Abstract
Continental slope terraces at the southern Argentine margin are part of a significant contourite depositional system composed of a variety of drifts, channels, and sediment waves. Here, a refined seismostratigraphic model for the sedimentary development of the Valentin Feilberg Terrace located in ~4.1 km water depth is presented. Analyzing multichannel seismic profiles across and along this terrace, significant changes in terrace morphology and seismic reflection character are identified and interpreted to reflect variations in deep water hydrography from Late Miocene to recent times, involving variable flow of Antarctic Bottom Water and Circumpolar Deep Water. A prominent basin-wide aggradational seismic unit is interpreted to represent the Mid-Miocene climatic optimum (~17–14 Ma). A major current reorganization can be inferred for the time ~14–12 Ma when the Valentin Feilberg Terrace started growing due to the deposition of sheeted and mounded drifts. After ~12 Ma, bottom water flow remained vigorous at both margins of the terrace. Another intensification of bottom flow occurred at ~5–6 Ma when a mounded drift, moats, and sediment waves developed on the terrace. This may have been caused by a general change in deep water mass organization following the closure of the Panamanian gateway, and a subsequent stronger southward flow of North Atlantic Deep Water.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arhan M, Heywood KJ, King BA (1999) The deep waters from the Southern Ocean at the entry to the Argentine Basin. Deep-Sea Res II 46:475–499
Arhan M, Carton X, Piola A, Zenk W (2002a) Deep lenses of circumpolar water in the Argentine Basin. J Geophys Res 107:C1. doi:10.1029/2001JC000963
Arhan M, Naveira Garabato AC, Heywood KJ, Stevens DP (2002b) The Antarctic circumpolar current between the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. J Phys Oceanogr 32:1914–1931
Billups K (2002) Late Miocene through early Pliocene deep water circulation and climate change viewed from the sub-Antarctic South Atlantic. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 185:287–307
Billups K, Schrag DP (2002) Paleotemperatures and ice volume of the past 27 Myr revisited with paired Mg/Ca and 18O/16O measurements on benthic foraminifera. Paleoceanography 17:1003. doi:10.1029/2000PA000567
Bushnell DC, Baldi JE, Bettini FH, Franzin H, Kovaks E, Marinelli R, Wartenburg GJ (2000) Petroleum system analysis of the Eastern Colorado Basin, offshore Northern Argentine. In: Mello MR (ed) Petroleum systems of South Atlantic margins. AAPG Mem 73:403–415
Carter L, Carter RM, McCave IN (2004) Evolution of the sedimentary system beneath the deep Pacific inflow off eastern New Zealand. Mar Geol 205:9–27
Carter L, McCave IN, Williams MJM (2008) Circulation and water masses of the Southern Ocean: a review. In: Florindo F, Siegert M (eds) Antarctic climate evolution. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 85–114
Ewing M, Ludwig WJ, Ewing JI (1964) Sediment distribution in the oceans: the Argentine Basin. J Geophys Res 69:2003–2032
Faugères J-C, Stow DAV, Imbert P, Viana A (1999) Seismic features diagnostic of contourite drifts. Mar Geol 162:1–38
Flower BP, Kennett JP (1994) The middle Miocene climatic transition: East Antarctic ice sheet development, deep ocean circulation and global carbon cycling. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 108:537–555
Franke D, Neben S, Schreckenberger B, Schulze A, Stiller M, Krawczyk CM (2006) Crustal structure across the Colorado Basin, offshore Argentina. Geophys J Int 165:850–864
Franke D, Neben S, Ladage S, Schreckenberger B, Hinz K (2007) Margin segmentation and volcano-tectonic architecture along the volcanic margin off Argentina/Uruguay, South Atlantic. Mar Geol 244:46–67
Gordon AL (1975) An Antarctic oceanographic section along 170°E. Deep-Sea Res 22:357–374
Gruetzner J, Uenzelmann-Neben G, Franke D (2010) Seismic images of contourites forming continental slope terraces at the Argentine Margin: implications for past changes in thermohaline circulation. Geo-Temas 11:59–60
Haq BU, Hardenbol JAN, Vail PR (1987) Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic. Science 235:1156–1167
Haug GH, Tiedemann R (1998) Effect of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama on Atlantic Ocean thermohaline circulation. Nature 393:673–676
Hernández-Molina FJ, Paterlini M, Violante R, Marshall P, de Isasi M, Somoza L, Rebesco M (2009) Contourite depositional system on the Argentine Slope: an exceptional record of the influence of Antarctic water masses. Geology 37:507–510. doi:10.1130/g25578a.1
Hernández-Molina FJ, Paterlini M, Somoza L, Violante R, Arecco MA, de Isasi M, Rebesco M, Uenzelmann-Neben G, Neben S, Marshall P (2010) Giant mounded drifts in the Argentine continental margin: origins, and global implications for the history of thermohaline circulation. Mar Petrol Geol 27:1508–1530
Hinz K, Neben S, Schreckenberger B, Roeser HA, Block M, Souza KG, Meyer H (1999) The Argentine continental margin north of 48°S: sedimentary successions, volcanic activity during breakup. Mar Petrol Geol 16:1–25
Hogg NG, Siedler G, Zenk W (1999) Circulation and variability at the southern boundary of the Brazil Basin. J Phys Oceanogr 29:145–157
Holbourn A, Kuhnt W, Schulz M, Erlenkeuser H (2005) Impacts of orbital forcing and atmospheric carbon dioxide on Miocene ice-sheet expansion. Nature 438:483–487
Holbourn A, Kuhnt W, Schulz M, Flores J-A, Andersen N (2007) Orbitally-paced climate evolution during the middle Miocene "Monterey" carbon-isotope excursion. Earth Planet Sci Lett 261:534–550
Houtz RE (1977) Sound-velocity characteristics of sediment from the eastern South American margin. Geol Soc Am Bull 88:720–722
John CM, Karner GD, Mutti M (2004) δ18O and Marion Plateau backstripping: combining two approaches to constrain late middle Miocene eustatic amplitude. Geology 32:829–832
Joseph LH, Rea DK, van der Pluijm BA (2004) Neogene history of the Deep Western Boundary Current at Rekohu sediment drift, Southwest Pacific (ODP Site 1124). Mar Geol 205:185–206
Kennett JP (1982) Marine geology. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs
Klaus A, Ledbetter MT (1988) Deep-sea sedimentary processes in the Argentine Basin revealed by high-resolution seismic records (3.5 kHz echograms). Deep-Sea Res 35:899–917
Krastel S, Wefer G, Hanebuth TJJ, Antobreh AA, Freudenthal T, Preu B, Schwenk T, Strasser M, Violante R, Winkelmann D (2011) Sediment dynamics and geohazards off Uruguay and the de la Plata River region (northern Argentina and Uruguay). Geo-Mar Lett (in press). doi:10.1007/s00367-011-0232-4
Lonardi AG, Ewing M (1971) Sediment transport and distribution in the Argentine Basin. 4. Bathymetry of the continental margin, Argentine Basin and other related provinces. Canyons and sources of sediments. Phys Chem Earth 8:79–121
Lorenzo JM, Wessel P (1997) Flexure across a continent–ocean fracture zone: the northern Falkland/Malvinas Plateau, South Atlantic. Geo-Mar Lett 17(1):110–118. doi:10.1007/s003670050015
Macdonald D, Gomez-Perez I, Franzese J, Spalletti L, Lawver L, Gahagan L, Dalziel I, Thomas C, Trewin N, Hole M, Paton D (2003) Mesozoic break-up of SW Gondwana: implications for regional hydrocarbon potential of the southern South Atlantic. Mar Petrol Geol 20:287–308
Maldonado A, Barnolas A, Bohoyo F, Escutia C, Galindo-Zaldívar J, Hernández-Molina J, Jabaloy A, Lobo FJ, Nelson CH, Rodríguez-Fernández J, Somoza L, Vázquez J-T (2005) Miocene to Recent contourite drifts development in the northern Weddell Sea (Antarctica). Global Planet Change 45:99–129
Maldonado A, Bohoyo F, Galindo-Zaldívar J, Hernández-Molina J, Jabaloy A, Lobo F, Rodríguez-Fernández J, Suriñach E, Vázquez J (2006) Ocean basins near the Scotia–Antarctic plate boundary: influence of tectonics and paleoceanography on the Cenozoic deposits. Mar Geophys Res 27:83–107
Neben S, Schreckenberger B (2005) Research cruise BGR04: geophysical investigations offshore Argentine and Uruguay ARGURU. In: Cruise report BGR. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hannover, p 99
Nisancioglu KH, Raymo ME, Stone PH (2003) Reorganization of Miocene deep water circulation in response to the shoaling of the Central American Seaway. Paleoceanography 18:1006. doi:10.1029/2002PA000767
Orsi AH, Johnson GC, Bullister JL (1999) Circulation, mixing, and production of Antarctic Bottom Water. Prog Oceanogr 43:55–109
Piola AR, Rivas A (1997) Corrientes en la plataforma continental. In: Boschi EE (ed) Antecedentes históricos de las exploraciones en el mar y las características ambientales. El Mar Argentino y sus recursos pesqueros, Tomo 1. Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero, Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentación, Mar del Plata, pp 119–132
Rebesco M, Camerlenghi A (eds) (2008) Contourites. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Reid JL (1989) On the total geostrophic circulation of the South Atlantic Ocean: flow patterns, tracers, and transports. Prog Oceanogr 23:149–244
Ryan WBF, Bolli HM, Foss GN, Natland JH, Hottman WE, Foresman JB (1978) Objectives, principal results, operations, and explanatory notes of Leg 40, South Atlantic. In: Bolli HM, Ryan WBF, McKnight BK, Kagami H, Melguen M, Siesser WG, Longoria JF, Decima FP, Foresman JB, Hottman WE, Natland JH (eds) Initial reports of the deep sea drilling project 40. US Government Printing Office, Washington, pp 5–28
Schlitzer R (2010) Ocean Data View. http://odv.awi.de
Shanmugam G (2006) Deep-water processes and facies models. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Shevenell AE, Kennett JP, Lea DW (2004) Middle Miocene Southern Ocean cooling and Antarctic cryosphere expansion. Science 305:1766–1770
Shevenell AE, Kennett JP, Lea DW (2008) Middle Miocene ice sheet dynamics, deep-sea temperatures, and carbon cycling: a Southern Ocean perspective. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 9:Q02006. doi:10.1029/2007GC001736
Smith WHF, Sandwell DT (1997) Global sea floor topography from satellite altimetry and ship depth soundings. Science 277:1956–1962
Speer K, Zenk W, Siedler G, Pätzold J, Heidland C (1992) First resolution of flow through the Hunter Channel in the South Atlantic. Earth Planet Sci Lett 113:287–292
Stow DAV, Faugères J-C, Howe JA, Pudsey CJ, Viana AR (2002) Bottom currents, contourites and deep-sea sediment drifts; current state-of-the-art. In: Stow DAV, Pudsey CJ, Howe JA, Faugères J-C, Viana AR (eds) Deep-water contourite systems; modern drifts and ancient series, seismic and sedimentary characteristics. Geol Soc Lond Mem 22:7–20
Tankard AJ, Uliana MA, Welsink HJ, Ramos VA, Turic M, Franca AB, Milani EJ, de Brito Neves BB, Eyles N, Skarmeta J, Santa Ana H, Wiens F, Cirbian M, Lopez O, Germs GJB, De Wit MJ, Machacha T, Miller RM (1995) Structural and tectonic controls of basin evolution in southwestern Gondwana during the Phanerozoic. In: Tankard AJ, Suarez Soruco R, Welsink HJ (eds) Petroleum basins of South America. AAPG, Tulsa, pp 5–52
Thomson K (1998) When did the Falklands rotate? Mar Petrol Geol 15:723–736
Van Andel TH, Thiede J, Sclater JG, Hay WW (1977) Depositional history of the South Atlantic during the last 125 million years. J Geol 85:651–698
Wan S, Kürschner WM, Clift PD, Li A, Li T (2009) Extreme weathering/erosion during the Miocene Climatic Optimum: evidence from sediment record in the South China Sea. Geophys Res Lett 36:L19706. doi:10.1029/2009GL040279
Wright JD, Miller KG (1996) Control of North Atlantic Deep Water circulation by the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. Paleoceanography 11:157–170
Zachos J, Pagani M, Sloan L, Thomas E, Billups K (2001) Trends, rhythms, and aberrations in global climate 65 Ma to Present. Science 292:686–693
Acknowledgements
The paper benefitted from discussions with F.J. Hernández-Molina. Comments by P. Knutz, E. Llave, two anonymous reviewers, and the journal editors improved the manuscript. This research was funded by the Priority Program SAMPLE (South Atlantic Margin Processes and Links with onshore Evolution) of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under contract no. Ue 49/11. This is Alfred Wegener Institute publication awi-n19434.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible guest editor: E. Llave
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gruetzner, J., Uenzelmann-Neben, G. & Franke, D. Variations in bottom water activity at the southern Argentine margin: indications from a seismic analysis of a continental slope terrace. Geo-Mar Lett 31, 405–417 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0252-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0252-0