Cretaceous strontium isotope stratigraphy using marine barite

Sarah Mearon, Adina Paytan, Timothy J. Bralower

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

The strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) of marine barite microcrystals separated from Cretaceous sedimentary deposits from Ocean Drilling Program and Deep Sea Drilling Project sites from the Pacific and Indian Oceans have been compared to the composite Sr isotope curve of McArthur et al. The barite in these cores accurately recorded the seawater 87Sr/86Sr ratio, thereby reaffirming the composite Cretaceous strontium curve. Moreover, marine barite is a more reliable recorder of 87Sr/86Sr than is carbonate in sedimentary deposits with high clay content, thereby providing an opportunity for Sr isotope stratigraphy and dating in carbonate-poor or diagenetically altered sections. We have used the barite-derived Sr isotope record to refine the biostratigraphic age models of the sites investigated.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)15-18
Number of pages4
JournalGeology
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2003

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geology

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