4-1. North of Oahu (PC-7 and PC-8)
Objectives
PC7 and PC8 were sampled to further understanding
of the timing of Nuuanu Landslide. In the
1998 cruise we recovered three cores from
this area, at distances of approximately
100, 200, and 300 km from the flank of Oahu
(P1, P3, and P2, respectively). Results of
these cores are given in Kanamatsu et al.
(2001). PC7 was recovered 400 km from Oahu,
along the line formed by the previous three.
PC8 was recovered 130 km west of PC7, roughly
340 km NNE of Oahu.
Lithology
Core PC7: Core was recovered from behind a small seamount.
A gap was present in the coring pipe after
the top 230 cm of sediment. Only the interval
between 0-79 cm appeared unaffected by inflow
disruption from coring, and thus may provide
stratigraphic information. This interval
consists of three units: 0-30cm, moderately
yellowish brown clay; 30-71cm, dark yellowish
brown indurate volcanic silt; 71-80 cm, volcanic
sand. Much of the sediment below the gap
in the coring pipe exhibits in-flow structure
as well. Section 9, however, appears intact
and consists of silty volcanic sand, which
is incipiently indurate for the bottom 35
cm.
Core P8: This core can be divided into three units:
the upper unit consists of moderately yellowish
brown clay (0-64cm, sec1) and indurate fractured
clay (0cm sec3-23cmsec5). The middle consists
of an indurate alternation of volcanic silt
and clay (23cm, sec5-88cm, sec5) above a
194-cm thick sand layer (88cm, sec5 - 93cm,
sec7). Below this thick sand layer, the third
unit contains moderate yellowish brown clay
(93 cm, sec7-103cm, sec9) and indurated fractured
clay (sec10). Section 10 exhibits inflow
structure.
The thick sand layer at the base of PC7 may
correlate with the sand layer in the middle
of section 8, based on depth and magnetic
susceptibility (MS) profiles. This layer
may be a turbidite generated during the Nuuanu
landslide. If so, PC8 may prove to be important
in constraining the timing of this event,
as it is the only core that has been recovered
that contains intact pelagic sediment below
the Nuuanu turbidite deposit, and thus may
contain magnetic reversal events above and
below the sand layer.
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