Saharan wind regimes traced by the Sr-Nd isotopic composition of subtropical Atlantic sediments: Last Glacial maximum vs today

New Nd-Sr isotopic data on the < 30 mu m lithic particles of surface and Last Glacial Maximum sediments recovered along the African margin between the Equator and the Gibraltar Strait are presented in combination with grain-size measurements. This < 30 mu m size fraction allows us to eliminate any hemipelagic contribution that could occur in the coarser fractions. In the eolian fraction, both Sr and Nd isotopic tracers reveal the same major northwestern origin (Mauritania, Mall, southern Algeria and Morocco). The Archaean formations of the western Saharan shield could be the source of the very unradiogenic ratios observed here. The more southern regions (Senegal, Guinea) act only as secondary sources. A similar pattern is observed for the LGM. Lithic particles are mostly transported by both Trade and Saharan Air Layer (SAL) winds, along an approximate NE-SW axis; this main feature matches the 'southern plume', characterizing the dust transport observed during winter. No significant latitudinal shift of the belt winds is observed between the LGM and today. At the LGM, however, dust fluxes were 2-4 times higher than today, leading to a more 'Archaean-type' imprint in the deposits. We do not observe any clear relationship between the latitudinal variability of the upwelling systems identified in this region at the LGM and the location of the major wind systems. Both enhanced aridity on the continent and increased wind speed probably occurred together over western tropical Africa during the Last Glacial period. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.