Concurrent tectonic and climatic changes recorded in upper Tortonian sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean |
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| Authors: | Cornelia M Köhler Wout Krijgsman Douwe J J van Hinsbergen David Heslop Guillaume Dupont-Nivet |
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| Institution: | Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, Meston Building, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK;;Paleomagnetic Laboratory 'Fort Hoofddijk', University of Utrecht, Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands;;University of Bremen, FB Geowissenschaften, Postfach 330440, Bremen, Germany |
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| Abstract: | The upper Tortonian Metochia marls on the island of Gavdos provide an ideal geological archive to trace variations in Aegean sediment supply as well as changes in the North African monsoon system. A fuzzy-cluster analysis on the multiproxy geochemical and rock magnetic dataset of the astronomically tuned sedimentary succession shows a dramatic shift in the dominance of 'Aegean tectonic' clusters to 'North African climate' clusters. The tectonic signature, traced by the starvation of the Cretan sediment, now enables to date the late Tortonian basin foundering on Crete, related to the tectonic break-up of the Aegean landmass, at c. 8.2 Ma. The synchronous decrease in the North African climate proxies is interpreted to indicate a change in the depositional conditions of the sink rather than a climatic change in the African source. This illustrates that interpretations of climate proxies require a multiproxy approach which also assesses possible contributions of regional tectonism. |
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