Enhanced hydrological cycle during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 at southern high latitudes: New insights from IODP Site U1516

The Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2) represents one of the most profound global environmental disturbances of the Mesozoic Era, which was associated with a positive carbon isotope excursion due to widespread organic carbon burial. However, the character, evolutionary history, and exact driving mechanisms of OAE 2 are still much debated, exacerbated by the lack of records from climate-sensitive southern high latitudes. Here we present a multi-proxy record of a stratigraphically continuous succession spanning the late Cenomanian to early Turonian at the International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1516 in the Mentelle Basin off southwest Australia, which was located at southern high latitudes (~ 60–62°S) during the Late Cretaceous. Sedimentary records at Site U1516 allow the first detailed insights into source-to-sink processes in the Mentelle Basin and associated paleoenvironmental reconstruction in the southern Indian Ocean during OAE 2. Rare earth element abundances and clay-bound neodymium isotopes of the siliciclastic sediment fractions indicate that southwest Australia was the main detrital source of sediment at Site U1516 during OAE 2, with volcanogenic sediments representing only a minor component. A major provenance shift is observed across OAE 2, indicating an increased sediment contribution from distant sources (i.e., Yilgarn Craton and Albany-Fraser Orogen) relative to proximal sources (i.e., Perth Basin and Leeuwin Block) in southwest Australia, interpreted as reflecting a major reorganization of the drainage system due to enhanced fluvial runoff. Based on these findings, we infer that the OAE 2 interval showing the most prominent δ13C excursion was associated with an intensification of the hydrological cycle in the high-latitude southern hemisphere, with potential impacts on regional ocean chemistry and marine productivity. In particular, we suggest that enhanced terrigenous input and riverine nutrient export likely played a key role in controlling siliceous productivity at nearby ocean margins. As a consequence, the intense burial of organic matter (i.e., black shale) at Site U1516, which occurred episodically throughout OAE 2, possibly resulted from the combination of enhanced riverine-driven marine productivity and increased burial efficiency associated with the development of anoxic/euxinic bottom water conditions.