Sedimentology and geochemical analyses of Pliocene to Holocene sediments of ODP Hole 160-964A in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Appendix)

Paleoenvironmental proxies were used for reconstruction of productivity (Ba derived from marine barite), oxygen conditions (trace metal ratios) and sedimentary regime (clay minerals, detrital elements).

These proxies reveal a significant increase in river runoff relative to decreasing aeolian input during sapropel deposition over the whole time interval. Ba excess supports the argument that a significant increase in export productivity is the main triggering mechanism for sapropel deposition, although preservation also played an important role. Furthermore, major differences exist in depositional conditions, including both oxygenation and productivity since the Pliocene.