Elevated regions in the central parts of ocean basins are excellent for study of accumulation of eolian material. The mass-accumulation rates of this sediment component appear to reflect changes in the influx of volcanic materials through the Early Cretaceous to Recent history of Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 463, on the Mid-Pacific Mountains. Four distinct episodes of eolian accumulation occurred during the Cretaceous: two periods of moderate accumulation, averaging about 0.2 to 0.3 g/cm2/103 yr, 67 to 70.5 m.y. ago and 91 to 108 m.y. ago; a period of low accumulation, approximately 0.03 g/cm2/103 yr, 70.5 to 90 m.y. ago; and a period of high accumulation, about 0.9 g/cm2/103 yr, 109 to 117 m.y. ago (bottom of the hole). Much of the Cenozoic section is missing from Site 463. Upper Miocene to Recent sediments record an upward increase in accumulation rates, from less than 0.01 to about 0.044 g/cm2/103 yr. The late Pliocene-Pleistocene peak may reflect the change to glacial-wind regimes, as well as an increase in volcanic source materials.

Sediment depth is given in mbsf. # indicate samples which had dried before arrival in our laboratory; for these samples the average of the porosity values of overlying and underlying samples was assigned. Empty cells mean no data.

Supplement to: Rea, David K; Janecek, Thomas R (1981): Mass-accumulation rates of the non-authigenic inorganic crystalline (Eolian) component of deep-sea sediments from the western Mid-Pacific Mountains, Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 463. In: Thiede, J; Vallier, TL; et al. (eds.), Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (U.S. Govt. Printing Office), 62, 653-659