Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Glacial–Holocene transition in deep-sea sediments: manganese-spike in the east-eqautorial Pacific

Nature volume 303, pages 231–233 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

Over large areas of the tropical Pacific, calcareous sediments show one or more dark-coloured manganese-rich layers within the uppermost 40 cm of the record1,2. In the east-equatorial Pacific two layers are strongly developed, with the upper one appearing as a double layer in places. We report here that the lower layer is centred on the glacial–Holocene boundary, and we present evidence that its origin is tied to a pronounced drop in fertility of the ocean. Such a fertility decrease is implicit in a weakening of east-equatorial upwelling systems3,4. If real, it has important ramifications for the history of oceanic (and atmospheric) chemistry.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Arrhenius, G. Rep. Swed. Deep-Sea Expdn 5, 1–228 (1952).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hough, J. L. J. Geol. 61, 252–262 (1953).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Blackman, A. & Somayajulu, B. L. K. Science 154, 886–889 (1966).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. CLIMAP Project Members Science 191, 1131–1137 (1976).

  5. Berger, W. H., Ekdale, A. A. & Bryant, P. F. Mar. Geol. 32, 205–230 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Berger, W. H. & Killingley, J. S. Mar. Geol. 45, 93–125 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Mikkelsen, N., Labeyrie, L. & Berger, W. H. Nature 271, 536–538 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lynn, D. C. & Bonatti, E. Mar. Geol. 3, 457–474 (1965).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Price, H. G. & Calvert, S. E. Mar. Geol. 9, 145–171 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Bender, M. L. J. geophys. Res. 76, 4212–4215 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Calvert, S. E. & Price, N. B. Mar. Chem. 5, 43–74 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Reyss, J. L., Marchig, V. & Ku, T. L. Nature 295, 401–403 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Berner, R. A. Early diagenesis-a Theoretical Approach, 1–241 (Princeton University Press, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hartmann, M. & Müller, P. J. in The Dynamic Environment of the Ocean Floor (eds Fanning, K. A. & Manheim, F. T.) 285–301 (Lexington, Massachusetts, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Morgan, J. J. in Equilibrium Concepts in Natural Water Systems (ed. Stumm, W.) 1–29 (American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 1967).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  16. Froelich, P. N. et al. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 43, 1075–1090 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Rozanov, A. G. in The Dynamic Environment of the Ocean Floor (eds Fanning, K. A. & Manheim, F. T.) 239–255 (Lexington, Massachusetts, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Tsunogai, S. & Kusakabe, M. in The Dynamic Environment of the Ocean Floor (eds Fanning, K. A. & Manheim, F. T.) 257–273 (Lexington, Massachusetts, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Peng, T.-H., Broecker, W. S. & Berger, W. H. Quat. Res. 11, 141–149 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Edmond, J. M., Corliss, J. B. & Gordon, L. I. Deep Drilling Results in the Atlantic Ocean: Ocean Crust (eds Talwani, M. et al.) 383–390 (American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, 1979).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  21. Spiess, F. N., Macdonald, K. C. & RISE Project Group Science 207, 1421–1444 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Marchig, V. & Grundlach, H. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 58, 361–382 (1982)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Berger, W. H. Sver. geol. Unders. Afh. 76, 794, 270–280 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Pedersen, T. F. Geology 11, 16–19 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Broecker, W. S. Prog. Oceanogr. 11, 151–197 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. Müller, P. J. & Mangini, A. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 51, 94–114 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Müller, P. J. & Suess, E. Deep-Sea Res. 26A, 1347–1362 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Heath, G. R., Moore, T. C. & Dauphin, J. P. in The Fate of Fossil Fuel CO2 in the Oceans (eds Andersen, N. R. & Malahoff, A.) 605–625 (Plenum, New York, 1977).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  29. Suess, E. & Müller, P. J. Collogues int. Cent. natn. Rech. Scient 293, 17–26 (1980).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Berger, W. H. & Killingley, J. S. Science 197, 563–566 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Erez, J. Nature 281, 535–538 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Berger, W. H., Diester-Haass, L. & Killingley, J. S. Oceanol. Acta 1, 3–7 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Berger, W. H., Killingley, J. S. & Vincent, E. Oceanol. Acta 1, 203–216 (1978).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Vincent, E. & Berger, W. H. in The Sea Vol. 7 (ed. Emiliani, C.) 1025–1119 (Wiley, New York, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Berger, W. H. & Johnson, T. C. Science 192, 785–787 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Wangersky, P. J. J. Geol. 70, 364–375 (1962).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Wangersky, P. J. & Joensuu, O. I. J. Geol. 75, 148–177 (1967).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  38. Damuth, J. E. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 695–710 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Gardner, J. V., Dean, W. E., Klise, D. H. & Baldauf, J. G. Quat. Res. 18, 91–107 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Universty of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA

    W. H. Berger, R. C. Finkel & J. S. Killingley

  2. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, D-3000, Hannover, FRG

    V. Marchig

Authors
  1. W. H. Berger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. C. Finkel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. S. Killingley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. V. Marchig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Berger, W., Finkel, R., Killingley, J. et al. Glacial–Holocene transition in deep-sea sediments: manganese-spike in the east-eqautorial Pacific. Nature 303, 231–233 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/303231a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/303231a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing