Elsevier

Sedimentary Geology

Volume 281, 15 December 2012, Pages 180-193
Sedimentary Geology

Processes controlling a volcaniclastic turbiditic system during the last climatic cycle: Example of the Cilaos deep-sea fan, offshore La Réunion Island

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2012.09.010Get rights and content

Abstract

The present study focused on turbidite sedimentation in the Cilaos turbidite system, a volcaniclastic deep-sea fan recently recognized offshore La Réunion Island. A set of piston cores was collected in order to establish the stratigraphy of this fan and to examine the processes controlling the turbidite sedimentation off the Cilaos cirque (Piton des Neiges volcanic massif) over the last climatic cycle. Two main phases of turbidite activity were identified, during the ca 140–127 ka and 30–0 ka periods, coinciding with the two last glacial–interglacial transitions (i.e., Terminations II and I). In addition to changes in climate and eustatic sea-level, these periods coincide with a low effusive volcanic activity of the Piton des Neiges volcano. The high erosional rates identified in the Cilaos cirque during these intervals of both low effusive volcanic activity and enhanced rainfall level are probably the main driver of sediment supply to the deep‐sea depositional system. These new findings also highlight the important capacity of volcaniclastic turbidite systems to record rapid paleoenvironmental changes.

Introduction

Recent studies based on high-resolution stratigraphy show that past climate and sea-level changes have had a significant influence on deep ocean turbidite sedimentation at both orbital and millennial timescales. These relationship has been demonstrated over the last few years along both siliciclastic ( Covault and Graham, 2010, Jorry et al., 2010, Toucanne et al., 2008, Ducassou et al., 2010, Jorry et al., 2011, Toucanne et al., 2012 among others) and carbonate margins (e.g., Droxler and Schlager, 1985, Schlager et al., 1994, Andresen et al., 2003, Jorry et al., 2008). Surprisingly, few studies have yet addressed the timing of gravity deposits around volcanic islands, and the forcing factors controlling the sediment delivery in such situations remain unclear ( Alibés et al., 1999, Frenz et al., 2009).

The conventional sequence stratigraphy model for clastic systems states that deep marine systems preferably grow during falls in sea-level and at lowstand. However, several studies have demonstrated that some turbidite systems do not follow the classic sequence stratigraphy concepts. Covault and Graham (2010) showed that deep-sea deposition occurs at all sea-level states. Terrigenous sediment delivery to the deep-sea depends on many factors, such as the tectono-morphologic character of the margin, climatic forcing and terrestrial sediment source.

The influence of climate and sea-level changes on sediment delivery to volcaniclastic basins is poorly defined and remains a matter of debate. Quidelleur et al. (2008) and McMurtry et al. (2004) suggested that most large volume landslides affecting volcanic islands occur at glacial–interglacial transitions (Terminations) and concluded there was a causal relationship between flank collapses of volcanic islands and global climate change. However, recent data contradict these results, as these showed no link between climate-driven changes and volcanic flank collapses ( Rodriguez-Gonzales et al., 2009, Harris et al., 2011, Longpré et al., 2011). In contrast, the influence of volcanic activity has been widely examined, especially off the Canary Islands. In this area, the main turbidite activity has coincided with phases of high volcanic activity ( Schmincke and Sumita, 1998, Schneider et al., 1998).

Since 2006, several oceanographic cruises have been conducted on the submarine flanks of La Réunion Island (Indian Ocean). These cruises led to the discovery of five volcaniclastic deep-sea fans linked to major erosional structures visible on land ( Saint-Ange et al., 2011, Sisavath et al., 2011). La Réunion Island offers the opportunity to study a deep depositional system related to an isolated oceanic island, situated far from continental influences. The aim of this paper is to establish the first stratigraphy of the Cilaos turbidite system based on a set of Küllenberg piston cores. We discuss how volcanic activity, climate and sea-level variations have interacted and controlled the input of sediment offshore of La Réunion island over the last 140 ka, leading to the building of a deep-sea fan spreading over hundreds of kilometers on the sea floor.

Section snippets

General setting of La Réunion Island

La Réunion Island is an isolated volcanic system located 750 km from Madagascar in the western part of the Indian Ocean ( Fig. 1 ). It belongs to the Mascarene Archipelago and resulted from the activity of the hotspot that formed the Deccan Trapps (65 Ma ago) and subsequently the Mascarene Plateau and Mauritius Island ( Morgan, 1981, Bonneville et al., 1988, Duncan et al., 1989). It is the youngest and largest island in this group and the only one that has active volcanism today. The island is

Materials and methods

In this paper, we used seven Küllenberg piston cores taken around La Réunion Island during the oceanographic cruises ERODER 1, onboard the BHO Beautemps-Beaupré in 2006; FOREVER, onboard the R/V Atalante in 2006; and ERODER2, onboard the R/V Meteor in January 2008 ( Fig. 1 , Table 1 ). Five cores were taken from locations in the Cilaos fan (KERO-09, KERO-16, KERO-12, KERO-15 and FOR-C1). Additional cores from the Mafate fan (KERO-07, Fig. 1 ) and the Saint-Joseph fan (KERO-08, Fig. 1 ) were

Lithology and echosounding facies

Based on the grain-size characteristics, internal sedimentary structures, erosive contacts with underlying sediments and the abundance of glass shards and volcanic crystals, all the sandy beds in the studied cores were interpreted as volcaniclastic turbidites ( Saint-Ange et al., 2011, Sisavath et al., 2011). These turbidite units ranged from a few centimeters up to 20 cm in thickness ( Fig. 2 ).

Cores KERO-09 and KERO-12, taken in the western part of the Cilaos distal fan at about 215 km from the

Discussion

This discussion is based on cores KERO-09, KERO-12, KERO-15, KERO-16 and FOR-C1. Cores KERO-07 and KERO-08 were used to build a consistent regional δ18O stratigraphy around La Réunion Island.

Conclusions

New stratigraphical data on the deep-sea Cilaos sedimentary system allow us to define the timing of turbidite activity, which appears to have occurred close to the last two climatic terminations. A first turbidite activity period occurred around 127 ka and a second one started at 30 ka, which has continued until the present. The two main phases of turbidite activity coincide with the last two transitions from glacial lowstands to subsequent sea‐level rises. Nevertheless, our study demonstrates

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the crew and scientific teams for the high-quality data recovery during the 2006 ERODER1 cruise aboard the BHO Beautemps-Beaupré and the 2008 ERODER 2 cruise aboard the RV Meteor. Seven radiocarbon dates presented in this paper were acquired with the Artemis program (supported by the CNRS). We are also grateful to Nathalie Labourdette (Université Pierre & Marie Curie) who ran the oxygen isotope analyses and to Tomasz Goslar who managed additional radiocarbon dating at the

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