classification of rocks
magmatic rocks: igneous rocks
Intrusive: gabbro granite
Extrusive: basalt andesite
metamorphic rocks
foliated: schist
Non foliated: marbie
sediments
clastic: mudstone
Chemical: limestone, evaporites
Biologic: chert, ceal
material of pillow lava
basalt
favourable condition of mn nodules
below ccd
low sedimentation rates
moderate sea surface productivity
what caused the closing of the panama gateway
• Development of modern salinity contrast between
Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific in surface waters
• Development of modern Caribbean warm pool
• Intensification of Gulf Stream System
• Increase of heat, salt and moisture transfer into
the N-Atlantic (heating of NW-Europe)
• Increased formation of N-Atlantic intermediate
and deep water masses
-> leading to intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation
due to warming: enhanced evaporation of n atlantic
freshening of arctic ocean -> sea ice formation
raises albedo and reduces heat exchange -> cooling
fresher arctic outflow slows down AMOC -> cooling
constriction of indonesian throughflow resulted in
• Strengthening of the East Australian Current (EAC)
• Weakening of the Leeuwin Current (LC)
• Cooling of the Indian Ocean and warming of the W-Pacific
• Intensification of the E-W temperature gradient across the eq. Pacific
• El Niño >>> La Niña dominated climate state
• Onset of Pliocene Northern Hemisphere glaciation
(Cane und Molnar Hypothesis, 2001)
which led to: effects on indian pcean and east africa
• Weakening, cooling, freshening of Australasian Mediterrane Water (AAMW) throughflow
• Intensification of E-W temperature gradient in the eq. Indian Ocean
• Shoaling of the thermocline
• Cooler surface ocean, less evaporation over Indian Ocean
• Less precipitation over E-Africa expected
reconstructing past sw pH
Boron isotopes
Ø boron is conservative in seawater (t > 10 Myr)
Ø open ocean concentration: 432.6 μmol/kg * S/35
Ø two isotopes: 11B (~80%) and 10B (~20 %)
Ø expressed in delta notation relative to a standard:
aqueous solutions: born in 2 species
uncharged boric acid B(OH)3
borate ion B(OH)4-
usually only borate ion is incorporated into biogenic carbonate
-> isotopic composition can be measured and then conversed into pH estimates
marine benthic 14c vs planktic
A measured benthic marine 14C age will always be older than the
corresponding planktic 14C age. The difference tells us about deep ocean
ventilation rates.
sw also lower delta14c than ambient atm
-> reservoir effect
therefore not simply a calendar age
is exogenic carbon cycle of earthe constant?
no, is in constant state of change
glacial-interglacial variations of atm pCO2 largely driven by
temporarily variable carbon partitioning between deep ocean and atm
radiocarnom is excellent tool to study:
deep water ventilation rates over past 30 ka
boron isotopes, B/Ca and delta13C help assess the marine carbon budged in older sedimentary phases
but: reliable long term marine carbonate system data production is expensive and challenging to achieve
what led to lower atm pCO2
^
changing ocean circulation
more efficient glacial export production
summary of nutrient cycles
benthic and pelagic denitrification: primary sink of fixed nitrogen
N decrease if reduced conditions (low oxygen)
P released into pore water upon remineralization of OM
anoxic: p and fe can be recycled back to water
sediments: source for p and iron
P and fe increase if reduced conditions
externally triggered changes in marine productivity and oxygen levels can trigger these mechanisms -> marine ecosystems
methane cycling
higher methane flux = lower sulfate bc methane pushes out sulfate reductions
reduces sulfate -> methane then oxidied and smaller portions are coming to shallower depth, rest is oxidated
-> very little is released to atmosphere
f.e. in subduction zones
methanogenesis from archea with other microbes or via abiotic processes
methane important green house gas
role of sediments in marine nutrient cycles: 3 important ones
nitrate limitation
phosphorous limitation
iron limitation (iron is limiting pp)
BC of global warming: ocean hast lost 2% of O2 content over five decades. Hotspot of ocean deoxygenation are the tropical minimum zones
how ill declining oxygen concentrations affect sedimentary nutrient fluxes of nitrate, phosphate and iron?
o Blue: oxygen concentration increased, red decreased, mostly due to global warming
o Less oxygen transported by currents when warmer temp, and oxygen cant be hold in water column in warmer temperatures
affect on sedimentary nutrient fluxes:
nitrate (1000y): low oxygen leads to less nitrate
due to more denitrification (more N2) -> nitrate inventory becomes smaller
less pp and less oxygen consumption
-> negative feedback
Phosphorous (10.000y)
positive feedback bc of more release (coupled with iron)
release due to sediments during anoxic conditions
Iron: more release -> positive feedback
iron concentrations are low -> low residence time bc taken up rapidly (around 10y?)
feedback will unfold in different timescales!
and also interact with each other -> question hard to answer hoe oxygen changes is shaping future
OM raining onto seafloor at continental margins has experienced less water column remineralizsation and should thus have a higher content of labile OM
one could therefore expect lower burial efficiency: but why not the case?
OM consists of range of constituents with more labile components disappearing during early stages of diagenesis
inorganic minerals which are more abundant at c margins, protect OM from oxidation
aerobic OC degradation is more efficient than anaerobic degradation
driving force for microbial redoc reactions:
gibbs free energy (calculated using concentrations measured in field)
early diagenetic sequence
= available energy which determines the vertical redox zonation observed in marine sedimentary environments
rain rate of POC determines:
rate of POC degradation
thickness of various biogeochem zones
POC addition in continental vs deep sea shelf:
continental shelf: OC remineralization coupled to sulfate reduction
receive a lot POC -> O2 consumed early -> sulfate reduction starts at 10cm sediment depth
starts after nitrate mn and iron ocides consumed
deep sea: aerobic remineralization of OC
receive less POC, O2 more in sediment -> little POC left to drive szlfate reduction (already consumed by aerobic respiration)
diagenesis
Diagenesis is the process by which sediments evolve after they are deposited and begin to be buried,
key processes in inorganic carbon cycle
why are there different relationships between oxygen penetration and water depth in pacific and atlantic
o Atlantic bottom is younger= more oxygen
o Oxygen minimum zones more pronounced in pacific
innteractions of cold seawater with hot rocks and fluids of the volcanic system
infiltration of cold seawater
heating of seawater > 400°C
dissolution of metals from volcanic rocks
precipitation of element-enriched hot water at contact with cold seawater
black smokers -> massive sulfides
potential: ca. 600 mio tons of sulfides
strato volcano
pyroclastic flow
plinian eruptions
phreatomagmatic eruption
phreatomagmatic eruptions
etna - violent strombolian eruption
strombolian
hawaiian - lava fountains
hawaiian
submarine eruptions
maars and tuff rings
scoria cones
Where is the carbonate compensation depth (CCD) in the Pacific and in the Atlantic?
atlantic: 5000m
indian: 4300 m
pacific: 4200–4500 m
calderas
Uniformitarianism
Uniformitarianism is the notion that the geological processes occurring on Earth today are the same ones that occurred in the past. This is an important idea because it means that observations we make today about geological processes can be used to interpret and understand the rock
record
marine geology vs geology
• Terrestrial and marine geological principles and processes are the same • Some geological processes almost exclusively happen in the ocean and are thus specific to marine geology (e.g. hydrothermal vents, ocean seafloor spreading, subduction zones, …)
• Some rocks are only formed in the ocean, e.g. massive sulphide deposits • Different and additional methodologies are needed compared to terrestrial
geology to acquire data and samples
Geological observations supporting continental drift
Fold belts Appalachians - Caledonides
Age provinces Geological age provinces are found on different continents, e.g. Pre-Cambrian rocks of the South American and African shields can be correlated across the Atlantic.
Igneous provinces Similarity of belts of extrusive and intrusive rocks (e.g. South Africa, Antarctica and Tasmania).
Stratigraphic sections
Metallogenic provinces Similarity of natural mineral deposits
(e.g. Mn, Fe, Au, Zn)
plate boundary types
Convergent plate boundary: plates are colliding with each other (compressional) -> subduction
Divergent plate boundary: plates are pulling apart from each other (extensional) -> rifting
Transform plate boundary: plates are sliding past each other (“strike-slip”)
convergent and divergent also habe significant component of transform motion
mid ocean ridges
formed by divergent plate boundaries
amount of magma supplied to ridge is controlled by
sea level change
mantle processes
what plate boundary type is seen
dextral movement (right lateraL
this geological process, at divergent marins, is called-> strike-slip faulting
σ1 is the greatest principal stress (highest stress) σ2 is the intermediate principal stress σ3 is the least principal stress (lowest stress)
Generally speaking, we can say the following: Divergent plate boundaries: σ1 is vertical, normal faults form Convergent plate boundaries: σ3 is vertical, reverse faults form
Transform plate boundaries: σ2 is vertical, strike slip faults form
measuring stress and pressure
Stress / Pressure = density x G x depth (where G is gravitational acceleration = 9.81 m/s2
The minerals precipitate out of solution in the reverse order of their solubilities, such that the order of precipitation from sea water is:
Calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2)
Gypsum (CaSO4 • 2H2O) and anhydrite (CaSO4).
Halite (i.e. common salt, NaCl)
Potassium and magnesium salt
sands to ocean
forming sediments due to erosion from mountains -> transported trough river
grinded down (smaller) and may come to ocean and into deep waters
also tracked due to winds
sediment size classes
< 2 µm: Clay
< 2 mm: sand
silt: in between
aragonite vs calcite
both structured in organisms
CaCo3 but different cristal structures
Aragonite: hexagonal
Calcite: Trigonal
Aragonite dissolves in anaerobic environment dissolves quicker than calcite
different waves
longitudal: sound
Transversal: light, wifi (electromagnetic)
primary waves dont go through liquid
earth quakes due to seismic waves (sound)
sound velocity ocean
1500 m/s
bathymeteic mapping
= topography underwater
o Two sites of deep water formation:
north Atlantic and southern ocean (sou ocean is upwelling from deep water)
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