Bulk components and ice rafted debris of five sediment cores of the Sophia Basin, Arctic Ocean

We present a set of new sediment cores recovered from the Sophia Basin north of Svalbard which exhibit wide spread IRD layers reflecting enhanced terrigenous input throughout the last ~200 kyr. BP.

Their consistent stratigraphic position, sedimentological character, high sedimentation rate and geochemical characteristic point to synchronously deposited layers which we name terrigenous input events (TIEs). Due to their higher densities, they generate excellent reflectors for sediment penetrating acoustic devices and prominent acoustic layers in the imagery of sedimentary structures. Therefore TIEs can be used for regional acoustic stratigraphy.