Geochemical Peculiarities of the Atlantic Pleistocene Sediments

In the geochemical review based on records from cruises of the International Deep Marine Drilling Project (DSDP, ODP, and IODP phases) and other literature data on the main types of Pleistocene sediments in the Atlantic, tables of average arithmetic chemical composition, mean weighted chemical composition, accumulation rates, and mass accumulation rates of chemical components are presented. These tables can be used for the comparative analysis with sediments of the same or other stratons in different oceanic basins, as well as with paleoceanic sediments on the continents. The terrigenous matrix dominates within the lithogenic matter. Using methods of mathematical statistics, we revealed the main geochemical associations and major factors determining the chemical composition of studied sediments. Masses of oxides of petrogenic elements and several trace elements have been calculated for Pleistocene sediments. Average chemical composition of Pleistocene sediments is proposed for the Atlantic.