SEDIMENTATION ACROSS THE OXYGEN MINIMUM ZONE ON THE CONTINENTAL SLOPE OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Geology San Jose State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science By Thomas L. Vercoutere May, 1984
142
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SEDIMENTATION
ACROSS THE OXYGEN MINIMUM ZONE
ON THE CONTINENTAL SLOPE
OFFSHORE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
A Thesis
Presented to
The Faculty of the Department of Geology
San Jose State University
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science
By
Thomas L. Vercoutere
May, 1984
APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
APPROVED FOR THE UNIVERSITY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The undertaking of this study could not have been accomplished
without the encouragement, support, and guidance of many friends and
colleagues. Al Roberts, my friend and committee member, was the most
influential of all, providing the initial impetus for graduate work.
Committee chairman Hank Mullins provided the initial idea as well as
support and guidance throughout the study. The Petroleum Research Fund
of the American Chemical Society's ACS-PRF Type G grant #12923-GB2 to
H. T. Mullins provided financial support. Moss Landing Marine Labora-
tories provided use of the R/V CAYUSE and crew, without which this study
could not have been accomplished. A great deal of thanks goes to fellow
graduate students Dave Nagel, Rich Rasch, Dave Schwartz, and Joel
Thompson who generously assisted at sea.
I am indebted to the U.S. Geological Survey and my friends and col-..
leagues there for allowing me to use laboratory facilities where most of
the research was conducted. Special thanks are due Mike Torresan and
Kris Johnson, who provided instruction and assistance in physical
analyses of the sediments; Gerta Keller, Kris McDougall and John Barron,
who gave invaluable assistance in the identification and interpretation
of the foraminifers and diatoms; Jim Gardner and Brian Edwards, who
generously provided both unpublished data and helpful discussion; and
Karen Johnson who helped in the final preparation of the many figures in
this thesis.
I wish to thank Lorrie Duval and John Dern who labored through the
iii
manuscript in its formative stages, and to my committee membe.rs Hank
Mullins, Al Roberts and Cal Stevens for their critical review of the
manuscript.
Finally, I wish to thank Martha Dern for understanding and support
A. Description of Gravity Cores ------------------------ 94
B. Grain Size in Gravity Core Sediments ---------------- 104
C. Weight Percent of Total Organic Carbon and
Carbonate in Gravity Cores ------------------------ 106
D. Description of Box Cores ---------------------------- 108
E. Grain Size in Box Core Sediments -------------------- 119
F. Weight Percent of Total Organic Carbon and
Carbonate in Box Cores ---------------------------- 121
G. Compositional Percentage of Sand Size Material
in Box Cores -------------------------------------- 123
H. Percentage of Individual Planktonic Foraminiferal
Species in Gravity Cores 127
vii
Figure
1.
2.
3.
4.
LIST OF FIGURES
Bathymetric Map of Central California Continental Margin with Study Area. ----------------------------------
Oxygen Concentration Relative to Water Depth from Offshore Central California. -----------------------------
Central California Coast, 19 April 1979, Tiros N Satellite, VHRR Infrared Image Enhanced for Water Temperature. ---------------------------------------------
Bathymetry Map of Study Area Showing Bottom Sample
5. Surficial Sediment Texture from Box Cores Relative
Page
6
7
9
12
to Water Depth. ------------------------------------------ 19
6. Cumulative Percent Surficial Sand Components from Box Cores Relative to Water Depth. , --~--------------------
7. Weight Percent Total Organic Carbon and Carbonate in Surficial Sediments from Box Cores Relative to
··20
Water Depth. --------------------------------------------- 22
8.
9.
10.
Cumulative Percent Smectite, Illite, and Chlorite plus Kaolinite in Surficial Sediments from Box Cores Relative to Water Depth. ---------------------------
XRD Diffractogram of Glycolated and Magnesium Saturated Surface Clay Assemblages. ----------------------
Cumulative Percent Gravel, Sand, Silt, and Clay Relative to Depth in Core from Gravity Cores.
11. Weight Percent Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and
23
25
28
Carbonate Relative to Depth in Core from Gravity Cores. 29
12. Cumulative Percent Gravel, Sand, Silt, and Clay Relative to Depth in Core from Box Cores. ---------------- 31
13. Weight Percent Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Carbonate Relative to Depth in Core from Box Cores. 32
14. Cumulative Percent Sand Components Relative to Depth in Core from Box Cores 1 through 4. ---------------------- 34
viii
Figure Page
15. Cumulative Percent Sand Components Relative to Depth in Core from Box Cores 5 through 8. ---------------------- 35
16. Cumulative Percent Sand Components Relative to Depth in Core from Box Cores 9 and 10. ------------------------ 36
17. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-1. ---------- 39
18. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-2. ---------- 40
19. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-3. ---------- 41
20. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-4. ---------- 42
21. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-5. ---------- 43
22. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-6. ---------- 44
23. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species ·of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-7. ---------- 45
24. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-8. ---------- 46
25. Plots of Coiling Ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Abundance of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers from the Assemblages in Core GC-9. ---------- 47
26. Plots of the Abundances of Selected Species of Planktonic Foraminifers that Display Systematic Variation with Age from the Assemblage in Core V1-80-P3. -------------------- 49
ix
Figure Page
27. Diagram Showing Effects of Current Velocities of the California Undercurrent During Typical Summer Conditions on the Distribution of Surficial Sediment Texture and Sand Composition. ---------------------------- 52
28. Current Velocities Required for Erosion, Transportation, and Deposition. ------------------------------------------ 53
29. Distribution of Surficial Total Organic Carbon, Carbonate, and Sand Components Relative to Water Depth and Their Possible Relation to an Impinging Oxygen Minimum Zone. ------------------------------------- 56
30. Percentage of Benthic Foraminifers in the Sand-size Fraction of Surface Samples Relative to Water Depth and Their Relation to the Oxygen Minimum Zone. ----------- 58
31. Percentage of Fecal Pellets in the Sand-size Fraction of Surface Samples Relative to Water Depth and Their Relation to the Oxygen Minimum Zone. ----------~---------- 59
32. Percentage of glauconite in the sand-size fraction of surface samples versus water depth and their relation to the oxygen minimum zone. --------------------- 61
33. Compositional Range of Clay Mineral Assemblages from Cores in the Study Area. --------------------------------- 66
34. Biostratigraphic Correlation of Gravity Cores.
35. Correlation Chart of Box and Gravity Cores from the Continental Slope Northwest of Point Sur, California.
X
71
75
Table
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
LIST OF TABLES
Station Location, Water Depth and Depth of Penetration of Cores and Camera Stations. -----------
Semiquantitative Clay Mineral Assemblages of Surficial Sediments. -----------------------------
Figure 1. Bathymetric map of central California continental margin with study area indicated by box. From NOAA bathymetric map NOS 1307-11B, (contours in meters).
6
Oxygen (mill)
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
400
- 600 CIJ .... Q) -Q)
E -.s:::. .... 0. Q)
0 800 .... Q) .... co ~
1000
1200
Figure 2. Oxygen concentration relative to water depth from offshore central California. Stippled area represents oxygen concentrations of (0.5 ml/1 {the oxygen minimum zone) between 525 and 1025 m. Data from Broenkow and Greene (1981).
7
surface expression of upwelling. There is little variation in the depth
of the oxygen minimum zone for a distance of 150 km offshore (Broenkow
and Gree~e, 1981), and this OMZ has persisted for at least the past 20
years along the central California margin (Churgin and Halminski, 1974).
The California Current system, which is the eastern limb of the
North Pacific gyre, is driven primarily by wind stress patterns over the
North Pacific Ocean (Halliwell and others, 1980). Strong, persistent,
southeastward-directed wind stress during the spring and summer and the
Coriolis effect. res~lt in a net water transport of near-surface layers
away from the coast. The displaced water is replenished by upwelling of
cold, nutrient-rich water from a subsurface zone less than approximately
200 to 300m deep (Sverdrup and others, 1952; Halliwell and others,
1980). Although the pattern of upwelling is complex ( Pirie and others,
waters may become large scale cyclonic or elongate plumes with sharp
thermal fronts (Traganza and Conrad, 1981). One such area of intense
upwelling occurs in the study area northwest of Point Sur, (Figure 3;
Broenkow and Smithie, 1978).
Along the west coast of the u.s., an undercurrent flows northward
at depths from 200 to 500 m or more (Hickey, 1979). This undercurrent,
known as the California Undercurrent, is a subsurface northward flow
that occurs below the main pycnocline and seaward of the continental
shelf (Hickey, 1979); its water is characterized by higher temperatures
and salinity than the surrounding water (Wickman, 1975). Mean flow
velocities are usually low, on the order of 5-10 em/sec (Schwartzlose
8
Figure 3. Central California coast, 19 April 1979, Tiros
N Satellite, VHRR infrared image enhanced for water temperature
(white, 10° C; black, 20° C).
9
and Reid, 1972; Broenkow and Greene, 1981) although Wickman (197-5) has
determined that off Monterey, California, jets of equatorial water
occurring between 200 and 500 m may have northerly flow velocities as
high as 2D-40 em/sec. When seasonal upwelling weakens or ceases during
the winter, the core of the California Undercurrent propagates upward
toward the surface to become the major flow component of the northerly
flowing Davidson Current (Hickey, 1979). Year-round ocean current
velocity data along the central California coast are rare. A sequence
of measurements conducted in less than 500 m show seasonal changes in
both direction and magnitude (Wickman, 1975; Halliwell and others,
1980). For most of the period between November 1973 to February 1974,
southward flow over the slope was between 5 and 12 em/sec. In June and
July 1974, a northward countercurrent flow below approximately 200 m
developed over the slope with flow velocities as great as 8 em/sec (data
from Wickman, 1975, in Halliwell and others, 1980). Measurements taken
during August and September of 1980 (which include deeper measurements)
in the same region (Broenkow and Greene, 1981) generally confirm the
results of Wickman.
10
METHODS
Field Operations
During 1981 and 1982 the R/V Cayuse occupied 10 sites in the study
area at water depths between 279 and 1400 m. Box core and gravity core
samples and bottom photographs were recovered at approximately 100-m
depth intervals along the transect (Figure 4; Table 1) northwest of
Point Sur where the oxygen minimum zone impinges on the bottom.
A Benthos box corer equipped with a stainless steel box (20 x 30 x
60 em) was used to recover an undisturbed portion of the sea floor and a
9-cm diameter gravity corer was used to retrieve the upper 1-2.2 m of
sediment. Approximately 10 bottom photographs were taken at each
station from 2 m above the sediment with a Benthos deep-sea camera
system.
Each recovered box core was carefully removed from the box and an
18 x 2 em longitudinal slab was taken for X-radiography and subsamples
were taken at S-cm intervals with a 100 cm3 syringe. The 8-cm liner
containing the gravity core was removed from the barrel, sealed, and
returned to the laboratory.
During the study, ship location was determined by a LORAN-e coastal
navigation system supplemented by radar triangulation and satellite
navigation fixes. Station positions were recorded at the time of bottom
impact of the corer or camera, indicated by the winch tensiometer or
sonic alarm, respectively. Water depth was determined with a 12 kHz
precision depth recorder.
• Gravity Core
1111 Box Core
;.. Bottom Camera
Figure 4. Bathymetric map of study area showing bottom sample locations. From NOAA bathymetry map NOS 1307-11B, (contours in meters).
12
13
Table 1.--Station locations, water depths, and penetration of box
cores and gravity cores, and camera station locations
Sample Water Subsurface
Number Depth Penetration Latitude Longitude
(meters) (centimeters)
Box Cores
BC-1 279 (10 122° 05.1 I w 36° 19.3 1 N BC-2 390 35 122° 05.4 1 w 36° 21.0 1 N BC-3 510 10 122° 05.4 1 w 36° 21.9 1 N BC-4 593 23 122° 05.5 1 w 36° 22.3 1 N BC-5 690 36 122° 06.3' w 36° 23.0 I N BC-6 785 44 122° 08.3' w 36° 24.1' N BC-7 905 42 122° 10.7 1 w 36° 25.1 1 N BC-8 1020 43 122° 12.0 1 w 36° 25.7 1 N BC-9 1085 43 122° 12 • 5 I w 36° 26.3 1 N BC-10 1200 42 122° 13.0 1 w 36° 27.6 1 N
Gravity Cores
GC-1 505 91 122° 05.1 1 w 36° 21.8 I N
GC-2 717 130 122° 07.0 1 w 36° 23.0 1 N GC-3 832 230 122° 08.9 1 w 36° 25.1 1 N GC-4 862 225 122° 09.6 1 w 36° 25.4 1 N
GC-5 983 200 122° 10.8 1 w 36° 25.9 1 N GC-6 1072 176 122° ll.4 I w 36° 26.8 1 N GC-7 1183 180 122° 12.1' w 36° 27.6' N
GC-8 1277 198 122° 12.4 1 w 36° 29.0 1 N
GC-9 1420 215 122° 17.0 1 w 36° 30.6 1 N
Camera Stations
C-1 300 122° 05.5' w 36° 19.8 1 N C-2 452 122° 06.0' w 36° 21.3 I N
C-3 570 122° 07.0 1 w 36° 21.7 I N C-4 688 122° 07.1 1 w 36° 22.3 1 N
C-5 801 122° 08.6' w 36° 23.9 1 N c-6 903 122° 10.8 1 w 36° 24.7 1 N
C-7 1005 122° ll.4 1 w 36° 25.7 1 N C-8 1100 122° 12.0 1 w 36° 26.5 1 N
C-9 1210 122° 14.1' w 36° 26.5 1 N
Laboratory Techniques
Core samples were brought back to the lab at the u. s. Geological
Survey and stored vertically at 4° C and 100 percent humidity until they
were split, described, X-radiographed, photographed, subsampled (10-cm
intervals for gravity cores and 5-cm intervals for box cores), and
archived.
Physical Properties Analyses
Grain size (sand, silt, and clay) was determined by wet sieve and
pipette separation following the methods of Folk (1974). Textural clas
sification of sediments follows that of Shepard (1954), and symbols used
for graphic lithology and sedimentary structures are those used in the
Deep Sea Drilling Project initial reports. The sand component of box
cores was recovered, dried, and split to approximately 300 to 400 grains
for point counts with a binocular microscope. Grains were identified
and counted as 1 of 11 categories consisting of: (1) quartz and feld
Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (Ehrenberg) X X X X X X X X X
Globi~erina bulloides (d'Orbigny) X X X X X X X X X
Globigerina falconensis Blow X
Globi~erina guadrilatera Galloway and Wissler X X X X X X X X X
Globigerina guingueloba Natland X X X X X X X X
Globigerina rubescens Hofker X
Globigerina umbilicata Orr and Zaitzeff X X X X X X X
Globigerinita glutinata (Egger) X X X X X X X X
Globorotalia inflata (d'Orbigny) X X X X
Globorotalia sci tula (Brady) X X X X X X X X
Globorotaloides hexigona Natland X X X X X X X
Orbulina universa d'Orbigny X X X X X X X
GRAVITY CORE 1 (505 m}
Texture Sediment Coiling Percent Percent Percent Percent Years BP
Structure N. pachyderms N. pschydermll G. qulnqueloba G. bulloldes G. glut/nata +
G. qusdrllaters • 100~ s 50 0 0 50 100 0 10 0 20 40 0 8 16
0 s • .. .. ~
E ::!.. v w 25 sS a: 0 ~ (.) " ~ ----- devolrl devoid devoid devoid ~
" , 50 :I: Scs
1-2:' ;;
0.. w " Cl cs
:;:: 9.0 Ma c. e
75 - - .!?
Scs ~ 0
100 ~ e
convoluted
clay Sse sand silt clay sS silty sand D homogeneous
sc silty clay s sand
[]I] intensely bioturbated
cs clayey silt cS clayey sand
silt Sc sandy clay w moderately bioturbated s
Ss sandy silt c clay [JJ faintly bioturbated
sand silt w faintly laminated -
II laminated
Figure 17. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pacQyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-1. Age estimate from diatom biostratigraphy.
Texture
0
25
E ~ w a: 50
0 ss (.)
~ :X: 75 t-0.. w 0
100
125 cSs
150
GRAVITY CORE 2 (717 m)
Sediment Coiling
Structure N. pachyderms
100'll. s 50 0
I\ ~
Percent
N. pachyderms
0 50
(left)
,.
~~
I ~
100
Percent
G. qulnquelobll
0 10
Percent
G. bulla/des • +
G. quadrllaters e
r
Percent
G. glut/nata
0 I T 16
1\
Figure 18. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-2.
Texture
0 cSs
f-. -ss
25 1- -
cSs
50 Scs --- - -
75 sc
e -- --~ sS
100 - - --w cSs a: 0 (.)
~ 125 Ss J: f-ll.. >-- -w Scs Cl 150
cs - - - -cSs
175 --- --cs
- -- -200
csS
225
GRAVITY CORE 3 (832 m)
Sediment Coltlng
Structure N. pachyderms
lOO'llo S 50
I J J
)
s
il
Percent
N. pachyderms
0 0 50 100
(left)
Percent
G.qulnqueloba
0 10
Percent Percent
G. bulloldea • G. glutlmJta +
G. quadrllater~l •
210 4p I 7 I
18
I~ I> II
~ r
;
j,
Years BP
10.5 ky
12.5 ky
15 ky
~ " ~ " "C
,.. ., u .c c. .. "' .. "' 0
.0
Figure 19. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-3. Age estimates from correlation with core Vl-80-P3 (Gardner and others, in press).
GRAVITY CORE 4 (862 m)
Texture Sediment Coiling Percent Percent
Structure N. pschyderma N. pachyderms G. qulnquelobs
100%8 50 0 0 50 1 0 0 10 0
cSs
25 cs I'
r--so
sc
E 75 ) ~ r--w ) cr cs 1"\l.N_ 0 u 100 I1VW
(right)
~ ----- )\ :I: 1- S\ a. 125 w
) Cl sc
\ /
150 s ) ----- s (
175 Scs
----- S) l cs ))
200 --
sc )
225
0
Percent
G. bulloldu •
G. qusdrllater• o
20 40
Percent
G. glurtnsts
0 l ~ I 16
,.
\ (
\
i)
.Yeara BP
~ " 9.5 ky >
" '0
"' 12.5 ky "' u
13.5 ky .c c.
"' 0
.. 15 ky
m 0
.0
Figure 20. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-4. Age estimates from correlation with core Vl-8D-P3 (Gardner and others, in press).
GRAVITY CORE 5 (983 m)
Texture Sediment Coiling Percent Percent Percent Percent Years BP
Structure N. pachyderms N. pachyderms G. qu/nqueloba G. bulloldes • G. glullnala
G. qusdrll•t•r• •
0 100'!1. s 50 0 0 50 100 10 0 20 40 0 -, r e
L I I 18
Scs
25 sc ))
- - ))
50 cs )
E -- --~~ } I
(right)
~ sc w a: 75 cs
., "' > ~
0 u ~
y -::t 100 sc I-
\ Ql .,
12.5 ky ,..
"' u D.. w 0
) -----125
150 cs
/ ( 1\
\ \
13.5 ky :;: c.
" "' ..
15 ky "' 0
.c
\ (left)
175 \ '
1- - - -sc
200 I
Figure 21. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-5. Age estimates from correlation with core Vl-80-PJ (Gardner and others, in press).
E ~ w a: 0 (.)
;!l; J: 1-a. w 0
0
25
so
75
100
125
150
175
200
Texture
1---sc
GRAVITY CORE 6 (1072 m)
Sediment Coiling
Structure N. pachyderms
100% s 50
)
)
) )
Percent Percent
N. pachyderms G. qulnqueloba
0 50 100 0 110
Percent Percent
G. bulloldes A G. glut/nata +
G. quadrllatera •
0 210 40 7 16 I I I
I\
Figure 22. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-6.
N. pachyderms N. pa c lryderma G. qulnquelobll G. bulloldes . G. glutlnata Structure +
G. quadrllsrerll • 100% s 50 0 0 50 100 0 10 0 20 40 0 8 18
0 ~
)\
25 \\ \)
E \\ ~ 50 \ w a: 0 (.) 75 ;?;; cs \ J: t-a. 100 w
~ 0
125
~ 150 s 175 >
Figure 23. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-7.
GRAVITY CORE 8 (1277 m)
Texture Sediment Coiling Percent Percent Percent Percent Veers BP
N. pBchyderma N. pachyderms G. qulnquelobs G. bulloldas . G. glullnsra Structure +
G. quadrllstera e 100% s 50 0 0 50 100 0 10 0 20 40 0 8 18
0
cs
25
50
75
sc
sc ~ 9.5 ky
w, J ~ " > m "' 10.5 ky '0
)) ( ,.,
" 0
E u
12.5 ky .t: c.
100 w
cs )S .. ~
5! 0: "' 0 (J
~ 125
.., )) 0
.0
J: 1-a. w 0 150
15 ky )~
sc )) 175
cs S\ 200
Figure 24. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-8. Age estimates from correlation with core Vl-80-P3 (Gardner and others, in press).
GRAVITY CORE 9 ( 1400 m)
Texture Sediment Coiling Percent Percent Percent Percent Years BP
N. pachyderms N. pachyderm.a Structure
G. qulnquelobs G. bulloldu • G. glullnata +
G. quadrllatera o 100'!1. s 50 0 0 50 100
0 )))
0 10 16 I
0
25 %
I % % 50
cs \) E u 75 )\
12.5 ky ~ " >
" "C
,.,
' t
I( w a: )\ 0 ()
~ 100
J: ~\ .... 1-----a..
.. 0
.t= c. .. 0
.. "
w 125 ~) 0 sc 15 ky " 0
.c
150 ~) cs
)~ 175
t----- \~ sc ----200 ~ cs 1) ~
225
Figure 25. Plots of coiling ratio of Neogloboquadrina pachyderms and abundance of selected species of planktonic foraminifers from the assemblages in core GC-9. Age estimates from correlation with core Vl-8D-P3 (Gardner and others, in press).
shown in these figures are combined with 14c age determinations from the
study and are correlated with systematic variation in species abundance
from other work on the central California margin (Figure 26; Gardner and
others, in press) to assign age datums to the sediment. The variation
in species abundance is also used to make biostratigraphic correlation
between the different gravity cores. These correlations, as well as
comparisons with the work of Gardner and others (in press), are dis
cussed in the "Biostratigraphic Correlation" section.
Diatoms
The interval between 60 and 80 em in GC-1 is a laminated diato
maceous clayey silt with a 14c age )35,000 years. A smear slide of a
sample from that interval examined by John Barron (written commun.,
1983) yielded the following age diagnostic diatoms:
Actinoptychus vulgaris var. monicae
Denticulopsis hustedtii (v. rare)
Heniaulus polymorphus
Rouxia californica
Rhizosolenia barboi
Thalassionema schraderi
The age diagnostic silicoflagellate Distephanus pseudofibula was also
present. The presence of these species indicates that the sample is
late Miocene in age in the uppermost part of the Denticulopsis hustedtii
Zone-Subzone a, and approximately 9 million years in age. The diatoms
are well preserved and could not have been transported very far (John
Barron, written commun., 1983).
48
5
->-~
- 10 (])
Ol <(
15
20
V1-80-P3
Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent
N. pachyderms N. pachyderma G. bulloldes G. qulnqueloba G. glutlnata
Figure 26. Plots of the abundances of selected species of planktonic foraminifers 4 display systematic variation with age from the assemblage in core Vl-80-PJ versus 1 C
Core is from 1600 meters of water, 60 km west of the Russian River, California. from Gardner and others (in press).
Chronostratigraphy
14c Age Determinations
Six samples were submitted to Geochron Laboratories for radiocarbon
age determination. Two samples have ages greater than 35,000 years BP.
They were from 73-78 em down core in a well laminated, diatomaceous,
clayey silt in core GC-1, the same interval that had a diatom determined
age of approximately 9 million years and from 24-26 em down core in a
silty sand just below an irregular contact with the overlying pebbly
gluaconitic sand in BC-2. Two samples from BC-7, one from a clayey,
sandy silt at 14-16 em, the other from a silty clay at 34-36 em down
core, yielded 14c dates of 2525 ± 170 years BP and 10,330 ± 340 years
BP, respectively. The two samples are separated by a sharp, irregular
contact at 30 em. Two samples were also submitted from BC-10, one from
a clayey silt at 14-16 em and the other from a sandy, clayey silt 32-34
em down core. These yielded 14c dates of 1930 ± 180 years BP and 3175 ±
185 years BP, respectively. The two samples are separated by 20 em of
bioturbated sediment with a gradational change between the lower sandy,
clayey silt and the upper clayey silt.
50
DISCUSSION
Effect ot Currents on Surface Sediment Grain Size and Composition
The California Current System contains a northerly directed
component known as the California Undercurrent with its core located
over the outer shelf-upper slope along central California (Hickey,
1979). Composite geostrophic current velocity measurements from VERTEX
1 (Broenkow and Greene, 1981) are shown in Figure 27. From this figure
it is apparent that the interval from 600 to 800 m is the most dynamic
portion of the upper continental slope with significant changes in
texture and composition. Comparison of current velocities on Figure 27
with Figure 28 shows that current velocities along the upper portion of
the slope cross the transportation field for sand and silt size material
(Heezen and Hollister, 1971).
The change in surface sediment texture is most dramatic between 600
to 800 m. The percentage of mud in the sediment increases signifi
cantly, from less than 12 percent to greater than 55 percent within this
transitional interval or zone (Figure 27). Bottom photographs show a
major change in surface texture from a dark, sandy surface to a light,
muddy surface between 700 and 750 m (Thompson and others, in prep.).
Grain size data and bottom photographs indicate the transitional zone on
the slope off Point Sur is located between approximately 600 and 800 m
and the mudline is located at the bottom of this zone at approximately
750 to 800 m (Figure 27). Stanley and Wear (1978, p. Ml9) define the
"mudline" as " ••• the lower limit of the transitional zone [and] the
Figure 27. Diagram showing effects of current velocities of the California Undercurrent during typical summer conditions on the distribution of surficial sediment texture and sand composition from box core sediments. Dashed lines are northerly directed current velocity data from Broenkow and Greene (1981) and Willia~ Broenkow, (written communication, 1983).
VI N
Current Velocity (em/sec)
0.01 0.1 1.0 10 100
Pebbles
Granules ::::::--~ ... 1.0 -,o~ C!> E
'b-.... cu E ~ .... E Sand 0 -o'~ C!> .._
c:,0 > Q) Cl) ..... Ill
0.1 Q)
.r: E 0 0 til .... ·-
Q
c: ·-til 0 0.01
.._ ..:.. 0 .... " 0 ~ 0
()
Clay ~ 0.001
Figure 28. Current velocities required for erosion, transportation and deposition (from Heezen and Hollister, 1971).
53
depth of substantially increased silt and clay content below which depo-
sition prevails...... A mudline on the midslope (300 to 1,000 m) has
been recognized on the Atlantic margin off Cape Hatteras (Newton and
others, 1971; Keller and others, 1979). Active offshelf spillover of
coarse sediment along a relatively narrow shelf and continuous reworking
of sediment along the upper slope by the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras
depress the mudline below the effect of major Gulf Stream erosion to
approximately 800 m (Stanley and others, 1983). The sedimentological
response to physical conditions on the margin off Point Sur is similar
to the response on the margin off Cape Hatteras; the shelf is narrow,
coarse material occurs over and below the shelf break, and the mudline
occurs below the erosional or transportational effects of the California · .. ,
Undercurrent.
The change from nondeposition or erosion to deposition indicated
by the mudline is supported by compositional changes in the sand-size
fraction as well. The increase in abundance of mica between 600 and
800 m (the transitional zone) from less than 5 percent to 18 percent of
the total sand indicates a change in depositional regimes. In general,
a lack of mica (here, (5 percent shallower than 600 m) indicates non-
deposition or erosion and the presence of fine-sand-size mica (here, >15
percent deeper than 785 m) indicates deposition of fine material (Doyle
and others, 1968). On the margin off Cape Hatteras, an increase in mica
content that indicates the change from nondeposition to deposition
occurs well below the shelf break (Doyle and others, 1968, p. 387), in
close agreement with the location of regime change indicated by the
54
55
-mudline (Stanley and others, 1983). The change in glauconite abundance
in the study area also supports the location of the nondepositional-
depositional boundary between 600 and 800 m. The formation of glauco-
nite in modern environments requires exposure of incipient grains to sea
water for extended periods of time, by necessity requiring a minimum of
sediment influx and/or winnowing (Odin and Matter, 1981). The hypo-
thesis that surficial glauconite indicates environments of extremely
slow deposition or erosion is not new. Galliher (1935), a pioneer in
the study of the origin of glauconite, concluded that glauconite forming
in the Monterey Bay, California was restricted to areas of very low
sedimentation. In more recent work on glauconite in Monterey Bay, high
abundance and diverse morphology of glauconite were associated with low
sedimentation rates (Hein and others, 1974). Inspection.of Figure 27
shows that siliceous microfaunal debris in the sand-size fraction is
completely absent above 600 m and increases gradually below that depth
to approximately 6.5 percent at 1200 m. It is likely that the
California Undercurrent is strong enough to keep the bottom relatively
free of fine material on the slope above 600 to 800 m northwest of
Point Sur.
Effects of Oxygen Content on Surface Sediment Composition
Oxygen content in the water column, particularly within the oxygen
minimum zone (OMZ), appears to influence the biogenic and perhaps the
authigenic components of the sediments on the continental slope. Figure
29 shows the relationship between oxygen content and the composition of
Weight Percent Total Organic Cnrbon Oxygen (ml/1) Cumulative Percentage of Sediment Components
TOC :1:1:11 m Glauconite -~y,. Siliceous Mica ;>f// Microfauna
Carbonate D Opaque ~ Fecal Peilels II Carbonate Minerals Shell Fr agmenb
Planktonic ~ Organic Debris Foraminifers
Figure 29. Distribution of surficial total organic carbon, carbonate, and sand components from box cores versus water depth and their possible relation to an impinging oxygen minimum zone (stippled in middle figure).
the sediments. The percentage of benthic foraminifers increases above
and below a minimum between 593 and 905 m, corresponding to the lowest
oxygen values in the OMZ (Figures 29 and 30). The percentage of fecal
pellets reaches a maximum at the lower edge of the OMZ (Figures 29 and
31) and is directly related to a peak in the total number of organisms
in the upper few centimeters of sediments at the edge of the OMZ on the
continental slope west of Point Sur (Thompson, 1982).
Macrofaunal shell fragments are uncommon on the slope at Point Sur.
The minima (less than 1 percent) occur in surface sediments at 593 m and
between 785 and 1020 m, all located within the OMZ. The two maxima of
shell fragments are at 690 m and 1085 m, respectively (Appendix G). The
maximum number of living individuals with carbonate shells on the slope
off Point Sur is at 1085 m (Thompson, 1983), and represents an immediate
source for the maximum percentage of carbonate fragments at 1085 m.
Thompson also noted a relative maximum in living individuals with
carbonate shells near 600 m, yet no shell fragments were found in
surface sediments at this depth. Thompson and others (in prep.)
observed "biotransport" of non-endemic shells by hermit crabs in the
core of the OMZ off Point Sur. Downslope biotransport and perhaps creep
may combine to provide a viable means of eliminating shell and shell
fragments from the upper edge of the OMZ and relocate them lower on the
slope. The minimum carbonate content of < 1 percent at 600 m (Figure
29) corresponds with and appears to be controlled by the combined
minimum of carbonate shell fragments and benthic foraminifers at 600 m.
The occurrence of glauconite on the continental slope is centered
57
~ (/)
'-Q) ..... Q)
E
.s::::. ..... 0. Q)
0
Percent Benthic Foraminifers in Surficial Sand-size Material
12
J=====================~~------~~
-
-
Figure 30. Percentage of benthic foraminifers (striped) in the sand-size fraction of surface_ samples versus water depth and their relat~on to the oxygen minimum zone (from box cores 1 - 10).
58
,-.. (/) 1-Q) ..... Q)
E
..c ..... 0.. Q)
0
Percent Fecal Pellets in Surficial Sand -size Material
- ·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·-·-·-·-·.·-·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·-~·......... . ....... . ~<::::::::::::::: 0 x y g en Minim urn Zone:::::::::::::::::
""'"1;"T;T:T;~.,._· •: •: •: •: •: •: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •. • • • • •. • •: •: •: •: •: •: •: •: •: I •• e e • • • e • e • • e •• • e I • • •• • I e I I I • e • • e • • e I • • • I • e
Figure 31. Percentage of fecal pellets (patterned) in the sand-size fraction of surface samples versus water depth and their relation to the oxygen minimum zone (from box cores 1 - 10).
59
about the upper edge of the OMZ at approximately 525 m (Figure.29 and
32). McRae (1972) pointed out that most geoscientists studying the
formation of glauconite view a slightly reducing environment with modest
circulation as the most conducive for glauconitization. There is also a
delicate balance between the degree of physical confinment of a particle
and the amount of ionic exchange between the microenvironment within the
particle and the ambient open marine sea water (Odin and Matter, 1981).
Excessive confinment caused by too much mud in the sediment will prevent
formation of glauconite and insufficient confinment caused by too large
a mean grain size allows only glauconitic rinds to form. It is within a
slightly reducing and confined environment where circulation is suffi
cient for the exchange of iron necessary for glauconite formation to be
most effective. In strongly oxidizing environments, soluble iron is
precipitated and iron minerals oxidize; iron is thus largely immobi~
· lized. Glauconite also degenerates in contact with highly oxygenated
sea water (Odin and Stephan, 1982). Conversely, in strongly reducing
environments in the presence of organic matter or hydrogen sulfide, iron
is reduced and becomes soluble. The iron in solution is then either
precipitated as pyrite or migrates into sea water (Odin and Matter,
1981). Because strongly reducing environments usually require little or
no circulation to persist, iron exchange between the substrate and the
ambient sea water is insufficient and glauconite does not form (Odin and
Matter, 1981).
Berner (1981) suggested a geochemical classification of sediments
based on the presence of key minerals that enables researchers studying
60
..c ...... Q. (])
0
Percent Glauconite in Surficial Sand-size Material
J. iii i ·iii iii iii iii i iii iii iii iii iii iii iii i iii iii iii iii iii i iii i iii iii i iii iii iii iii i iii i. ~ 100o-·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.··"f........................................... ·.·
Figure 32. Percentage of glauconite (patterned) in the sandsize fraction of surface samples versus water depth and their relation to the oxygen minimum zone (from box cores 1- 10).
61
the rock record to interpret oxygen and sulfide concentrations of the
depositional environment. The presence or absence of dissolved oxygen
and dissolved sulfide in the sediments at the time of authigenic mineral
formation controls the characteristic phases present in the sediments.
Table 4 is a summary of Berner's (1981) environments and characteristic
phases.
Table 4.--Geochemica1 classification of marine sedimentary
environments ba.sed on mineral composition. (After Berner, 1981).
Environment
Oxic
Anoxic
Sulfidic
Nonsulfidic
Post-oxic
Methanic
Characteristic phases
Hematite, goethite, Mn0 2-type minerals; no organic matter
Figure 33. Compositional range of clay mineral assemblages from cores in the study area. Age assignments are biostratigraphically derived. Composition of source areas, province means and compositional limits of Province 2 (Pt. Reyes to northern Monterey Bay) and Province 3 (southern Monterey Bay to Pt. Buchon) are from Griggs and Hein (1980).
transported by the southerly flowing California Current. Sec9nd, the
contribution of clay minerals from rivers debauching into Monterey Bay
has not left a dominant imprint on the clay mineral assemblage of
surface sediments on the continental slope northwest of Point Sur.
Third, because the clay assemblage on the continental slope off Point
Sur bears a closer resemblance to Province 2 than to Province 3, the
boundary of Griggs and Hien (1980) in northern Monterey Bay separating
the two provinces may need to be redrawn farther south to include the
upper continental slope northwest of Point Sur in Province 2.
Total Organic Carbon Distribution in Surface Sediments
High total organic carbon (TOC) content in near surface sediments
often coincides with a minimum in dissolved oxygen in the oxygen minimum
zone (OMZ) developed in areas of coastal upwelling (Calvert and Price,
1971; Manheim and others, 1975) where surface biological productivity is
highest. In general, maximum TOC will normally occur on the upper slope
regardless of how depleted the OMZ becomes (Jones, 1983). This occurs
because slope sediments normally have a substantially smaller grain size
but often a sedimentation rate similar to that of shelf sediments, and a
comparable grain size but much higher sedimentation rates than abyssal
sediments. Increased bacterial activity in coarse-grained sediments of
shelf deposits and longer residence time of organic carbon in the water
column prior to deposition in abyssal sediments allow for oxidation of
the organic carbon (Demaison, 1981). Thus, the long-noted broad corre
lation seen between particle size and TOC content (Trask, 1932)
67
precludes coarse-grained shelf deposits from containing substantial
organic carbon under normal conditions.
On the Washington and Oregon continental margin, the highest TOC
values (approximately 3.2 percent) are on the middle and upper slope
where the oxygen deficient OMZ and generally fine-grained deposits
co-exist (Gross and others, 1972). An analogous situation occurs on the
margin off Point Sur, California. The highest TOC content in surficial
sediments is on the upper slope where fine-grained sediment and low
oxygen content co~exist (see Figures 27 and 29). It is noteworthy that
the highest TOC value (2.5 weight percent) is almost 200 m below the
OMZ where oxygen conditions are low but not at a minimum. TOC in the
sediments between 279 and 1200 m display a strong correlation with the
percentage of clay (compare Figures 7 and 6) and weak correlation with
the oxygen content of overlying water. The correlation coefficient for
percent clay and weight percent TOC is 0.95, whereas the correlation
coefficient for o2 content and TOC is 0.66. It therefore appears that
the TOC content of sediment on the slope off Point Sur is controlled
primarily by the percentage of clay in the sediment and not by the o2
content of the water impinging on the slope.
Correlation of Cores
Systematic change of several measured parameters and visible
features with depth in the cores are useful for correlating the cores.
Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphic correlation is reliable for
regional and interregional correlation because changes in species
68
abundance and morphology occur in response to changes in oceanic
conditions (Keller, 1978). The coiling direction of Neog1oboquadrina
pachyderms, shown to be a temperature-related trait (Ericson, 1959;
Bandy, 1960), is useful for both biostratigraphic correlation and
paleoclimatic interpretation. The change in coiling direction from the
late Pleistocene sinistral-dominated population to the Holocene dextral
dominated population of~· pachyderma between 11,000 and 12,000 years BP
(Bandy and Ingle, 1970; Ingle, 1973a) was caused by southward and north
ward shifts of critical ocean surface isotherms within the California
Current (Ingle, 1967, 1973a, 1973b).
Gardner and others (in press) assigned age datum lines determined
from 14c to intervals of change in coiling direction and abundance of
N. pachyderms and variations in the relative abundance of other key
planktonic foraminiferal species in core V1-80-P3 (Figure 26) taken from
1600 m of water west of the Russian River, California. Similar
variations are observed in many of the cores in the present study area,
and tentative age assignments have been made (see Biostratigraphic
Correlation section).
Carbonate content in hemipelagic sediments, controlled by a complex
interaction of productivity, dilution, and dissolution, has been shown
to exhibit systematic variation with depth in cores, and it was used to
correlate intervals in cores (Gorsline and others, 1968) and to identify
the Holocene-Pleistocene boundary (Gorsline and Prensky, 1975). A com
bination of low carbonate content ((10 weight percent) and low level
variation in content in the cores of the study area makes carbonate
69
correlation difficult and tentative. Nevertheless, some features are
evident (see Carbonate Content Correlation section).
Biostratigraphic Correlations
Systematic variation in planktonic foraminiferal species abundance
versus 14c ages from core Vl-80-P3 is shown in Figure 26. When similar
variations such as the peaks in~. quinqueloba and G. glutinata at
15,000 years BP, the low in left coiling~· pachyderma at 13,000 years
BP, and the maximum in~. quinqueloba at 9,500 years BP were observed in
the cores from off Point Sur, appropriate age datum lines were assigned.
The variation in planktonic foraminiferal species abundance in GC-3
between 80 em and 180 em exhibits a close correspondence with observed
variations in core Vl-8G-P3 for the 9,500 to 15,000 years BP interval
and correlations have been made (Figure 18). Similar correlations have
also been made with gravity cores 2, 4, 7, and 8, and are shown individ
ually in Figures 19 through 25 and collectively in Figure 34. Plank
tonic foraminifer species abundance in gravity cores 1, 2, 6, and 7 do
not exhibit recognizable systematic variation that can be correlated
with core V1-80-P3 or the other cores. Perhaps slumps, slides, creep,
or different accumulation rates during the Holocene covered those parts
of the slope so that the recognizable interval was not penetrated by the
cores. Nevertheless, the change in the rate of increase of left coiling
N. pachyderma and a corresponding change in the ratio of left coiling
and right coiling N. pachyderma at approximately 140 em in GC-6 and 150
em in GC-7 suggest a possible correlation between the two cores. The
relative abundance of other key planktonic foraminiferal species in
70
0
25 Ul
Q; 50 4i
.5 "' 75
0 u .5
100
.c c. 125 Ql 0
150
175
200
225
GC-1 GC-2 GC-3 GC-4
(505 m) (717 m) (832 m) (882 m)
sS Ma
cSs
--12.5 ky-?-··
cs
sc
ss '<> css ·.s
-----"' -l-.s.,
cs
Ss ~ .S sc
- ~C_! -+.J..
cs
cSs
cs
csS
Biostratigraphic correlatiOn wlfh ass1gned age, Quened where age uncertain ,dolled where
not J[.IOhcable to core: ky =thousand years. Ma • mdhon yef'Jrs,
GC-5
(983 m)
GC-6 GC-7 GC-8 GC-9
(1072 m) (1183 m) (1277 m) (1420 m)
. -9.5 -1/ .,"' cs
IJ..• " --?--···· cs···· ··12.5 ky·· ·· cs· · --?
cs
.. 15 ky .. _....\ "''1-~ sc
sc cs
cs sc
cs
clay Sse snnd slit cldy sS silty sand
sc silly clay sand
cs clayey silt cS clayey sand
slit Sc sandy clily
Ss sundy silt clay
Figure 34. Biostratigraphic correlation of gravity cores. Ages determined from correlation of planktonic foraminifers in gravity cores with core Vl-8D-P3 of Gardner and others (in press).
two cores suggests that the sediments are less than 12,000 years old,
perhaps 7,000 years or less.
The 9 million year age assigned to the lower portion of.GC-1, based
on the diatom assemblage, combined with an absence of planktonic foram
inifers precludes correlation with the Quaternary biostratigraphy of
core V1-80-P3 or the cores in the study area.
Carbonate Content Correlation
A systematic variation in carbonate content enables correlation to
be made between three gravity cores and two box cores collected between
832 and 1020 m. In BC-7 and BC-8, and GC-3, GC-4, and GC-5, the reduc
tion of carbonate by one hal~ from that of deeper sediments occurs in
the interval from 35 to 15 em; in GC-5 the interval is 65 to 15 em (see
Figure 11). The decrease in carbonate may reflect any one or a combi
nation of: (1) a decrease in carbonate productivity, (2) dissolution,
and (3) dilution. The ratio of planktonic to benthic foraminifers given
in Table 6 shows a distinct drop in the percentage of planktonic foram
inifers occurring between 35 and 15 em. The decrease in planktonic
foraminifers above approximately 35 em is probably the result of prefer
ential dissolution of the thin tests of planktonic foraminifers (Berger,
1979). Also occurring within this interval is a textural facies change
from silty clay and clayey silt to sandy, clayey silt separated by a
sharp contact. A 14c date in BC-7 at 34-36 em (just below the sharp
contact) is 10,330 years BP. Correlations between the gravity cores and
box cores indicate that the textural change and decrease in carbonate
content have occurred less than 10,000 years BP. Gardner and others (in
72
73
Table 6.--Ratios of planktonic foraminifers to benthic foraminifers
in box cores 7 and 8 and gravity cores 3, 4, and 5 from 0 to 65 em
Ratio of planktonic to benthic foraminifers
Depth GC-3 GC-4 BC-7 GC-5 BC-8 (em) (832 m) (862 m) ( 905 m) (983 m) (1020 m)
0 7:93 13:87
5 5:95 2:98 4:96
10 9:91 15:85
15 3:97 1:99 9:91
20 10:90 21:79
25 4:96 32:68 31:69
30 1:99
35 19:81 37:63 59:41 58:42
40 42:58
45 21:79 51:49 52:48
50
55 23:77 64:36
60
65 15:85 46:54
press) have tentatively interpreted the interval from 0 to o,SOO years
BP in core V1-80-P3 to be dissolution affected. The onset of disso
lution less than approximately 10,000 years BP may have resulted from
changes in oceanographic conditions that followed rapid deglaciation
and sea level rise. Secular carbonate dissolution cycles have been
correlated with deglaciation throughout the Pleistocene (Shackleton and
Opdyke, 1973, 1976). The last four periods of maximum warming and sea
level rise are associated with dissolution minima (a preservation
spike). The preservation spike at the end of the Pleistocene was
followed immediately by the present period of dissolution--the Holocene
dissolution pulse (Thompson and Saito, 1974). Thompson and Saito (1974)
used oxygen isotope data to correlate the beginning of the Holocene
dissolution pulse (10,000 ±2,500 years BP) with the oxygen isotope Stage
1-2 boundary (13,000 years BP) of Shackleton and Opdyke (1973). The low
carbonate content and low planktonic to benthic foraminiferal ratio in
the tops of cores between 832 and 1020 m off Point Sur may represent the
Holocene dissolution pulse brought about by deglaciation and correlate
with the oxygen isotope Stage 1-2 boundary of Shackleton and Opdyke
(1973, 1976). However, without oxygen isotope data from the present
study area, this correlation cannot be confirmed.
Lithostratigraphic Correlation
Systematic distribution of textural and compositional facies and
depositional structures enable tentative correlations to be made between
box and gravity cores. These correlations are shown on Figure 35.
The glauconitic sand facies is present in the upper 10 to 25 em of
74
200
400
600
BOO
1000
1200
1400
0 5
~ --3 Horizontal Distance (km)
GC-9
- _') ____ _
Lithologic corretation, dashed where inferred, QUetied where uncertain,
dotted where not applicable due to ol!set ot cores on cross section
Carbonate content correlation
lithologic facies change
Approximate contact ol Miocene sediment with
younger Terliary and Quaternary sediment
- '-
I I
I
' ' I
Clay
Silt
200
400
600
I BOO I
I I
I I I I 0 I 1000
I Clay
50
Sc Sandy clay 'E u 1200
100 m cS Clayey sand 0
(.)
.<: s Sand 150 = c.
m
sS Silty sand 0
200
Ss Sandy silt
Silt 250
cs Clayey silt
sc Silty clay
Sse Sand, slit, clay
Figure 35. Correlation chart of box and gravity cores from the continental slope northwest of Point Sur, California. Textural nomenclature from Shepard (1954).
cores between 350 to 750 m. An irregular erosional contact approx
imately 20 em beneath the surface separates the glauconitic sand from
Miocene nonglauconitic, silty sand in GC-1 and BC-2.
A silty sand that grades into sandy, clayey silt down slope is
present in the upper 20 to 60 em of cores between 690 and 1085 m. A
strong correlation of that layer can be made between cores from 832 to
1020 m, based on similar carbonate content and juxtaposition of the
layer to an irregular contact with silty clay or clayey silt already
discussed in the Carbonate Content Correlation section. Correlation of
the uppermost clayey, sandy silt and silty s~nd of GC-3 with the rela
tively coarse material in cores between 690 and 785 m is uncertain.
Laminated sediments in GC-3 and GC-5 at 78 em and 75 em down core,
respectively, appear to correlate. Both are at approximately the same
depth and are located 10 to 15 em above the 12,500 year BP datum.
Planktonic foraminifers in GC-3 su~gest a 10,500 years BP age for the
laminated zone.
A questionable correlation of a sandy, clayey silt interval 30 to
35 em down core, below a clayey silt, is made in BC-9, BC-10, and GC-8.
The interval in BC-10 has a 14c age of 3,175 yr BP. Another question
able correlation between a )70 em thick, clayey silt and underlying
silty clay is made in GC-5, GC-8, and GC-9. The boundary appears to be
time-transgressive, becoming younger with distance from shore.
Clay Composition. A change in the clay mineral assemblage on the
slope northwest of Point Sur has occurred with time. The assemblage
displays a decrease in the amount of smectite, an increase in the amount
76
of illite, and an increase in the amount of chlorite + koalinite
relative to surficial sediments of the same core (see Table 5). The
change may represent a change in provenance of fine grained material
from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene. With a lower sea level
during the late Pleistocene glacial interval, sediment carried by the
Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems could have bypassed San
Francisco Bay and the exposed shelf and debouched directly into coastal
waters. Clays emanating from the San Francisco Bay have a lower
percentage of smectite (see Figure 33). The suspended sediment from
this source may have been entrained in the California Current and
transported south, lowering the smectite percentage of the assemblages
deposited off Point Sur during the late Pleistocene. As sea level rose
and flooded San Francisco Bay, beginning 10,000-11,000 years ago, much
of the clay in the rivers entering the bay was impounded (Atwater and
others, 1977). The Russian River then became the dominant source of
clays in Province 2 during the Holocene {Griggs and Rein, 1980).
Sedimentation Rates
Rates Derived From 14c Data
The 14c dates in excess of 35,000 years BP in GC-1 and BC-2 are
from a glauconite-rich, mud-poor layer that contains a high percentage
of transported and broken foraminifers (Kristin McDougall, written
commun., 1983). These attributes suggest erosion, nondeposition, or
extremely low sedimentation rates on the slope between 390 and 505 m
of water.
77
An average accumulation rate of 2.6 cm/ky is derived for the
interval between 14-16 em (2,525 yr BP) and 34-36 em (10,330 yr BP) in
BC-7. The two samples submitted for 14c ages are separated by a sharp
irregular contact. The amount of bioturbation and preserved burrow
structures, identified on X-radiographs, are different in the sediments
above and below the contact and may be the result of different thixo
tropic response of the sediments to biogenic disturbances (Edwards, in
press) or to a change in the type and rate of sedimentation. The change
in sediment texture at this sharp, irregular contact along with the
change in burrow recognizability and lack of significant burrowing
across the boundary suggests either erosion or a period of nondeposition
followed by a change in the texture of sedimentation, or the base of a
fluidal sediment gravity deposit. The sinking of heavier into lighter
sediment resulted in load structures on the irregular contact. In
either case, the contact marks an interval of discontinuous sedimen
tation. However, because the irregular contact separating the two
samples is present in all cores between 832 and 1020 m, the accumulation
rate of 2.6 cm/ky is representative for the time interval between 10,000
and 2,500 years between those depths. This value is in close agreement
with a hemipelagic sedimentation rate of approximately 2.0 cm/ky calcu
lated from a water column total particulate flux value of 150 mg/m2/day
(assuming an average sediment density of 2.7 g/cm3 ) measured in 900 m of
water west of Point Sur (Martin and Knauer, 1983). This particulate
flux value does not appear to be anomalous for the Point Sur margin,
because similar values have been reported at sites off northern
78
California as well (Fischer and others, 1983).
An average accumulation rate of 16.1 cm/ky is derived for the
interval between 14-16 em (1,930 years BP) and 32-34 em (3,175 years BP)
in BC-10. The two samples are separated by 20 em of bioturbated sed
iment with a gradational change between the lower sandy, clayey silt and
the upper clayey silt. The gradational change in textural type between
the two dated intervals suggests continuous sedimentation. The rate of
16.1 cm/ky is therefore considered to be a representive sedimentation
rate during the last 3,000 years for the slope at 1200 m off Point Sur,
California.
The 16.1 cm/ky value derived from 14c differs by an order of
magnitude from the particulate flux derived rate (2.0 cm/ky), but it
is close to some of the rates calculated from biostratigraphically
identified intervals (see s~ction on biostratigraphically derived
sedimentation rates). It is also very close to a 14.7 cm/ky rate
estimated from 14c dates in sediments from the continental slope off
northern California (Gardner and others, in press).
Rates Derived From Biostratigraphic Data
The correlation of gravity cores from the continental slope north
west of Point Sur with core Vl-80-P3 allows tentative age assignments
to be made on individual cores. From these age datum lines, sediment
accumulation rates for 0 to 12,500 and 12,500 to 15,000 years BP have
been calculated. Three features are readily apparent after analyzing
the data in Table 7. First, the accumulation rate for the 12,500 to
15,000 year BP interval is greater than the rate for the 0 to 12,500
79
year BP interval. The higher sediment accumulation rates from 12,500 to
15,000 years BP, particularly evident in the deeper cores, have also
been observed off southern California where accumulation was 2 to 10
times greater during the colder period from 12,000 to 17,000 years BP
than during the Holocene (Gorsline and Prensky, 1975). Off the Russian
River, accumulation rates increased from 14.4 cm/ky during 0 to 11,200
years BP to 27.9 cm/ky between 11,200 and 14,800 years BP (Gardner and
others, in press) Second, the accumulation rate during the 12,500 to
15,000 year BP interval increases with distance from shore, possibly a
shadow effect of the California Undercurrent. Third, the accumulation
rate during the 0 to 12,500 year BP interval displays a slight decrease
with distance from shore.
Table 7.-- The biostratigraphically derived sediment accumulation
rates (cm/ky) in gravity cores from the upper continental slope
northwest of Point Sur, California.
Gravity Cores
Age Intervals GC-3 GC-4 GC-5 GC-8 GC-9 Depth in Core (832 m) (862 m) (983 m) (1277 m) (1420 m)
(ky)
0-12.5 7 10 8 7 4
12.5-15 10 14 15 20 31
The discrepancy between the biostratigraphic accumulation rate of
approximately 7 cm/ky for the last 12,500 years and the 14c accumulation
rate of 16.1 cm/ky for the last 3,000 years at approximately the same
80
water depth is perplexing. Possible explanations include an increase in
the accumulation rate from early Holocene to late Holocene so the
average for the entire period is lower, the occurrence of a depositional
hiatus of several thousand years with resumption of sedimentation at the
higher rate, or the occurrence of a slide that removed several thousand
years of accumulated sediment and no change in sedimentation rate.
Evidence in support of a hiatus or a slide include: (1) a sharp,
irr~ular contact in cores between 832 and 1020 m, (2) a change in
texture and carbonate content across the contact, and (3) preferential
dissolution of planktonic foraminifers above but not below the contact.
If the sedimentation rate of 16 cm/ky is used to extrapolate back in
time in BC-7 from the 2,500 year BP 14c age of sed-iments 14-16 em down
core to the irregular contact 30 em down core, the approximate age of
the sediment immediately above the contact is 3,500 years BP. The age
of the slide or the duration of the hiatus can then be calculated. The
slide would have occurred approximately 3,500 years ago and removed
7,000 years of accumulated sediment. The hiatus, marked by the sharp,
irregular contact in BC-7, has a duration of approximately 7,000 years;
the duration is based on the separation of two 14c dates: the estimated
age above the contact is 3,500 years BP and the age below is 10,330
years BP. A more detailed 14c investigation is needed to confirm the
estimate. Additional support for a slide in preference to a hiatus may
be the lack of correlatable variation in abundance of planktonic
foraminiferal species in cores GC-6 and GC-7 with other gravity cores.
Those two cores may not have been in the area affected by the slide.
81
However, without high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, a positive
identification and location of the slide cannot be established. A
possible cause for the hiatus in cores between 830 and 1020 m was
sediment bypassing owing to shelf edge and upper slope turbulence
combined with an early Holocene lowering of the erosional- or
nondepositional-depositional regime boundary, presently located between
approximately 600 and 800 m. Curray (1965) noted that the rise in sea
level was so rapid during the interval from 18,000 to 7,000 years BP
that deposition of shelf facies (and shelf spillover) " ••• did not
commence until about 7,000 years ago or even later." In any event, the
data on hand are inconclusive and either a slide or a depositional
hiatus are possible.
82
CONCLUSIONS
1. Sediments of the upper slope northwest of Point Sur, California
display a down-slope decrease in mean grain size. A glauconitic sand
facies is present between 350 and 650 m. Below 650 m the sediment is
composed primarily of terrigenous material with a biogenic and authi
genic component.
2. A change from erosion or nondeposition to deposition occurs between
600 and 800 m indicated by: a change in texture through the transition
zone and location of. the mudline at 800 m, an increase in fine-sand-size
mica and siliceous microfossils, and the presence of surficial
glauconite.
3. Oxygen content affects the composition of surficial sand-size
sediment. Benthic foraminifers are at a minimum in the middle of the
OMZ, increasing up and down slope with increasing oxygen content.
Glauconite is concentrated at the upper edge of the OMZ, whereas fecal
pellets are concentrated at the lower edge.
4. Total organic carbon in surficial sediments appears to be controlled
more by sediment grain size than oxygen content. The greatest amount of
total organic carbon is at 1200 min the most clay-rich sediment. The
correlation coefficient for percent clay and weight percent total
organic carbon is 0.95. The correlation coefficient between oxygen
content and percent total organic carbon is 0.66.
5. Surficial clay minerals in water shallower than approximately 600 m
have a slightly different assemblage than those deeper than 600 m.
The shallower group has less smectite and more illite and chlorite plus
kaolinite than the deeper group. Possible reasons for the differing
assemblages include: physical sorting by size, different provenance, or
diagenetic loss of smectite during glauconitization of the substrate.
Diagenetic loss of smectite during glauconitization of the substrate
may be the major cause for the different assemblages.
6. The average late Pleistocene clay assemblage in cores 832 m and
deeper contain less smectite and more illite and chlorite plus kaolinite
than average surficial clays from the same cores. The change may rep
resent a change in provenance from the San Francisco Bay river system to
the Russian River when sea level rose, flooded the bay and impounded
much of the clay mineral load.
7. Biostratigraphic analyses of box and gravity cores indicate that a
Miocene-Holocene (?) unconformity of unknown origin is present in the
shallow subsurface at water depths between 390 and 505 m. Deeper cores
contain only Holocene and late Pleistocene sediments.
8. Biostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic correlations combined with
l4c analyses indicate that sediment accumulation rates during the late
Pleistocene increased with increasing water depth from 10 cm/ky at 832 m
to 31 cm/ky at 1400 m. Accumulation rates were also more rapid in the
late Pleistocene than during the Holocene (7 cm/ky for the Holocene and
10 cm/ky for the late Pleistocene at 832 m; 4 cm/ky for the Holocene and
31 cm/ky for the late Pleistocene at 1400 m).
9. A sharp, irregular contact in Holocene sediments is presently 20
to 30 em beneath the sediment-water interface in cores between 832 and
84
1020 m. The origin of the irregular contact is uncertain, but it may
be a slide surface upon which approximately a 7,00Q-year accumulation of
sediment was removed, or a depositional hiatus of a 7,000-year duration
resulting from a combination of sediment bypassing owing to shelf edge
and upper slope turbulence and an early Holocene lowering of the
erosional- or nondepositional-depositional regime boundary.
85
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93
94
APPENDIX A
Description of Gravity Cores
Texture Sediment
Structure
0 s
E v ~ w 25 sS a: 0 0
~ -----::I: 50 1-
Scs a. - -w c cs
75 --Scs
100
clay
GRAVITY CORE 1 (505 m) .
GLAUCONITE SAND, mica- and foraminifer-bearing, olive black (SY 2/1); homogeneous; contains irregular bored PHOSPHORITE PEBBLES and bivalve shell fragments. sharp, irregular contact
SILTY SAND, olive gray (SY 3/2); convoluted laminae; few burrows, sharp walled, infilled with laminated micaceous CLAYEY SILT.
SILTY SAND, foraminifer- and mica-bearing, grayish olive (lOY 4/2) to olive brown (5Y 4/1); mottled with dark gray (N2) patches; bivalve shell fragments at 54 and 63 em; foraminifer-filled burrow at 68 em.
CLAYEY SILT, grayish olive (lOY 4/2); bioturbated; open burrow (1 em across) at 10 em down core; bivalve (?) shell at 61 em; rock fragment (0.4 em across) at 76 em down core; wood chip at 144 em.
SILTY CLAY, grayish olive; bioturbated.
1-' 0 0
0
25
E 50 ()
w a: 0 (.) 75 ~ :X: 1-0. 100 w 0
125
150
Texture Sediment
Structure
§ ~\
~) ~)
f( ))
\
cs
GRAVITY CORE 7 ( 1183 m)
CLAYEY SILT, grayish olive green (SGY 3/2) to grayish olive (lOY 4/2); bioturbated; unknown biogenic fragments((.S em across) at 12 and 16 em down core, bivalve shell fragment at 42 em; foraminifer-bearing layer (4 em thick) at 90 em.
Texture
0 cs
-----sc
25 -----Scs r-----sc r-----
50
75
E u
100 cs w a: 0 ()
~ 125
:X: r-D.. w 0 150
-----sc ------
175
cs
200
Sediment
Structure
))<;
m ))
)~
))
)~
)~
S\
GRAVITY CORE 8 (1277 m)
CLAYEY SILT, grayish olive (lOY 4/2); mottled with medium dark gray (N4) burrows (1 em across) at 6 and 10 em down core. SILTY CLAY, grayish olive; homogeneous. SANDY CLAYEY SILT, grayish olive; homogeneous. SILTY CLAY, grayish olive; homogeneous.
CLAYEY SILT, light olive gray (5Y 5/2) to grayish olive; bioturbated and mottled with dark gray (N4) patches; burrows (2 to 5 em across) at 70 and 77 em infilled with pelletal mud; shell fragments at 115 and 120 em.
SILTY CLAY, grayish olive; bioturbated.
CLAYEY SILT, grayish olive, bioturbated.
1-' 0 N
GRAVITY CORE 9 ( 1400 m)
Texture Sediment
Structure
0 )})
25 ~~~ ))\
50 )))
cs )) CLAYEY SILT, olive gray (5Y 3/2); bioturbated and mottled; shell fragments at 95 and 105 G
GRAVELLY SAND, PHOSPHORITE NODULES, GRANODIORITE and metasedimentary rock pebbles and granules, foraminiferrich, mica-, mafic mineral-, and GLAUCONITE-bearing, olive gray (SY 3/2); homogeneous.
Sse sand silt clay sS silty sand
sc silty clay s sand
cs clayey silt cS clayey sand
s si It Sc sandy clay
Ss sandy silt c clay
silt
w moderately bioturbated iii laminated
[I] faintly bioturbated
-ru faintly laminated t-' 0 1.0
0
5
E 10 0
w 0:: 15 0 (.)
20 ~ :::c 25 1-0.. w 30 0
35
40
45
Box Core 2 {390 m)
Graphic lithology Structure
G G
G ~Gr;J G S G G
0
sS
GLAUCONITE SAND, foraminifer-rich, mica- and mafic mineral- bearing, olive black (SY 4/1); homogeneous; metasedimentary pebble at 2 em, PHOSPHORITE and GRANODIORITE pebbles at 5 to 12 em.
sharp irregular contact
SILTY SAND, mica-, mafic mineral-, GLAUCONITE-, and foraminifer-bearing, olive gray (SY 3/2); convoluted to faintly laminated; mottled with greenish gray {SGY 6/1), silty sand and sand patches.
t-' t-' 0
0
5
E (J 10
w 0: 15 0 0
20 ~ :::c 25 1-Q. w 30 0
35
40
45
Box Core 3 (510 m)
Graphic lithology Structure
G
G
G
GRAVELLY GLAUCONITE SAND, PHOSPHORITE and GRANODIORITE pebbles and granules, mica-, mafic mineral-, and foraminifer-bearing, olive gray (SY 3/2); homogeneous.
0
5
E 10 u
w a: 15 0 (.)
~ 20
::c 1-
25 0.. w 30 0
35
40
45
Box Core 4 (59 3m)
Graphic Lithology Structure
G G G G G
e> G G G
G G G
s G G
G G
GLAUCONITE SAND, mica-, mafic-, and foraminifer-bearing, olive gray (SY 3/2) to brownish black (5YR 2/1); bioturbated to homogeneous; open burrow containing several gastopod and bivalve shells at 5 to 7 em down core; wood chips at 6 and 15 em; several burrows ( (0.2cm across) between 20 and 25 em.
t-' t-' N
0
5
E 10 u
LU a: 15 0 (.)
20 z :c 25 t-a. LU 30 0
35
40
45
Box Core 5 (690 m)
Graphic Lithology Structure
sS
5 I-- - -- --
s
SILTY SAND, mafic mineral-, GLAUCONITE-, and foraminifer-bearing, dark greenish gray (SGY 4/1); bioturbated; burrows (<O.l em across) in upper 6 em.
SAND, mica-, mafic mineral-, GLAUCONITE-, and foraminifer-bearing, dark greenish gray; homogeneous.
CLAYEY SANDY SILT, mica- and foraminifer-bearing, light olive gray; bioturbated.
SILTY SAND, mica- and mafic mineral-bearing, light olive gray; bioturbated; burrows {<0.2 em across) at 14, 20 and 26 em.
0
5
E 10 ()
w a: 15 0 0
20 ~ J: 25 t-0. w 30 0
35
40
45
Box Core 7 (905 m)
Graphic Lithology Structure
cSs ))
sc
CLAYEY SANDY SILT, mica- and fecal pellet-bearing, grayish olive green (SGY 3/2); bioturbated and mottled with light olive gray (SY 5/2) patches of same material as below contact.
sharp irregular contact
SILTY CLAY, foraminifer-bearing, light olive gray; bioturbated and mottled with material from above contact.