Onset of “Hudson Strait” Heinrich events in the eastern North Atlantic at the end of the middle Pleistocene transition (∼640 ka)?

David A. Hodell; James E. T. Channell; Jason H. Curtis; Oscar E. Romero; Ursula Röhl

doi:10.1029/2008pa001591

journal article Dec 01, 2008

Onset of “Hudson Strait” Heinrich events in the eastern North Atlantic at the end of the middle Pleistocene transition (∼640 ka)?

David A. Hodell

James E. T. Channell Jason H. Curtis

Oscar E. Romero Ursula Röhl

Paleoceanography Vol. 23 No. 4 · American Geophysical Union (AGU)

View at Publisher Save 10.1029/2008pa001591

Abstract

Heinrich events are well documented for the last glaciation, but little is known about their occurrence in older glacial periods of the Pleistocene. Here we report scanning XRF and bulk carbonate
δ
18
O results from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1308 (reoccupation of Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 609) that are used to develop proxy records of ice‐rafted detritus (IRD) for the last ∼1.4 Ma. Ca/Sr is used as an indicator of IRD layers that are rich in detrital carbonate (i.e., Heinrich layers), whereas Si/Sr reflects layers that are poor in biogenic carbonate and relatively rich in detrital silicate minerals. A pronounced change occurred in the composition and frequency of IRD at ∼640 ka during marine isotope stage (MIS) 16, coinciding with the end of the middle Pleistocene transition. At this time, “Hudson Strait” Heinrich layers suddenly appeared in the sedimentary record of Site U1308, and the dominant period of the Si/Sr proxy shifted from 41 ka prior to 640 ka to 100 ka afterward. The onset of Heinrich layers during MIS 16 represents either the initiation of surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) off Hudson Strait or the first time icebergs produced by this process survived the transport to Site U1308. We speculate that ice volume (i.e., thickness) and duration surpassed a critical threshold during MIS 16 and activated the dynamical processes responsible for LIS instability in the region of Hudson Strait. We also observe a strong coupling between IRD proxies and benthic
δ
13
C variation at Site U1308 throughout the Pleistocene, supporting a link between iceberg discharge and weakening of thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic.

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References

Details

Published: Dec 01, 2008
Vol/Issue: 23(4)
License: View

Authors

D

David A. Hodell

Department of Geological Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA

J

James E. T. Channell

Department of Geological Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA

J

Jason H. Curtis

Department of Geological Sciences University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA

O

Oscar E. Romero

Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra Universidad de Granada Granada Spain

U

Ursula Röhl

Center for Marine Environmental Research University of Bremen Bremen Germany

Cite This Article

David A. Hodell, James E. T. Channell, Jason H. Curtis, et al. (2008). Onset of “Hudson Strait” Heinrich events in the eastern North Atlantic at the end of the middle Pleistocene transition (∼640 ka)?. Paleoceanography, 23(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2008pa001591

Onset of “Hudson Strait” Heinrich events in the eastern North Atlantic at the end of the middle Pleistocene transition (∼640 ka)?

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