Shoaling in the Miocene Neogene Central American Seaway

Consequences of shoaling of the Central American Seaway determined from modelling Nd isotopes

Authors:

Sepulchre et al

Abstract:

The Central American Seaway played a pivotal role in shaping global climate throughout the late Cenozoic. Recent geological surveys have provided new constraints on timing of the seaway shoaling, while neodymium isotopic (εNd) data measured on fossil teeth, debris and ferromanganese crusts have helped define the history of water masses in the region. Here we provide the first 3D simulations of εNd responses to the shoaling seaway. Our model suggests that a narrow and shallow seaway is sufficient to affect inter-oceanic circulation, that inflow/outflow balance between the Caribbean and the Antilles responds non-linearly to sill depth, and that a seaway narrower than 400 km is consistent with an active AMOC during the late Miocene. Simulated εNd values in the Caribbean confirm that inputs from radiogenic Pacific waters in the Caribbean decrease as the seaway shoals. Despite model limitations, a comparison between our results and εNd values recorded in the Caribbean helps constrain the depth of the Central American Seaway through time, and we infer that a depth between 50 and 200 meters could have been reached 10 million-years ago.