Knowledge Bank

Ocean sediment cores can provide key information on timing and nature of climate events. Two ocean sediment cores from Mendeleev Ridge, Arctic Ocean, one of which has been previously studied and dated with absolute age dating techniques, are compared for various attributes, notably color, biogenic matter, bulk density, and coarse-grained content. These proxies are used to correlate the two cores and assign timing to the one for which no absolute age data exists. Timing of glacial and interglacial events and marine isotope stages (MIS) is thus assigned. Rough estimates of sedimentation rates are compared, and large differences in rates are inferred. Differences in grain size between shallow and deep cores suggests that winnowing and transport of sediment from upslope is a factor in deposition in the area.