Late Cretaceous chronology of large, rapid sea-level changes: Glacioeustasy during the greenhouse world
We provide a record of global sea-level (eustatic) variations of the Late Cretaceous (99-65 Ma) greenhouse world. Ocean Drilling Program Leg 174AX provided a record of 11-14 Upper Cretaceous sequences in the New Jersey Coastal Plain that were dated by integrating Sr isotopic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy. Backstripping yielded a Late Cretaceous eustatic estimate for these sequences, taking into account sediment loading, compaction, paleowater depth, and basin subsidence. We show that Late Cretaceous sea-level changes were large (>25 m) and rapid (??? m.y.), suggesting a glacioeustatic control. Three large ??18O increases are linked to sequence boundaries (others lack sufficient ??18O data), consistent with a glacioeustatic cause and with the development of small (<106 km3) ephemeral ice sheets in Antarctica. Our sequence boundaries correlate with sea-level falls recorded by Exxon Production Research and sections from northwest Europe and Russia, indicating a global cause, although the Exxon record differs from backstripped estimates in amplitude and shape.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2003 |
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Title | Late Cretaceous chronology of large, rapid sea-level changes: Glacioeustasy during the greenhouse world |
DOI | 10.1130/0091-7613(2003)031<0585:LCCOLR>2.0.CO;2 |
Authors | K.G. Miller, P. J. Sugarman, J.V. Browning, M.A. Kominz, J.C. Hernandez, R.K. Olsson, J.D. Wright, M.D. Feigenson, W. Van Sickel |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Geology |
Index ID | 70025812 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |