• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.569-578
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• 2022

Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) represents a period of mid-Cretaceous when black shale was deposited worldwide. This short period of perturbations in the global biogeochemical cycles spans the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, marking the peak of the Cretaceous greenhouse, which is characterized by elevated atmospheric pCO₂, sealevel highstand, and expansion of oxygen minimum zone. Since the pioneering work in the 1970s, numerous studies have investigated the cause and consequences of the event based on geochemical and isotope proxies, and it is now widely accepted that the enhanced primary production and volcanism during the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval were the key environmental factors that triggered OAE2. This study briefly reviews previous OAE2 studies of the carbon, sulfur, and trace metal cycles for mechanistic understanding of the biogeochemical processes during the event.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 1997

To study the vertical variation of heavy metal and Rare Earth Element (REE) contents in deep-sea sediments, eighteen cores were sampled from the Korea Deep-sea Environmental Study (KODES)-96 area in the C-C zone (Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone), northeast equatorial Pacific. Sediment columns can be divided into three units based on sediment colors and geochemical characters; uppermost Unit I with brown color, middle Unit II with pale brown color and smaller Ni/Cu ratio than the ratio in Unit I, and lowermost Unit III with dark (brown) colors and higher contents of Mn, Ni, Cu, and REEs than those in Unit I and II. Unit II can be divided more into two layers of upper Unit IIa and lower Unit IIb. Unit IIb is characterized by high contents of Cu, 3+REEs (REEs except Ce), smectite, and severely deteriorated fossil tests. Unit III can also be divided into two units; upper Unit IIIa with dark brown color, and lower Unit IIIb with black color and enriched Mn and Fe. The KODES area was located near from the East Pacific Rise (EPR) When Unit III Sediments were deposited, considering the hiatus between Unit II and III (Quaternary-Tertiary boundary) and the spreading rate (10 cm/yr) and direction (north southern west) of the Pacific plate from the EPR. High contents of Mn and Fe in Unit IIIb may be related with hydrothermal influence from the EPR. Meanwhile, Unit IIb (about 2~3 Ma) and Unit III (11~30 Ma) layers were probably formed near (or under) the equatorial high productivity zone, and accordingly received a lot of organic materials. As a result, Cu and 3+REEs, closely associated with organic materials, are enriched in smectite and/or Ca-P composites (fish bone debrise, biogenic apatite) after decomposition and reprecipitation on the sea floor. Higher contents of Cu and 3+REEs in Unit IIb and III are suggested to be the result of abundant supply of organic substances in the equatorial high productivity zone.