The Cretaceous was a period of extreme climatic conditions accompanied
by major perturbations in ocean-atmosphere biogeochemical cycles. One of the
most intriguing features is the sporadic interruption of normal marine pelagic
sediment deposition by organic rich sediments deposited during oxygen-deficient
conditions (ocean anoxic events OAEs). A current model for the...
Rapid eruption of submarine lava flows during formation of the Caribbean plateau correlates closely with
ocean anoxic event 2 (OAE2), which bracketed the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary (~93.5 Ma). These events
also correspond with a positive excursion in carbon isotopic composition of seawater. Hydrothermal activity
associated with large-scale submarine volcanism may have...