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Palaeotectonic implications of increased late Eocene—early Oligocene volcanism from South Pacific DSDP sites

Nature volume 316, pages 507–511 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

Late Eocene-early Oligocene (42–35 Myr) sediments cored at two DSDP sites in the south-west Pacific contain evidence of a pronounced increase in local volcanic activity, particularly in close association with the Eocene–Oligocene boundary. This pulse of volcanism is coeval with that in New Zealand and resulted from the development of an Indo- Australian / Pacific Plate boundary through the region during the late Eocene. The late Eocene / earliest Oligocene was marked by widespread volcanism and tectonism throughout the Pacific and elsewhere, and by one of the most important episodes of Cenozoic climatic cooling.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett, Rhode Island, 02882-1197, USA

    J. P. Kennett & M. G. Murphy

  2. Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park, Australia

    C. von der Borch

  3. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 27708, USA

    P. A. Baker

  4. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Canberra, Australia

    C. E. Barton

  5. Microclimates Inc., Stony Point, New York, 10980, USA

    A. Boersma

  6. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France

    J. P. Cauler

  7. University of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720, USA

    W. C. Dudley Jr

  8. US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, USA

    J. V. Gardner

  9. Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK

    D. G. Jenkins

  10. Marathon Oil Company, Littleton, Colorado, 80160, USA

    W. H. Lohman

  11. Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe Universitat, Frankfurt, FRG

    E. Martini

  12. Ocean Drilling Program, College Station, Texas, 77840, USA

    R. B. Merrill

  13. US Geological Survey, Denvei, 80225, USA

    R. Morin

  14. University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    C. S. Nelson

  15. Centre Universitaire de Luminy, Marseille, France

    C. Robert

  16. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    M. S. Srinivasan

  17. lnstitut und Museum der Universitat Kiel, FRG

    R. Stein

  18. Toyama University, Toyama, Japan

    A. Takeuchi

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Kennett, J., von der Borch, C., Baker, P. et al. Palaeotectonic implications of increased late Eocene—early Oligocene volcanism from South Pacific DSDP sites. Nature 316, 507–511 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/316507a0

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