Carbon accumulation rates and the origin of the Holocene sapropel in the Black Sea

Research Article| October 01, 1987 Carbon accumulation rates and the origin of the Holocene sapropel in the Black Sea S. E. Calvert; S. E. Calvert 1Department of Oceanography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1W5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. S. Vogel; J. S. Vogel 2Department of Archeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada and Tandem Accelerator Laboratory, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. R. Southon J. R. Southon 2Department of Archeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada and Tandem Accelerator Laboratory, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1987) 15 (10): 918–921. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<918:CARATO>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation S. E. Calvert, J. S. Vogel, J. R. Southon; Carbon accumulation rates and the origin of the Holocene sapropel in the Black Sea. Geology 1987;; 15 (10): 918–921. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<918:CARATO>2.0.CO;2 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 A detailed radiocarbon chronology obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry together with organic carbon and carbonate measurements on two Black Sea cores has been used to compare and contrast the burial fluxes of organic carbon in the Holocene sapropel and the modern sediment. At both deep-water and eastern-slope sites, the sapropel is separated from the modern facies by a variable thickness of compositionally homogeneous sediment with low levels of organic carbon and anomalously old radiocarbon ages. This homogeneous unit probably represents deposition by slumping or mudflow. The age limits of the sapropel are 1600–6600 B.P. at the deep-water site and 4000–6000 B.P. (radiocarbon years before 1950 A.D.) at the shallow-water site. The carbon accumulation rate in the deep-water sapropel is higher than that in the modern deep-water facies by a factor of 2 and is approximately the same as that in the modern sediment in shallow water. The revised chronology of sapropel formation and the differences in the carbon accumulation rates probably indicate that the sapropel was formed by increased production during the transition from the premodern lake to the modern marine phases of the Black Sea. This conclusion is consistent with the clear marine carbon-isotope signal in the organic matter in the sapropel in both cores (results to be reported elsewhere), in contrast to the mixed source of carbon in the other facies. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.