Carbon isotope ratios of terrestrial biomarkers extracted from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1263A show a prominent negative excursion across the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. The isotope profiles of the normal alkanes nonacosane (n-C29), hentriacontane (n-C31), and tritriacontane (n-C33), the first such profiles generated with samples from a pelagic section, are similar to those of carbonate carbon, though the magnitude of the excursion is larger, roughly 4-5. In addition, the n-alkane records show an inflection at 334.70 meters composite depth, which is roughly equivalent to where the inflection occurs in the carbonate record. These results suggest that the terrestrial compounds are directly recording changes in atmospheric carbon 13C and that the actual excursion may have been larger than that recorded by marine carbonates.

Sediment depth is given in mcd, at top horizon of the sample. Each isotope value represents the average of duplicate analyses.

Supplement to: Hasegawa, Takashi; Yamamoto, Shinya; Pratt, Lisa M (2006): Data report: Stable carbon isotope fluctuation of long-chain n-alkanes from Leg 208 Hole 1263A across the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. In: Kroon, D; Zachos, JC; Richter, C (eds.) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, College Station, TX (Ocean Drilling Program), 208, 1-11