Uranium at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary in Denmark |
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| Authors: | Helmar Kunzendorf Rajmond Gwozdz Hans Jørgen Hansen |
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| Institution: | RisøNational Laboratory, PO Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark;Institute of Historical Geology and Paleontology, University of Copenhagen, øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark |
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| Abstract: | Uranium is significantly enriched (up to two orders of magnitude) in the Danish Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary beds relative to the underand overlaying sediments. Both the predominant oxic and some anoxic deposits have a high uranium content. To investigate the geochemical behaviour of the element, a series of sections was analysed for uranium by means of the delayed-neutron counting technique. Uranium contents in the carbonate rocks from different parts of the Danish Sub-basin are generally low but show slight regional trends. Experiments that involve cold acid extractions suggest that uranium is associated with the non-carbonate residues. The uranium distribution with depth in the offshore drill core from the Central Graben area (North Sea) suggests that the element is associated with clay in the Danian part. Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary beds from Stevns Klint and other localities in the Danish sub-basin have anomalously high uranium contents compared with the values for chalk. Uranium is not correlated with iron, non-carbonate carbon or aluminium. The highest uranium values within boundary sections are not found in the lower part of the sections as is the case for iridium. The only boundary beds that show typical anoxic depositional affinity have a total uranium accumulation that is one order of magnitude lower than that found in the oxic sections. High amounts of uranium within Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary beds are suggested to be related to diagenetic processes such as compaction and dehydration. Uranium is thought not to cause the extinctions at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary because of the relatively low contents found at the actual extinction level. |
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