On bottom sediments of the Western Pacific ocean

  • V. P. Petelin Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.29006/1564-2291.JOR-1960.2(1).03
Keywords bottom sediments, Western Pacific ocean, bottom relief, V.P. Petelin, silt, red clay, diatomaceous sil, etmodiscus silt, globigerin silt, clay-lime silts, calcareous pelagic sediments, 25th voyage of «Vityaz», 26th voyage of «Vityaz», 27th voyage of «Vityaz»

Abstract

The article presents some preliminary results of the study of bottom sediments in the western part of the Pacific, carried out according to the IGY program of oceanographic researches on the «Vityaz» from July 1957 till June 1958 (cruises 25th, 26th, 27th). Red clay and globigerina ooze are the main types of the bottom sediments in the region; between them is the zone of sediments belonging to the transitory type, the clayey-limy pelagic mud. The lime sediments are replaced by red clay on the depth of about 4500 m. During the work of the expedition the boundaries were checked of the distribution of red clay within the field of lime sediments to the north of New Guinea. Many data are collected about the -distribution of the diatom ooze with Ethmodiscus. The origin of this ooze is being connected with the permanent flowing down of the valve suspensions of the modern diatoms into the lowerings of the bottom, and partly with the shifting of the silt material by the turbidity currents. Researches of the sediments and underlying rocks were carried out in the trenches of Marianas, Yap, Bougainville, New Hebrides, Tonga, Kermadec and in the recently found 1«Vityaz» trench. The diatom ooze with Ethmodiscus was locally observed on the bottom of the Yap and Marianas trenches. The thickness of this ooze in the Yap trench is more than 5 m. On the slopes of the Marianas and Bougainville trenches the basaltic pillow lava was found. It is ascertained that the bottom relief of the Western Pacific is remarkable for its complexity and for the shifting of the sediments by turbidity currents and underwater slides occurring on a large scale.

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Published
2019-12-22
Issue
No 2 (1960): Oceanological Research
Section
Marine geology, geophysics and geochemistry

Transfer of copyrights occurs on the basis of a license agreement between the Author and Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS