Possible origin of laminated sediments of the anoxic Bannock Basin (eastern Mediterranean)

Quantitative analysis of nannofossils and microfossils in laminated sediments recovered from the Libeccio Basin of the Bannock area and a comparison with similar laminated sediments from anoxic basins in the Black Sea and the Gulf of Mexico suggest that the laminated sediments in this eastern Mediterranean anoxic basin are the result of cyclic productivity changes. It is suggested on the basis of periodicity estimates of 80 yr that the laminae are related to changes in solar activity (Wolf-Gleissberg cycles) that influenced the Nile discharge and thus the nutrient supply in the water masses.