A gravity core SK-221 recovered from the southeastern Arabian Sea near Laccadive-Chagos Ridge was examined to identify the sources of detrital clay minerals and to decipher paleoenvironmental changes for the last 30 kyr. The clay mineral assemblages predominantly consist of illite, kaolinite and chlorite with small amounts of smectite. Quartz, feldspar and occasionally gibbsite are the clay-sized non-clay minerals present in the examined section. The detrital clay minerals primarily originated from the hinterland and were supplied to the present site by the numerous small rivers draining western India during preglacial and Holocene periods, and partly by the strong reworking of Indian continental shelf during glacial period. The low values of humidity proxies (kaolinite content, kaolinite to illite and smectite to illite ratios) and better illite crystallinity indicate relatively weak summer monsoon condition that resulted in reduced chemical weathering during glacial period, which was interrupted by a discrete event of winter monsoon intensification at ∼20-17 ka. The increased kaolinite content, higher values of humidity indices and poorer illite crystallinity reflect high humidity that resulted in strong hydrolysis activity during the preglacial and Holocene periods. The increased CaCO 3 during above periods also indicates less terrigenous dilution and intensified southwest monsoon-led upwelling which result in higher surface biogenic productivity. The characteristic clay mineral associations broadly suggest dry to semi-drier conditions during Heinrich Events H1, H2, and H3 and also during Younger Dryas. The low values of biogenic carbonate and organic carbon also indicate low productivity associated with weak summer monsoons during Heinrich Events. Abrupt increased humidity was recorded at 15-12.7 ka (Bølling/Allerød Event) sandwiched between two lows of Heinrich Events. Cycles of millennial timescale variations 2300, 1800, 1300 and 1000 yr have been observed from the clay mineralogical data. All the cycles observed in the monsoonal climate appear to be part of global oscillations.
The species diversity indices, as defined by the number of species, S; Shannon-Wiener index, H(S) and Buzas-Gibson index, E', of DSDP sites 219, 220, 237 and 238 were measured to determine the benthic foraminiferal diversity patterns in the Indian Ocean deep sea sequences during the Neogene. The Time-Stability hypothesis could satisfactorily explain the observed diversity patterns. The general patterns of diversity suggest environmental stability during the Neogene. However, few small fluctuations in diversity during the Middle Miocene (c.14.8 Ma), Late Miocene (c.6.0 Ma) and Late Pliocene (c.2.0 Ma) may possibly be the effects of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) activity in this region. The benthic foraminiferal diversity in the tropical Indian Ocean is more than the high latitudinal areas with comparable depths.
Changes in the abundance of selected planktic foraminiferal species and some sedimentological parameters at ODP site 728A were examined to understand the fluctuations in the surface productivity and deep sea oxygenation in the NW Arabian Sea during last ∼540 kyr. The increased relative abundances of high fertility taxa, i.e., Globigerinita glutinata and Globigerina bulloides mainly during interglacial intervals indicate intense upwelling. Strong SW summer monsoon probably increased the upwelling in the western Arabian Sea during interglacial intervals and caused high surface productivities due to the lateral transport of eutrophic waters. Most of the glacial periods (i.e., MIS 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12) are characterized by higher relative abundances of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei associated with Globigerinoides ruber. The more stratified condition and deep mixed layer due to increased NE winter monsoon are mainly responsible for the higher relative abundances of N. pachyderma during glacial periods. Some of the glacial intervals (i.e., MIS 6 and 8) are also characterized by pteropod spikes reflecting deepening of aragonite compensation depth (ACD) and relatively less intense oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in this region due to deep sea mixing and thermocline ventilation, and relatively less intense surface productivity during winter monsoon. The interglacial periods are largely devoid of pteropod shells indicating more aragonite dissolution due to increased intensity of OMZ in the northwestern Arabian Sea.In general, the interglacial periods are characterized by low sediment accumulation rates than the glacial intervals. On an average, the total biogenic carbonate percentages were higher during interglacial and during periods of higher surface productivity. Most terrigenous material was trapped on shelf during intervals of high sea level stands of interglacial, whereas more erosion of shelf increased the sedimentation rates during glacial periods. In addition, the fragmentation record may be the result of changes in intensity and vertical distribution of the OMZ with time. During glacial intervals, the lower boundary of the OMZ probably was in a shallower position than during interglacial periods, when dissolution increased as a result of higher organic production. The higher rates of sinking organic matter result into a stronger OMZ as oxygen is used to disintegrate the organic matter. This process lowers the p H of water which results into increased dissolution of calcium carbonate.
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