Circulation through the Central American Seaway during the Miocene carbonate crash

Research Article| January 01, 2009 Circulation through the Central American Seaway during the Miocene carbonate crash Derrick R. Newkirk; Derrick R. Newkirk * 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA *E-mail: drnewk@ufl.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ellen E. Martin Ellen E. Martin 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Derrick R. Newkirk * 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA Ellen E. Martin 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA *E-mail: drnewk@ufl.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 22 May 2008 Revision Received: 10 Sep 2008 Accepted: 21 Sep 2008 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2009 Geological Society of America Geology (2009) 37 (1): 87–90. https://doi.org/10.1130/G25193A.1 Article history Received: 22 May 2008 Revision Received: 10 Sep 2008 Accepted: 21 Sep 2008 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 Derrick R. Newkirk, Ellen E. Martin; Circulation through the Central American Seaway during the Miocene carbonate crash. Geology 2009;; 37 (1): 87–90. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G25193A.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 Changes in circulation associated with the shoaling of the Isthmus of Panama and the Caribbean carbonate crash in the Miocene were investigated using Nd isotopes from fossil fish teeth and debris from two sites in the Caribbean Basin (Ocean Drilling Program Sites 998 and 999) and two sites in the eastern equatorial Pacific (Sites 846 and 1241). The total range for ϵNd values measured from 18 to 4.5 Ma in the Caribbean is −7.3 to 0. These values are higher than Atlantic water masses (~–11) and range up to values equivalent to contemporaneous Pacific water masses, confirming that flow into the Caribbean Basin was composed of a mixture of Pacific and Atlantic waters, with an upper limit of almost pure Pacific-sourced waters. Throughout the Caribbean record, particularly during the carbonate crash (10–12 Ma), low carbonate mass accumulation rates (MARs) correlate with more radiogenic ϵNd values, indicating increased flow of corrosive Pacific intermediate water into the Caribbean Basin during intervals of dissolution. This flow pattern agrees with results from general ocean circulation models designed to study the effect of the shoaling of the Central American Seaway. Low carbonate MARs and high ϵNd values also correlate with intervals of increased Northern Component Water production and, therefore, enhanced conveyor circulation, suggesting that the conveyor may respond to changes in circulation associated with shoaling of the Central American Seaway. Reduced Pacific throughflow related to shoaling of the seaway led to a gradual increase in carbonate preservation and more Atlantic-like ϵNd values following the carbonate crash. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.