Physical and geochemical record of an early Eocene carbon‐cycle perturbation on a turbiditic continental margin

Abstract

Multivariate analysis of the elemental composition of hemipelagic sedimentary successions has provided invaluable information about palaeoenvironmental evolution, including records of short-lived Eocene hyperthermal events. However, few studies have analyzed the sedimentary record of these climatic events in turbidite-rich continental margin successions. In order to test the usefulness of multivariate statistical techniques (factor and cluster analysis) in palaeonvironmental and palaeoclimatic research on turbiditic successions, the lowermost Eocene Solondota section, which accumulated on the North Iberian continental margin, was studied. A prominent negative carbon isotope excursion from Solondota was correlated with the Ypresian (early Eocene) hyperthermal event J, also known as C24n.2rH1. High-resolution sedimentological, geochemical (stable isotopes, major and trace elements) and mineralogical (bulk and clay mineralogy) data show that multivariate statistical analysis helps to manage large-sized quantitative datasets objectively, avoiding arbitrary choice of representative elements and identifying environmental factors (virtual variables) that may not be evident otherwise. Variations in major and minor elements from hemipelagic carbonates across the Solondota carbon isotope excursion suggest a temporarily more humid continental climate, which caused increased terrigenous material input into the marine environment. The finer grained fraction boosted hemipelagic carbonate dilution, whereas the coarser grained sediment was transported by temporarily more frequent and voluminous turbidity currents. Thus, the results from the Solondota carbon isotope excursion revealed similarities with deep marine records of other early Eocene minor hyperthermal events. This demonstrates the validity of deep-marine turbiditic successions for providing reliable sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical records of global palaeoclimatic significance, complementing the information obtained from other sedimentary environments. Furthermore, the generally expanded nature of turbiditic successions can potentially provide palaeoclimatic information at very high resolution, enriching, and perhaps improving, the commonly condensed and sometimes discontinuous record of hemipelagic- only successions.