Late Quaternary sedimentation in eastern Bay of Bengal

Abstract

This study presents variations in various size measures, calcium carbonate, organic carbon, clay mineralogy and major and trace elements in a core (5.40 m long, 2713 m depth) from the eastern Bay of Bengal. On a CM diagram, the sediments of the core occupy the area designated for suspended sediments indicating that the entire sedimentary section was deposited under calm conditions. The sharp change in distribution of organic carbon and calcium carbonate at 40 cm suggests a change in the nature of sedimentation and perhaps represents the boundary between the Pleistocene and Holocene. The variations in relative abundance of clay minerals as well as the chemistry of the sediments above and below 40 cm lend support to the above inference