Elsevier, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 11-12(56), p. 725-737
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.07.026
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A quantitative analysis of planktonic foraminifera, coupled with petrophysical and paleomagnetic measurements and 14C AMS calibrations, was carried out on a deep core recovered in the Sardinia Channel (Western Mediterranean Sea), during the CIESM Sub2 survey, providing an integrated stratigraphic time-framework over the last 80 kyr. Significant changes in the quantitative distribution of planktonic foraminifera allowed the identification of several eco-bioevents useful to accurately mark the boundaries of the eco-biozones widely recognised in the Western Mediterranean records and used for large scale correlations. Namely, 10 eco-biozones were identified based on the relative abundance of selected climate sensitive planktonic foraminiferal species. Sixteen codified eco-bioevents were correlated with the Alboran Sea planktonic foraminiferal data and four climatic global events (Sapropel S1, Younger Dryas, Greenland Isotope Interstadial 1, Greenland Isotope Stadial 2, Heinrich event H1-H6) were recognized. The eco-bioevents together with the 14C AMS calibrations concurred to define an accurate age model, spanning between 2 and 83 kyr cal. BP. The reliability of the age model was confirmed by comparing the colour reflectance (550 nm%) data of the studied record with the astronomically tuned one of the Ionian sea (ODP-Site 964). A mean sedimentation rate of about 7 cm/kyr was evaluated including three turbidite event beds that were chronologically constrained within the relative low stand and lowering sea level phases of the MIS 4 and MIS 3. The deep sea sedimentary record includes a distinct tephra occurring at the base of the core which dates 79 ka. The paleomagnetic data provide a well-defined record of the characteristic remanent magnetization that may be used to reconstruct the geomagnetic paleosecular variation for the Mediterranean back to 83 kyr cal. BP.