THE PLEISTOCENE MINERAL COMPONENT OF SEDIMENTS FROM THE LINE ISLANDS: SORTING OUT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DEPOSITION EFFECTS ON EOLIAN INPUT

Deep-sea Pleistocene sediment deposits collected near the Line Islands contributes to understanding atmospheric circulation and global climate change. We chemically extracted the mineral component from a set of late Pleistocene samples to determine the mass input and grain size of this material. An age model was developed using oxygen isotopic stratigraphy and high-resolution magnetic susceptibility records then used to examine glacial-interglacial variability of the mineral component. Mineral mass flux was determined by multiplying linear sedimentation rates, sediment bulk density, and the percentage of mineral component for each sample collected. Grain size data were collected using an electronic particle size analyzer (Coulter Counter). The Line Islands are shallow enough to avoid continentally derived mineral input from turbidites and far enough away from any possible ice rafted debris input. Thus, we assume that eolian transport mechanisms are the primary source of mineral component input, but post-depositional winnowing affects may have occurred. Data from these sites will be compared to regional eolian records to help interpret the depositional history of these samples.