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Multiproxy analysis of a new terrestrial and a marine Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary site from New Zealand

Ferrow, Embaie LU ; Vajda, Vivi LU ; Koch, Christian Bender ; Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Bernhard and Willumsen, Pi LU (2011) In Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 75(2). p.657-672
Abstract
An integrated study of palynology, Mossbauer spectroscopy, mineralogy and osmium isotopes has led to the detection of the first K-Pg boundary clay layer in a Southern Hemisphere terrestrial setting. The K-Pg boundary layer was independently identified at centimetre resolution by all the above mentioned methods at the marine K-Pg boundary site of mid-Waipara and the terrestrial site of Compressor Creek (Greymouth coal field), New Zealand. Mossbauer spectroscopy shows an anomaly of Fe-containing particles in both K-Pg boundary sections: jarosite at mid-Waipara and goethite at Compressor Creek. This anomaly coincides with a turnover in vegetation indicated by an interval dominated by fern spores and extinction of key pollen species in both... (More)
An integrated study of palynology, Mossbauer spectroscopy, mineralogy and osmium isotopes has led to the detection of the first K-Pg boundary clay layer in a Southern Hemisphere terrestrial setting. The K-Pg boundary layer was independently identified at centimetre resolution by all the above mentioned methods at the marine K-Pg boundary site of mid-Waipara and the terrestrial site of Compressor Creek (Greymouth coal field), New Zealand. Mossbauer spectroscopy shows an anomaly of Fe-containing particles in both K-Pg boundary sections: jarosite at mid-Waipara and goethite at Compressor Creek. This anomaly coincides with a turnover in vegetation indicated by an interval dominated by fern spores and extinction of key pollen species in both sections. In addition to the terrestrial floristic changes, the mid-Waipara section reveals a turnover in the dinoflagellate assemblages and the appearance of global earliest Danian index species. Geochemical data reveal relatively small iridium enrichments in the boundary layers of 321 pg/g at mid-Waipara and 176 pg/g at Compressor Creek. Unradiogenic Os-187/Os-188 values of the boundary clay reveal the presence of a significant extraterrestrial component. We interpret the accumulation of Fe nano-phases at the boundary as originating from both the impactor and the crystalline basement target rock. The goethite and jarosite are interpreted as secondary phases formed by weathering and diagenesis. The primary phases were probably controlled by the initial composition of the vapor plume and condensation kinetics rather than condensation thermodynamics. This investigation indicates that identification of Fe in nano-phases by Mossbauer spectroscopy is an accurate and cost-effective method for identifying impact event horizons and it efficiently complements widely used biostratigraphic and geochemical methods. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
volume
75
issue
2
pages
657 - 672
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000286349600022
  • scopus:78650216719
ISSN
0016-7037
DOI
10.1016/j.gca.2010.10.016
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
19f7b31e-f217-4534-9189-30f427bf2b2b (old id 1790782)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:02:09
date last changed
2022-01-25 19:06:18
@article{19f7b31e-f217-4534-9189-30f427bf2b2b,
  abstract     = {{An integrated study of palynology, Mossbauer spectroscopy, mineralogy and osmium isotopes has led to the detection of the first K-Pg boundary clay layer in a Southern Hemisphere terrestrial setting. The K-Pg boundary layer was independently identified at centimetre resolution by all the above mentioned methods at the marine K-Pg boundary site of mid-Waipara and the terrestrial site of Compressor Creek (Greymouth coal field), New Zealand. Mossbauer spectroscopy shows an anomaly of Fe-containing particles in both K-Pg boundary sections: jarosite at mid-Waipara and goethite at Compressor Creek. This anomaly coincides with a turnover in vegetation indicated by an interval dominated by fern spores and extinction of key pollen species in both sections. In addition to the terrestrial floristic changes, the mid-Waipara section reveals a turnover in the dinoflagellate assemblages and the appearance of global earliest Danian index species. Geochemical data reveal relatively small iridium enrichments in the boundary layers of 321 pg/g at mid-Waipara and 176 pg/g at Compressor Creek. Unradiogenic Os-187/Os-188 values of the boundary clay reveal the presence of a significant extraterrestrial component. We interpret the accumulation of Fe nano-phases at the boundary as originating from both the impactor and the crystalline basement target rock. The goethite and jarosite are interpreted as secondary phases formed by weathering and diagenesis. The primary phases were probably controlled by the initial composition of the vapor plume and condensation kinetics rather than condensation thermodynamics. This investigation indicates that identification of Fe in nano-phases by Mossbauer spectroscopy is an accurate and cost-effective method for identifying impact event horizons and it efficiently complements widely used biostratigraphic and geochemical methods. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Ferrow, Embaie and Vajda, Vivi and Koch, Christian Bender and Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Bernhard and Willumsen, Pi}},
  issn         = {{0016-7037}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{657--672}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta}},
  title        = {{Multiproxy analysis of a new terrestrial and a marine Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary site from New Zealand}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2010.10.016}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.gca.2010.10.016}},
  volume       = {{75}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}