Nature 301, 594 - 597 (17 February 1983); doi:10.1038/301594a0

Effects of diagenetic recrystallization on ¹⁸O/¹⁶O values of deep-sea sediments

John S. Killingley

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California 92093, USA

The oxygen isotopic record in deep-sea sediments is a chief source of information on ocean and climate history of the Tertiary period. Traditionally interpretations have focused on the relative importance of temperature change and of polar ice buildup as dominant generating factors¹⁻⁶. Effects of diagenesis have been largely ignored. Here I show that recrystallization must not be neglected: with reasonable assumptions it can account for much of the familiar Cenozoic trend in the oxygen isotopic composition of foraminifera. Recent studies^7,8 indicate that there may be considerable recrystallization of Tertiary carbonates with very significant effects on isotopic compositions. Specifically, the work of Baker et al. ⁷ suggests that there could be total recrystallization in sediments deposited as recently as the early Tertiary.

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