A Global Reassessment of the Spatial and Temporal Expression of the Late Miocene Biogenic Bloom

Abstract

The Late Miocene Biogenic Bloom (LMBB) is a late Miocene to early Pliocene oceanographic event characterized by high accumulation rates of opal from diatoms and calcite from calcareous nannofossils and planktic foraminifera. This multi‐million year event has been recognized in sediment cores from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Based on existing studies, it is not clear whether the LMBB is a global omnipresent event, or whether it is restricted to certain regions or oceanographic environments. Moreover, the origin of this event is still widely discussed. In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the geographical and temporal aspects of the LMBB by compiling published ocean drilling (DSDP, ODP, and IODP) records of sedimentation rates, and CaCO ₃, opal, and terrigenous accumulation rates that cover the late Miocene and early Pliocene interval. Our data compilation shows that manifestations of the LMBB are present in many different locations but in a very heterogeneous way. The compilation shows that the sites where the LMBB is expressed are mainly located in areas with a high productivity regime (i.e., upwelling systems). We suggest that one of the possible hypotheses to explain the onset of the LMBB could be a global increase in upwelling intensity due to an increase in wind strength or an increase in deep water formation, ramping up global thermohaline circulation.

Key Points

• The Late Miocene Biogenic Bloom (LMBB) is expressed in sediment cores in various oceanographic settings

• Almost 40% of the sites in the compilation show no expression of the LMBB signal

• The onset of the LMBB could be linked to a generalized increase in upwelling activity