REWORKING OF DEEP-SEA SEDIMENTS AS INDICATED BY VERTICAL DISPERSION OF AUSTRALASIAN AND IVORY COAST MICROTEKTITE HORIZONS

Microtektites (small glassy objects) have been found in deep-sea pelagic sediments associated with both the Australasian and Ivory Coast tektite strewn fields. Because of their wide geographical distribution, age of deposition (0.7 to 1.0 m.y. ago), size (∼1 mm down to at least 20 microns in diameter) and ease of recognition, an investigation of the vertical dispersion of the microtektite horizons can tell us much about reworking of pelagic sediments. In the eight cores investigated the microtektites are dispersed through a vertical section of from 35 to 90 cm. This represents an average of 120,000 yr of deposition. The distribution of the microtektites within the dispersed zone seems to be related in a general way to the amount of burrowing evident in the core. © 1969.