Evolution of Strontium Isotopes in Seawater During the Middle Miocene: New Results from ODP Site 758A
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We report 34 high precision strontium isotopic analyses of well preserved planktonic foraminifera from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) site 758A in the eastern Indian Ocean. This site was selected because of the high quality magnetostratigraphy, suitable sedimentation rate (0.3 to 1.5 cm/ka) and excellent preservation of calcareous microfossils in sediments. Samples studied represent the period from 15.2 Ma to 10.3 Ma with approximately one sample per 100-200 ka.
The results show that the seawater 87Sr/86Sr ratio during this period increased from 0.70881 to 0.70892. The rare of increase in 87Sr/86Sr during 15.2 Ma to 14.3 was -31 x 10-6/m.y., whereas significantly from 14.3 to 12.8 Ma it was about a factor of two higher (-59x10-6/ m.y.). High rate of growth in seawater 87Sr/86Sr during this time interval indicates exceptionally high rates of continental weathering. However, during 12.8 to 10.3 Ma the growth in 87Sr/86Sr of seawater remained almost constant with an average value of 0.708914. This constant value may he due to decrease in weathering rates of continents as a result ofextensive glaciation. It is suggested that the tectonicuplift and denudation of Himalayas coupled with climatic changes have resulted in the variations of seawater strontium isotopes during this period. The inflection points in the curve may be used as event marker for stratigraphic corretation of marine sediments.
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