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The Holocene history of the eastern continental margin of the Laptev Sea: lithological and micropaleontological evidence

Abstract

Reconstruction of the Holocene history of the eastern Laptev Sea continental margin is based on the downcore records of ice- and iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) and fossil assemblages of benthic and planktic foraminifers in two marine sediment cores obtained from different depths on the continental slope, e. g. 122 and 983 m. The early Holocene (8,2–11,7 cal. ka) is distinguished by its warmest climatic conditions as evidenced by the highest abundance of foraminifers, low IRD content, bioproductivity peaks and high representation of phytodetritus species. At the beginning of the middle Holocene (7,4–8,2 cal. ka), a sharp decrease in foraminifera numbers was recorded, up to their complete disappearance in the core from 122 m water depth. In combination with extremely fine-grained composition of sediments this suggests the development of a thick ice cover, which might have caused a drop in bioproductivity. After 7,4 cal. ka the increasing amount of IRD together with the growing representation of both river-proximal benthic foraminifers and attached epifaunal species indicate climate cooling that has been also recorded previously for the western Laptev Sea. Its manifestations include the growing area of the sea-ice cover, southward shift of the seasonal drift ice margin, and the advance of ice caps on the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. The IRD peaks with the periodicity of 1–1,5 thousand years are almost synchronous in the west and east of the sea; they coincide with time intervals of 7–7,4, 6,4–6,6, 5–5,8, 2,8–3,8, 1,6–2 and 0,8–1,2 cal. ka.

About the Authors

N. O. Averkina
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation
Faculty of Geography, Laboratory of Pleistocene Paleogeography, Scientific Researcher


E. E. Taldenkova
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation
Faculty of Geography, Laboratory of Pleistocene Paleogeography, Leading Scientific Researcher, PhD in Geography


Y. S. Ovsepyan
Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Laboratory of ocean biostratigraphy and paleogeography, Scientific Researcher, PhD in Geology and Mineralogy


R. F. Spielhagen
Helmholz Center for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)
Germany

PhD in Geology

Kiel



H. A. Bauch
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
Germany

PhD in Geology

Bremerhaven



S. D. Nikolaev
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation
Faculty of Geography, Laboratory of Pleistocene Paleogeography, Leading Scientific Researcher, D.Sc. in Geography


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Review

For citations:


Averkina N.O., Taldenkova E.E., Ovsepyan Y.S., Spielhagen R.F., Bauch H.A., Nikolaev S.D. The Holocene history of the eastern continental margin of the Laptev Sea: lithological and micropaleontological evidence. Lomonosov Geography Journal. 2021;(1):43-53. (In Russ.)

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