Quartz Contents of Pelagic Sediments of the Pacific Ocean

The quartz contents of pelagic clays from the Eastern Pacific Ocean show a marked latitudinal dependence with a maximum around 30°N. Present evidence indicates that the quartz is mainly transported to the deposits through the atmosphere and that the observed distribution is probably related to the latitudinal values of the atmospheric wind fluxes and exposed arid land areas. A number of sediments display a distinct change in quartz content with depth. In all cases there is a marked decrease going from the recent to the older strata. It is suggested that the changes indicate a major climatic change that occured sometime during the Late Tertiary.