Biomarker records of late Neogene changes in northeast African vegetation

Research Article| December 01, 2005 Biomarker records of late Neogene changes in northeast African vegetation Sarah J. Feakins; Sarah J. Feakins 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter B. deMenocal; Peter B. deMenocal 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Timothy I. Eglinton Timothy I. Eglinton 2Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, M.S. 4, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Sarah J. Feakins 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Peter B. deMenocal 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Timothy I. Eglinton 2Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, M.S. 4, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Apr 2005 Revision Received: 16 Aug 2005 Accepted: 18 Aug 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2005) 33 (12): 977–980. https://doi.org/10.1130/G21814.1 Article history Received: 23 Apr 2005 Revision Received: 16 Aug 2005 Accepted: 18 Aug 2005 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Sarah J. Feakins, Peter B. deMenocal, Timothy I. Eglinton; Biomarker records of late Neogene changes in northeast African vegetation. Geology 2005;; 33 (12): 977–980. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G21814.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Open savannah grasslands (dominated by C4 plants) became a significant component of northeast African vegetation during the late Neogene. We present molecule-specific carbon isotopic measurements of terrestrial plant biomarkers preserved in marine sediments off northeast Africa that allow reconstruction of orbital-scale vegetation changes in short time windows over the past 9.4 m.y. The biomarker data show large-amplitude vegetation variability as early as 3.8 Ma, with the greatest C4 expansion occurring after 3.4 Ma. We sampled orbital-scale oscillations of up to 5‰, almost as large as the observed late Neogene range of 7‰, suggesting that large and repeated oscillations between more open and more closed landscapes were an important aspect of northeast African vegetation change during the past 4 m.y. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.