ALBERT

Description: Igneous rocks were recovered from three sites on Hess Rise during Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 62: altered basalt at Site 464, at the northern end of Hess Rise; and altered trachyte from Site 465, and rounded basalt pebbles in upper Albian to middle Miocene sediments from Site 466, both at the southern end of Hess Rise. Major-, minor-, and trace-element data for basalt from Hole 464 are consistent with these rocks being transitional tholeiites that have undergone low-temperature alteration by reaction with sea water. Trachyte from Hole 465A exhibits as many as three generations of plagioclase along with potash feldspar that are flow aligned in groundmasses alterted to smectites and random mixed-layer clays. Textural evidence indicates that these rocks were eruped subaerially. Chemical data show a range of values when plotted on two- and three-component variation diagrams. The observed variations may result in part from differentiation, but they also reflect the high degree of alteration. Several oxides and elements show strong correlation with H2O+: K2O, SiO2, Rb and Lu decrease and MgO increases with increasing H2O+. These trends, except for that of Lu, are consistent with experimentally determined changes in chemistry that accompany alteration. The trend for Lu has not been previously reported; it may result from a more-intense alteration of the HREE-rich mafic minerals than of the LREE-rich feldspars. Despite their alteration, the trachytes compare favorably with alkalic differentiates from oceanic islands. We interpret Hess Rise as a volcanic platform formed by eruption of off-ridge volcanic rocks onto MORB oceanic crust during the Aptian and Albian stages, after the basement had migrated away from the spreading center. By analogy with present oceanic islands, we propose that early tholeiitic basalts were followed by alkalic basalts and their differentiation products (trachytes), producing a volcanic archipelago of islands and seamounts. Subsequent tectonism and subsidence led to the present state of Hess Rise.

Description: Atomic-absorption spectrophotometry and instrumental neutron activation analysis were used to determine concentrations of SiO2, Al2O3, FeOt, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, MnO, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Lu, Sc, Co, Cr, Th, Hf, and Ta for 14 basalt samples from the lower portion of Hole 462A in the Nauru Basin. The basalts are similar to normal midocean ridge basalt (MORB) for the elements analyzed, and light rare-earth elements (LREE) are depleted relative to heavy rare-earth elements (HREE). Two samples are extensively altered to smectites and show significant reductions in Al2O3, CaO, MnO, Na2O, REE, Sc, Co, and Hf and gains in MgO and FeOt relative to unaltered samples. The increase in MgO and decrease in CaO indicate that alteration was caused by hydrothermal solutions.

Description: Most of the helium-3 in oceanic sediments conies from interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), and can therefore be used to infer the accretion rate of dust to the Earth through time (Ozima et al., 1984, doi:10.1038/311448a0; Takayanagi and Ozima, 1987, doi:10.1029/JB092iB12p12531; Farley, 1995, doi:10.1038/376153a0). 3He records from slowly accumulating pelagic clays indicate that the accretion rate varies considerably over millions of years, probably owing to cometary and asteroidal break-up events3. Muller and MacDonald have proposed (Muller and MacDonald, 1995, doi:10.1038/377107b0) that periodic changes in this accretion rate due to a previously unrecognized 100-kyr periodicity in the Earth's orbital inclination might account for the prominence of this frequency in climate records of the past million years (Imbrie et al., 1993, doi:10.1029/93PA02751). Here we report variations in the 3He flux to the sea floor that support this idea. We find that the flux recorded in rapidly accumulating Quaternary sediments from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge oscillates with a period of about 100 kyr. We cannot yet say, however, whether the 100-kyr climate cycle is a consequence of, a cause of, or an effect independent of these periodic changes in the rate of delivery of interplanetary dust to the sea floor.

Description: Investigations at a Late Weichselian freshwater basin in northwestern Jutland, Denmark, yielded a fairly rich assemblage of vertebrate remains, mostly bones and teeth of small mammals. The remains are primarily allochthonous and the bones have been subjected to different taphonomic pathways and agents. AMS 14C-dates on terrestrial organic remains provided ages of Middle to Late Allerød time. Identifications revealed the first fossil record in Scandinavia of Rana arvalis, Sorex minutus, Ochotona cf. pusilla, Microtus gregalis, Microtus oeconomus, and Sicista cf. betulinu. Spermophilus cf. major and Desmana moschata, previously found only once and twice respectively, were retrieved, and Sorex araneus and Arvicola terrestris were recovered for the first time beyond the Atlantic chronozone. Ecologically, the Nørre Lyngby small mammal fauna can be characterized by its very high and almost equal proportions of boreal forest and steppe elements followed by a relatively high proportion of tundra elements. The fossil species share a modern area of sympatry north of the Caspian Sea from the river Volga in the west to the southern and western slopes of the Urals. If, however, the large Allerød mammals are added, the fauna is without modern analogues. The Nørre Lyngby fauna can be seen as a last expansion of the North European glacial fauna. Provided that an absolute chronology and a differentiated sea-level curve for the area can be established, the Nørre Lyngby fauna could become important for studies in mammalian dispersal and migration rates.

Description: At Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 462, from mudline to 447 meters below the sea floor, Cenozoic nannofossil oozes and chalks have acoustic anisotropies such that horizontal sonic velocities are 0 to 2.5% faster than those in the vertical direction. In laminated chalk, anisotropy of 5% is typical, and in limestones, radiolarian oozes, porcellanites, and cherts, the anisotropies range from 4 to 13%. Middle Maestrichtian volcaniclastics from 447 meters to 560 meters below the sea floor have an acoustic anisotropy of 2 to 32%; 4 to 13% is typical. Basalt flows and sills occur between 560 meters and 1068 meters, and have no apparent anisotropy, but minor interbedded volcaniclastics have anisotropies from 0 to 20% (5% is typical). These volcaniclastics frequently have very small anisotropies, however, compared with the volcaniclastic sequence above the basalt section. Data in cross-plots of the laboratory-measured compressional sound velocity versus wet-bulk density, wet-water content, and porosity of sediments and sedimentary rock typically lie between the equations derived by Wyllie et al. (1956) and Wood (1941); the Wyllie et al. (1956) equation has a fair fit with similar basalt velocity cross-plots. Crossplots of thermal conductivity and sound velocity indicate only a fair correlation. Cross-plots of thermal conductivity versus porosity, wet-water content, and wet-bulk density correlate well with equations derived by Maxwell (1904), Ratcliff (1960), Parasnis (1960), and Bullard and Day (1961). Electrical formation factor versus porosity for sediments and sedimentary rock agrees with the Archie (1942) equation, with m values of 2.6; for basalt, an m of about 2.1 is typical. Basalt pore-water resistivities do not appear to be greatly different from sea water. Formation factors are greater than those derived from equations in Maxwell (1904), Winsauer et al. (1952), Boyce (1968), and Kermabon et al. (1969). An "apparent interstitial water resistivity" (Rwa) curve was derived from the density and induction logs. This Rwa curve indicated an anomaly, at 393.5 to 396.5 meters, which could be interpreted as (1) 76% hydrocarbons, (2) relatively fresh pore water (1.8 per mil salinity), or (3) low-grain-density (2.2 g/cm**3) semi-lithified porcellanite-chert. Porcellanite-chert is the most plausible interpretation. In situ temperatures measured by the Uyeda temperature probe were about 2 to 5°C (50%) higher than the equilibrium temperature (Lachenbruch and Brewer, 1959) extrapolated from two Gearhart-Owen continuous temperature logs; this discrepancy probably arises because the hole was washed out in this depth interval, so these extrapolated temperatures are probably not reliable. If one ignores all precautions as to temperature artifacts, then the equilibrium temperatures of the Gearhart-Owen temperature logs suggest that hydrothermal circulation is occurring in at least the upper 40 meters of the basalt section and heat is transferred by convection and not conduction. Hydrothermal circulation is probably not indicated, however, and the temperature anomalies probably result from excessive artificial cooling of the fractured basalt zones by circulation of water during drilling.

Description: The stratigraphic position of the glacially transported 'Scholle' (large-size erratic block) at Schobüll near Husum (Schleswig-Holstein) is now considered to be Devonian rather than 'Rotliegendes'. The 'Scholle', consisting of red clay and dolomite, is overlain by red-colored till without any flint but with up to 90% carbonate clasts (containing 15% dolomite), which indicates an eastern Baltic origin. The relationship of the 'Scholle' with the glacial till also points to an eastern Baltic origin for it, with up to 1 000 km transport distance.

Description: Ferromanganese nodules in the deep-sea and in freshwater lakes usually accrete layers rich in manganese oxides alternating with layers rich in iron oxides. The mechanism producing these alternating layers is unknown; indeed, the mechanism producing the nodules themselves is unknown. In Oneida Lake, New York, precipitants from the lake water and the surfaces of nodules at the sediment-water interface are enriched in Mn, whereas nodules buried in lake sediments have surface layers enriched in Fe. It is hypothesized here, using field and laboratory evidence, that reduction and mobilization of Mn from the nodule surface during periods of anoxic sediment cover produce the high Fe layers observed in the nodules.

Description: This report is Volume 3 of Descriptions of WHOI rock dredge samples. This series represents a major effort to catalog the rock dredge samples in the WHOI Sea Floor samples collection, and to disseminate this information throughout the scientific community. Volume 3 contains sample descriptions and station data for the dredge stations from five cruises during the period September 1978 through December 1980. The material in this and subsequent volumes of rock descriptions was largely prepared onboard ship by the participating scientists. Volume 3 was printed prior to volumes 1 and 2 because of the excellent documentation of the samples represented in this volume.

Description: The minor-element composition of concentric layers within a single ferromanganese nodule from the eastern North Pacific exhibits strong correlations with Fe and Mn contents but appears to be independent of pronounced mineralogic variations. On the basis of these correlations, the elemental composition of individual layers apparently is controlled by the relative contribution of two sources: seawater, and interstitial water of associated sediment. In contrast, the mineralogy of the nodule, consisting of birnessite in the outer few layers and todorokite in the inner layers, is considered to be a function of nodule diagenesis.

Description: Compositional data for coexisting manganese nodules, micronodules, sediments and pore waters from five areas in the equatorial and S.W. Pacific have been obtained. This represents the largest study of its type ever undertaken to establish the distribution of elements between the various phases within the sediment column. The composition of manganese nodules, micronodules and sediments (on a carbonate-free basis) shows marked differences between the equatorial high productivity zone and the low productivity region of the S.W. Pacific. In the case of the nodules, th is reflects an increased supply of transition elements (notably Ni, Cu and Zn) to the nodules as a result of the in situ dissolution of siliceous tests within the sediment column in the equatorial Pacific high productivity zone. Micronodules display similar, but somewhat different, compositions to those of the associated nodules in each area. Micronodule composition is therefore influenced by the same basic factors that control nodule composition, but is modified by dissolution of the micronodules in situ within the sediment column. Locally, as in the area immediately south of the Marquesas Fracture Zone, the micronodule population is contaminated by small, angular volcanic rock fragments; this leads to apparently anomalous micronodule compositions. Micronodules appear to be a transient feature in the sediment column, especially in the equatorial Pacific. Dissolution of micronodules in the sediment column therefore represents an important source of elements for the growth of manganese nodules in the equatorial Pacific. Sediment composition is markedly influenced by the carbonate content. On a carbonate-free basis, the sediments from the equatorial high productivity zone are quite distinct in composition from those in the S.W. Pacific. This reflects differences in the lithology of the sediments. In the Aitutaki Passage, the local influence of volcanoclastic material in sediment composition has been established. The major cations and anions in pore waters measured here show no major differences between equatorial and S.W. Pacific sediments. Silica is, however, higher in equatorial Pacific pore waters reflecting the dissolution of siliceous tests in these sediments.

Description: Initial data on the hydrogen-isotopic compositions in hydrous Mn minerals from various occurrences fall in a wide range from -298 to -84 per mil, relative to SMOW. DeltaD-values of todorokite and cryptomelane from Tertiary deposits show -89 and -150 per mil. 10 Angström-manganite and Delta-MnO2 from deep-sea nodules have relatively restricted DeltaD-values ranging from -96 to -84 per mil. The DeltaD-values for manganese bog ores from recent hot springs show almost -105 per mil. It is recognized that the isotopic values obtained for the deep-sea nodules and recent bog ores are slightly different ranged. Manganite and groutite are unique in their hydrogen-isotopic compositions, having the most depleted DeltaD-values ranging from -298 to -236 per mil. MnO(OH) minerals are more deuterium-depleted hydrous minerals than any other hydrothermal minerals from various ore deposits. Hydrogen-isotope fractionation factors between manganite and water were experimentally determined to be 0.7894, 0.7958 and 0.8078 at 150°, 200° and 250°C, respectively. the present experimental results indicate that if manganites were formed at temperatures below 250°C, under isotopic equilibrium conditions, most of the manganite mineralization in the Tertiary manganese deposits must have precipitated from meteoric hydrothermal solutions.

Description: This report is Volume 1 in the series of reports entitled "Descriptions of W.H.O.I. rock dredge samples". This series represents a major effort to catalog and prepare initial descriptions for all rock dredge samples in the W.H.O.I. Sea Floor Samples Collection, and to distribute this information throughout the scientific community. Volume 1 contains sample descriptions from approximately 382 dredging stations executed during the period 1960 through 1977. It also represents a digitized listing of all dredge station data for the entire W.H.O.I. Dredge Collection through 1980. This data is sorted by Marsden Square and can serve as a regional index for all rock descriptions included in Volumes 1-3.

Description: A submersible study has been conducted in February - March 1978 at the axis of the East Pacific Rise near 21°N. The expedition CYAMEX, the first submersible program to be conducted on the East Pacific Rise, is part of the French-American-Mexican project RITA (Rivera - Tamayo), a 3-year study devoted to detailed geological and geophysical investigations of the East Pacific Rise Crest. On the basis of the 15 dives made by CYANA in the axial area of the Rise, a morphological and tectonic zonation can be established for this moderately-fast spreading center. A narrow, 0.6 to 1.2 km wide zone of extrusion (zone 1), dominated by young lava flows, is flanked by a highly fissured and faulted zone of extension (zone 2) with a width of 1 to 2 km. Further out, zone 3 is dominated by outward tilted blocks bounded by inward-facing fault scarps. Active or recent faults extend up to 12 km from the axis of extrusion of the East Pacific Rise. This represents the first determination from direct field evidence of the width of active tectonism associated with an accreting plate boundary. Massive sulfide deposits, made principally of zinc, copper and iron, were found close to the axis of the Rise. Other signs of the intense hydrothermal activity included the discovery of benthic fauna of giant size similar to that found at the axis of the Galapagos Rift. We emphasize the cyclic character of the volcanicity. The main characteristics of the geology of this segment of the East Pacific Rise can be explained by the thermal structure at depth below this moderately-fast spreading center. The geological observations are compatible with the existence of a shallow magma reservoir centered at the axis of the Rise with a half-width of the order of 10 km.

Description: Of numerous island-arc systems in the western Pacific, the Mariana arc-trench system and the basins and submerged ridges lying west of them in the Philippine Sea seemed to be best suited to answer questions regarding arc-trench and back-arc basin formation. Three years of planning by the JOIDES Active Margin Panel, Ocean Crust Panel, and Planning Committee resulted in a proposed transect of drill sites aligned more or less along the 18th parallel. This South Philippine Sea transect was designed to investigate each major basin and ridge between the central part of the West Philippine Sea and the Mariana Trench and the Pacific Ocean plate immediately to the east.

Description: The goal of Site 462 was to study the paleontologic, sedimentary, petrologic, tectonic, and magnetic histories of that area through Recent to Late Jurassic time by drilling a deep re-entry site into the Nauru Basin west of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. This area formed at a fast-spreading Pacific Plate boundary 145 to 155 m.y. ago, in the Late Jurassic. Cores from this area allow to better understand the biostratigraphic evolution and sedimentary processes in a Mesozoic open-ocean environment, the petrologic nature of fast-spreading oceanic crust, the tectonic history of the Late Jurassic Pacific Plate, and the nature of the Jurassic magnetic quiet zone.

Description: The four sites drilled during Leg 62 were needed to establish better regional coverage of the North Pacific Ocean. Although paleoenvironments were to be stressed on Leg 62, studies of igneous rocks from acoustic basement were planned, to determine ages, petrogenesis, alteration effects, rock magnetism, and Paleomagnetism of old parts of the Pacific crust. These studies were emphasized in order to establish the early history of oceanic plateaus and whether they are the result of midocean-ridge or intraplate volcanism.

Description: A primary objective of Leg 63 was to investigate the fluctuations of this eastern boundary current along a north-south transect off the Gulf of California. This information would aid in biostratigraphically correlating open-ocean planktonic zones with local California zonations. Spanning the last 30 m.y., the complicated tectonic history of the continental margin off California and Baja California comprises changes from a subduction zone to a transform boundary and then to an inactive margin. A second objective of Leg 63 was to define and clarify this history using information on sedimentation, unconformities, basement ages, and paleomagnetic reconstructions gained from drilling, in conjunction with geophysical data and pre-existing bottom samples.

Description: Undamaged deep-sea manganese nodules were retrieved from a box core from the central North Pacific and quickly preserved in formaldehyde solution. Light and scanning electron microscope studies of the nodule surface reveal the presence of a variety of fragile filamentous and coccoid bacterial morphotypes, associated with an organic film that covers the botryoid surface.

Description: The unusual petrological diversity of abyssal lavas erupted along some segments of the Galapagos spreading center is a direct consequence of the propagation (elongation) of these segments into older oceanic crust. With increasing distance behind propagating rift tips, relatively unfractionated MORB erupted close to the tips are joined first by FeTi basalts (bimodal assemblage) and then by a wide range of basaltic and siliceous lavas. Further behind propagating rift tips, this broad range diminishes again, approaching the narrow compositional range of adjacent normal ridge segments. These compositional variations reflect the evolution of the subaxial magmatic system beneath the newly forming spreading center as it propagates through a pre-existing plate. We envisage this evolution as proceeding from small, isolated, ephemeral magma chambers through increasing numbers of larger, increasingly interconnected chambers to the steady-state buffered system of a normal ridge. Throughout this evolution, magma supply rates gradually increase and cooling rates of crustal magma bodies decrease. High degrees of crystal fractionation are favored only when a delicate balance between cooling rate and resupply rate of primitive magma is achieved. At other propagating and non-propagating ridge-transform intersections the degree to which the balance is achieved and the length of ridge over which it evolves control the distribution of fractionated lavas. These effects may be evaluated provided a number of tectonic variables including transform length, spreading and propagation rates are taken into account.

Description: The southernmost part of the Sohm Abyssal Plain in the Northwest Atlantic Basin is geographically distal with respect to the major source of Quaternary terrigenous material transported from the Canadian Maritime Provinces. An assessment of the proportion of more locally introduced sediment relative to that derived from distal sources is based largely on size and compositional analyses of Quaternary piston core samples. These data are supplemented by radiocarbon dating of selected core samples, bottom photographs, conductivity-temperature-depth profiles, and seismic records. The premises of the study are that (a) locally derived sediment should be most abundant near high-relief bathymetric features such as seamounts and abyssal hills, and (b) such material should contain enhanced proportions of reworked volcanic debris and alteration products. Core analyses reveal that the amounts of these are directly related to proximity of volcanic ocean-bottom features, and that a significant, although not total, amount of such volcanic materials recovered from cores are derived from submarine weathering of basalt. Associated with this assemblage are nannofossils, dating from the Quaternary to the Upper Cretaceous, reworked from older strata. This increased proportion of volcanic and related products and reworked faunas near seamounts and basement rises strongly implies that such topographic features continue to serve as major source terrains. Locally derived volcanic materials, however, are usually disseminated and masked on the Sohm Abyssal Plain, particularly in sectors receiving large amounts of terrigenous turbidites and biogenic suspensates, and/or undergoing reworking by bottom currents. We propose that the volcanic fraction can serve as a useful index, or "yardstick," to interpret the role of locally derived material in abyssal plain sedimentation. A sedimentation model is developed to illustrate the premise that as access to land-derived sources diminishes, the proportion of terrigenous components is reduced while pelagic and volcanic fractions are enhanced. Thus, sediment accumulating in abyssal plains almost totally isolated from terrigenous sources would comprise significant amounts of pelagic (including wind-blown) and volcanic components.

Description: The extent of substitution of Fe by Al in goethite in 32 lake ore samples collected from 11 lakes in Finland varied between 0 and 23 mol-%. The data indicated a negative relationship between Al-substitution and the particle size of lake ore. Differences in the Al-substitution were apparent between sampling sites, suggesting that kinetic and environmental variation in lake ore formation influences the substitution. Non-substituted goethite is formed in coarse-grained sediments with locally high concentrations of Fe due to iron-rich springs. Unit cell edge lengths and volumes of goethite varied as function of Al-subsitution but deviated from the Vegard relationship towards higher values.

Description: Nine nodules collected from throughout the deep North Pacific were analyzed for their mineralogy and major-element composition before and after leaching with Chester-Hughes solution. Data indicate that the mineral phillipsite accounts for the major part (〉 75%) of the aluminosilicate fraction of all nodules. It is suggested that formation of phillipsite takes place on growing nodule surfaces coupled with the oxidation of absorbed manganous ion. All the nodules could be described as ternary mixtures of amorphous iron fraction (Fe-Ti-P), manganese oxide fraction (Mn-Mg Cu-Ni), and phillipsite fraction (Al-Si-K-Na), these fractions accounting for 96% of the variability of the chemical composition.

Description: Crusts composed of nontronite and ferromanganese oxides were recovered from Explorer Ridge, a spreading ridge segment in the northeastern Pacific Ocean located off the west coast of Canada. The chemical and mineralogical composition of the crusts closely resembles that of the mound-like hydrothermal deposits recently discovered at the FAMOUS site on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and on the Galapagos spreading centre. Compositional anomalies suggest that the crusts are precipitates of hydrothermal vent solutions which were ejected discontinuously and subsequently mixed with seawater.

Description: Submersible exploration on the eastern Pacific Ridge near 21 ° N has revealed an active hydrothermal system. It is manifested by the emission in the marine environment of hot and Highly mineralized fluids (370 ° C maximum). These fluids precipitate on contact with seawater and deposits of massive sulphides are built at the outlet of their sources. The mineralogical and geochemical study of the products associated with the emissions of hot fluids provides an initial evaluation of this type of deposit and leads to a comparison between the hydrothermalism responsible for the formation of sulphides and the hydrothermalism responsible for the formation of metal rich crusts formed of iron smectites and manganese oxides. This study is carried out with conventional mineralogical and geochemical investigations (optical and electronic microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, electron microprobe, neutron activation and mass spectrometry).

Description: Electron microprobe and X-ray diffraction data for north Pacific manganese nodules reveal that the transition metal distributions are controlled by the mineralogy. Microlayers rich in 10Å-manganates generally have high Mn/Fe ratios and positive correlations between Ni, Cu and Mn, and between Co and Fe. Microlayers rich in vernadite, on the other hand, show low Mn/Fe ratios, and Co, Ni and Cu all show positive correlations with Mn. The 10Å-manganates form mainly in porewaters with high Mn/Fe ratios. The Ni2+ and Cu2+ ions are post-depositionally incorporated into the interlayers of the manganates, whereas Co3+ is substituted for Fe3+ in ferric oxyhydroxides. In seawater with a low Mn/Fe ratio, on the other hand, the adsorption of positively charged ferric oxyhydroxides on negatively charged [MnO6] octahedral layers suppresses the growth of 10Å-manganates, enhancing the formation of vernadite. Positively charged hydroxides of Co3+, Ni2+ and Cu2+ are also adsorbed on the [MnO6] layers. These mechanisms of mineral formation and metal uptake are corroborated by data for other oceanic non-hydrothermal manganese nodules and crusts.

Description: The sulfide deposit at Site 471 occurs between overlying pelagic sediment and underlying basalt. The deposit is vertically zoned and consists, from top to bottom, of the following mineral assemblages: (1) pyrite, chalcopyrite, and Zn-sulfide in chert and calcite gangue (~ 35 cm thick); (2) a 5-cm-thick metalliferous sediment layer and (3) a 4-cm-thick chert layer. The calcite gangue appears at a later stage than chert gangue in the sequence of deposition, also filling in voids and fractures. The manganese content of calcite is particularly high and varies systematically, reaching a maximum at the top of the massive sulfide portion of the deposit.

Description: Elevated regions in the central parts of ocean basins are excellent for study of accumulation of eolian material. The mass-accumulation rates of this sediment component appear to reflect changes in the influx of volcanic materials through the Early Cretaceous to Recent history of Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 463, on the Mid-Pacific Mountains. Four distinct episodes of eolian accumulation occurred during the Cretaceous: two periods of moderate accumulation, averaging about 0.2 to 0.3 g/cm**2/10**3 yr, 67 to 70.5 m.y. ago and 91 to 108 m.y. ago; a period of low accumulation, approximately 0.03 g/cm**2/10**3 yr, 70.5 to 90 m.y. ago; and a period of high accumulation, about 0.9 g/cm**2/10**3 yr, 109 to 117 m.y. ago (bottom of the hole). Much of the Cenozoic section is missing from Site 463. Upper Miocene to Recent sediments record an upward increase in accumulation rates, from less than 0.01 to about 0.044 g/cm**2/10**3 yr. The late Pliocene-Pleistocene peak may reflect the change to glacial-wind regimes, as well as an increase in volcanic source materials.