Open AccessPaleocene to Early Eocene paleoceanography of the Middle East: The δ 13 C and δ 18 O isotopes from foraminiferal calcite
Author(s) -
Charisi Stella D.,
Schmitz Birger
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
paleoceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1944-9186
pISSN - 0883-8305
DOI - 10.1029/97pa02585
Subject(s) - geology , paleoceanography , bathyal zone , upwelling , paleontology , benthic zone , oceanography , extinction event , bottom water , deep sea , biological dispersal , population , demography , sociology
Paleocene to early Eocene benthic foraminiferal δ 13 C and δ 18 O records from southern Tethyan sections at Ben Gurion, Israel (paleodepth 500–700 m), and Gebel Aweina, Egypt (paleodepth 150–200 m), show generally similar trends but 1–3‰ more negative values than coeval deep‐sea isotopic records. In both Tethyan sections a negative δ 13 C excursion of 2.5–3‰ marks the benthic extinction event in the latest Paleocene. For at least 1 m.y. after this event, δ 13 C values were 1.5–2‰ more negative on the shelf than at upper bathyal depths, reflecting a deepening of the oxygen minimum zone, possibly related to an increase or spatial shift in upwelling. Benthic δ 18 O records indicate a 2–4°C temperature gradient between the shelf and upper bathyal depths. Temperature‐salinity reconstructions suggest that upwelling was a dominant mechanism for surface water formation in this part of the southern Tethys during the late Paleocene.