Detailed Modeling of Cenozoic Sedimentation in the North Pacific

Leinen博士（URI）已获得资助，与共同研究者Kyte博士（加州大学洛杉矶分校）合作，以建立由NSF资助的早期研究。这项先前的工作表明，非化石的远洋粘土可能包含重要但经常被忽视的地质和古海洋学信息。迄今为止，作者已经对北太平洋中部LL4-GPC3岩心沉积物的325个样品进行了中子活化分析，这些样品跨越70 Ma。他们开发了一种反向建模技术，将该岩心中分析的39种元素与8种末端沉积物成分相匹配。由此产生了对太平洋盆地的风成、火山、热液、氢气和生物贡献的历史。获得这个奖项的博士。Kyte和Leinen将把这些分析和建模技术扩展到另一个长期记录（北太平洋西部的DSDP站点576），并将对整个北太平洋的表面沉积物进行平行矿物学（XRD）分析。其目标是完善他们对北太平洋沉积物中主要、少量和微量元素分布的化学和矿物学控制的理解，并继续发展该技术作为古环境解释的新方法。

Dr. Leinen (URI) has been awarded funds to work with co-investigator Dr. Kyte (UCLA) to build upon earlier research funded by NSF. This previous work has demonstrated that non-fossiliferous pelagic clays may contain important but often overlooked geologic and paleoceanographic information. To date, the authors have conducted neutron activation analyses on 325 samples spanning 70 Ma of sediment in core LL4-GPC3 from the central N Pacific. They developed an inverse modeling technique that juggles the 39 elements analyzed in this core to match 8 end-member sediment components. From this is emerging a history of eolian, volcanic, hydrothermal, hydrogenous and biologic contribution to the Pacific ocean basin. With the present award, Drs. Kyte and Leinen will extend these analyses and modeling techniques to another long record (DSDP Site 576 in the western N Pacific) and will incorporate parallel mineralogic (XRD) analyses on surface sediments from throughout the N Pacific. The goal is to refine their understanding of the chemical and mineralogical controls on the distribution of major, minor + trace elements in N Pacific sediments, and continue to develop this technique as a new approach in paleoenvironmental interpretation.