ORGANIC-CARBON CONTENT SEDIMENTATION-RATE RELATIONSHIP AND ITS PALEOENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE FOR MARINE-SEDIMENTS

Organic carbon content and sedimentation rate data may give information about the depositional environment of marine sediments. For sediments deposited under oxic deep-water conditions, a positive correlation exists between organic carbon content and sedimentation rate, with very high organic carbon values and high sedimentation rates typical for coastal upwelling areas. Under anoxic deep-water conditions, no such correlation exists. This relationship between (marine) organic carbon and sedimentation rate (the "OCSR diagram") has been used to characterize the depositional environments of Deep-Sea Drilling Project/Ocean Drilling Program (DSDP/ODP) sediments of Late Cenozoic and Cretaceous age. Furthermore, the results are compared with organic carbon/sulfur data. © 1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.