History of mesozoic and cenozoic sediment fluxes to the North Atlantic Ocean

This history of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic depositional paleoenvironments of the North Atlantic Ocean is based on a comprehensive analysis of deep-sea drill sites, sediment facies distributions, hiatuses, sediment accumulation rates, and the fluxes of key sediment components. The study evaluates spatial patterns using palinspastic maps that illustrate the paleophysiographic evolution of the zonal North Atlantic across 30 time slices. The depositional history is divided into three major phases: a) Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous: Clastic terrigenous and biogenic pelagic sediments accumulated rapidly due to highly productive surface waters across the ocean basin. b) Mid to Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene: There was a significant reduction in terrigenous and pelagic biogenic sediment reaching the ocean floor. c) Middle Miocene to Recent: Accumulation rates of biogenic and terrigenous sediments increased dramatically up to Quaternary times, while hiatus formation rates and deep-water circulation intensity appeared to decrease. Paleodepth reconstructions of hiatuses showed maxima in the western North Atlantic at two depth levels (around 5 km and 2.2-4 km) but only one level (1.2-1.8 km) in the eastern basin. Continued sea floor spreading significantly influenced the depositional environment in this ocean.