Accumulation rates of Th-230, Pa-231, and some transition metals on the Bermuda Rise

Measurements of ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U, ²³⁰Th, ²³²Th, ²³¹Pa, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn were made on 23 samples from core GPC-5, a 29-m giant piston core from a water depth of 4583 m on the northeastern Bermuda Rise (33°41.2′N, 57°36.9′W). This area is characterized by rapid deposition of sediment transported by abyssal currents. Unsupported ²³⁰Th and ²³¹Pa are present throughout the core but, because of large variations in the sedimentation rate, show marked departures from exponential decay with depth. The trend with depth of the ${}^{231}\text{Pa}{}_{\mathrm{ex}}{}^{230}\text{Th}{}_{\mathrm{ex}}$ ratio is consistent with the average accumulation rate of 36 cm/1000 y reported earlier on the basis of radiocarbon dating and CaCO₃ stratigraphy. When expressed on a carbonate-free basis, concentrations of Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, ²³⁰Th_ex, and ²³¹Pa_ex all show cyclic variations positively correlated with those of CaCO₃. The correlations can be explained by a model in which all of these constituents, including CaCO₃, are supplied to the sediments from the water column at a constant rate. Concentration variations are controlled mainly by varying inputs of terrigenous detritus, with low inputs occurring during interglacials and high inputs during glacials. Relationships between the metal and ²³⁰Th_ex concentrations permit estimates of the rates at which the metals are removed to the sediment by scavenging from the water column. The results, in μg/cm²-1000 y, are: 4300 ± 1100 for Mn, 46 ± 16 for Ni and 76 ± 26 for Cu. These rates are somewhat larger than ocean-wide averages estimated by other methods, and the absolute rate of ²³⁰Th accumulation in GPC-5 averages about nine times higher than production in the overlying water column. This part of the Bermuda Rise and similar bottom-current deposits may act as important accumulators of elements scavenged from seawater.