Open AccessVariations in the strontium isotope composition of seawater during the Paleocene and early Eocene from ODP Leg 208 (Walvis Ridge)
Author(s) -
Hodell David A.,
Kamenov George D.,
Hathorne Ed C.,
Zachos James C.,
Röhl Ursula,
Westerhold Thomas
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geochemistry, geophysics, geosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.928
H-Index - 136
ISSN - 1525-2027
DOI - 10.1029/2007gc001607
Subject(s) - geology , seawater , isotopes of strontium , strontium , ridge , igneous rock , geochemistry , paleontology , seafloor spreading , volcanism , cenozoic , benthic zone , isotope , tectonics , oceanography , structural basin , physics , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics
We refined the strontium isotope seawater curve for the Paleocene and early Eocene by analysis of samples recovered from the Walvis Ridge during Ocean Drilling Project (ODP) Leg 208. The highest 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values occurred in the earliest Paleocene at ∼65 Ma and generally decreased throughout the Paleocene, reaching minimum values between 53 and 51 Ma in the early Eocene before beginning to increase again at ∼50 Ma. A plausible explanation for the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr decrease between 65 and 51 Ma is increased rates of hydrothermal activity and/or the eruption and weathering of large igneous provinces (e.g., Deccan Traps and North Atlantic). Strontium isotope variations closely parallel sea level and benthic δ 18 O changes during the late Paleocene and early Eocene, supporting previous studies linking tectonic reorganization and increased volcanism to high sea level, high CO 2 , and warm global temperatures.