaleont. 2, 371–388 (1977).
Vergnaud-Grazzini, C., Ryan, W. B. F. & Cita, M. B. Mar. Micropaleont. 2, 371–388 (1977).
Stanley, D. J. Nature 274, 149–152 (1978).
Maldonado, A. & Stanley, D. J. Mar. Geol. 20, 27–40 (1976).
Maldonado, A. & Stanley, D. J. Geology 5, 111–117 (1977).
Nesteroff, W. D. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 13, 713–720 (1973).
Rossignol-Strick, M. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 13, 971–991 (1973).
Deroo, G., Herbin, J. P. & Roucache, J. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 42A, 465–472 (1978).
Sigl, W., Chamely, H., Fabricius, F., d'Argoud, G. & Muller, J. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 42A, 445–465 (1978).
Williams, D. F. & Thunell, R. C. 10th Int. Congr. Sedimentology, Jerusalem, 738–739 (1978).
Muller, C. Bull. geol. Soc. Greece 10, 133–144 (1973).
Kidd, R. B., Cita, M. B. & Ryan, W. B. F. Init. Rep. DSDP Leg 42A, 421–443 (1978).
Ruddiman, W. F. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 82, 283–302 (1971).
Be, A. W.H. & Tolderlund, D. S. The Micropaleontolagy of the Oceans (eds Funnell, B. M. & Reidel, W. R.) 105–149 (Cambridge University Press, London, 1971).
Kipp, N. G. Mem. geol. Soc. Am. 145, 3–41 (1976).
Williams, D. F., Thunell, R. C. & Kennett, J. P. Science 201, 252–254 (1978).
Klovan, J. E. & Imbrie, J. J. Int. Ass. Math. Geol. 3, 61–77 (1971).
Williams, D. F. & Thunell, R. C. Sed. Geology (in the press).
Thunell, R. C. Mar. Micropaleont. 3, 147–173 (1978).
Sverdrup, H., Johnson, M. & Flemming, R. The Oceans (Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 1942).
Lacombe, H. & Tchernia, P. The Mediterranean Sea: A Natural Sedimentation Laboratory (ed. Stanley, D. J.) 25–36 (Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross, Stroudsburg, 1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thunell, R., Lohmann, G. Planktonic foraminiferal fauna associated with eastern Mediterranean Quaternary stagnations. Nature 281, 211–213 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/281211a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/281211a0
This article is cited by
-
After the deluge: Mediterranean stagnation and sapropel formation
Nature (1982)
-
Palygorskite as a sediment dispersal tracer in the eastern Mediterranean
Geo-Marine Letters (1981)
-
Late Quaternary history of the Nile
Nature (1980)
-
Late Quaternary water exchange between the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea
Nature (1980)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.