Quantitative parameters of Pleistocene pelagic sedimentation in the World Ocean: Global trends and regional features

Abstract

A comparative analysis of Pleistocene pelagic sedimentation in the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans revealed the predominance of terrigenous sediments, while carbonate and siliceous sediments are second and third in abundance. During Pleistocene, the mass of terrigenous and siliceous sediments increased, while that of carbonates slightly decreased. The latter is related to the fact that the bottom waters aggressive to carbonates became increasingly generated at high latitudes, thus exceeding an increase in the productivity of plankton carbonate organisms. The peculiarities of accumulation of the main types of bottom sediments in the Pleistocene are considered. It is concluded that the Pleistocene geological history of continents, especially neotectonic uplift and continental glaciations, played an important role in pelagic sedimentation.