Zanclean/Piacenzian transition on Cyprus (SE Mediterranean): calcareous nannofossil evidence of sapropel formation

Abstract

Quantitative analyses of calcareous nannofossils in the sediments of Pissouri South section on the island of Cyprus have produced a paleoceanographic record reflecting the paleoclimatic conditions during the Zanclean/Piacenzian transition. Pissouri South cyclical lithological alternations between organic-rich laminated layers and grey marls reflect the Earth's orbital precession. According to the calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy which has been performed, the studied section is correlated with MNN14/15 and MNN16 calcareous nannofossil biozones and is astronomically dated between 4.065 and 3.217 Ma. Intervals of increased organic carbon content, along with the positive values of Florisphaera profunda, Helicosphaera sellii, Discoaster spp. and the subsequent increase of stratification S-index, correspond to the sapropel deposition during periods of wetter climate and intense continental runoff, especially from the river Nile. These layers alternate with grey marly intervals, featured by the increased values of small placoliths of Reticulofenestra and Gephyrocapsa species, which are indicative of eutrophic conditions during intense surface-water mixing. Our data support the prevalence of a generally warm phase characterized by the absence of high-frequency climate variations in the southeastern Mediterranean during the Zanclean/Piacenzian (Early/Late Pliocene) transition.

Calcareous nannofossil and foraminiferal trace element records in the Sorbas Basin: A new piece of the Messinian Salinity Crisis onset puzzle

“…The CN assemblages recorded at the transition from upper marls to sapropel and in the basal portion of the sapropel is dominated by R. minuta, U. rotula and C. leptoporus gr. Reticulofenestra minuta reflects high nutrient availability in the upper water column (Flores et al, 1995(Flores et al, , 2000Takahashi and Okada, 2000;Wade & Bown, 2006;Imai et al, 2013Imai et al, , 2015Imai et al, , 2017Auer et al, 2014;Athanasiou et al, 2015) as also highlighted by U. rotula (see 4.1). In our results, C. leptoporus gr.…”

Investigation of the Inherent Variability of the Mediterranean Sea Under Contrasting Extreme Climatic Conditions

“…Climatic teleconnections have been proposed to be linked with the Younger Dryas event (Cacho et al, 2001;Gogou et al, 2007;Marino et al, 2009). For the sapropel deposition intervals, data from the different sites indicate that, during these warm periods, the Eastern Mediterranean Sea was influenced by increased river discharges due to an enhanced monsoon activity over North Africa (Rossignol-Strick, 1985;Almogi-Labin et al, 2009;Athanasiou et al, 2015Athanasiou et al, , 2017Rohling et al, 2015) and a higher amount of rainfall around the Northern borderlands (Gogou et al, 2007;Kotthoff et al, 2008;Triantaphyllou et al, 2016).…”

Quaternary multi-proxy analysis of the paleoenvironment, paleogeography and active tectonics of the Corinth Isthmus

“…Triantaphyllou, 2015), stratigraphy (e.g. Triantaphyllou, 2013;Athanasiou et al, 2015;Foroughi et al, 2017). Their appearance is widely used during the last decades in marine biostratigraphy and the biozonation of calcareous nannofossils was established by several researchers in the past, while their presence is widely used to determine the chronological framework of an area (e.g.…”