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Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

The astronomical theory of climate and the age

of the Brunhes-Matuyama magnetic reversal
Franck C. Bassinot a,1, Laurent D. Labeyrie b, Edith Vincent a, Xavier Quidelleur c
Nicholas J. Shackleton d, Yves Lancelot a
a Laboratoire de Gdologie du Quaternaire, CNRS-Luminy, Case 907, 13288 Marseille cddex 09, France
b Centre des Faibles Radioactivit&, CNRS/CEA, Avenue de la Terrasse, BP 1, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
c Institut de Physique du Globe, Laboratoire de Pal~omagn&isme, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252 Paris c~dex 05, France
d Department of Quaternary Research, The Godwin Laboratory, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RS, UK

Received 3 November 1993; revision accepted 30 May 1994

Abstract
Below oxygen isotope stage 16, the orbitally derived time-scale developed by Shackleton et al. [1] from ODP site
677 in the equatorial Pacific differs significantly from previous ones [e.g., 2-5], yielding estimated ages for the last
Earth magnetic reversals that are 5 - 7 % older than the K / A r values [6-8] but are in good agreement with recent
A r / A r dating [9-11]. These results suggest that in the lower Brunhes and upper Matuyama chronozones most
deep-sea climatic records retrieved so far apparently missed or misinterpreted several oscillations predicted b y the
astronomical theory of climate. To test this hypothesis, we studied a high-resolution oxygen isotope record from
giant piston core MD900963 (Maldives area, tropical Indian Ocean) in which precession-related oscillations in t~180
are particularly well expressed, owing to the superimposition of a local salinity signal on the global ice volume signal
[12]. Three additional precession-related cycles are observed in oxygen isotope stages 17 and 18 of core MD900963,
compared to the SPECUAP composite curves [4,13], and stage 21 clearly presents three precession oscillations, as
predicted by Shackleton et al. [1]. The precession peaks found in the 3180 record from core MD900963 are in
excellent agreement with climatic oscillations predicted by the astronomical theory of climate. Our ~180 record
therefore permits the development of an accurate astronomical time-scale. Based on our age model, the BrunhesMatuyama reversal is dated at 775 + 10 ka, in good agreement with the age estimate of 780 ka obtained by
Shackleton et al. [1] and recent radiochronological A r / A r datings on lavas [9-11]. We developed a new low-latitude,
Upper Pleistocene ~180 reference record by stacking and tuning the 3180 records from core MD900963 and site 677
to orbital forcing functions.

1. Introduction
[PT]
Present address: Centre des Faibles Radioactivit&,
CNRS/CEA, Avenue de la Terrasse, BP 1, 91198 Gif-surYvette, France.

M a t h e m a t i c a l l y f o r m u l a t e d early in this cent u r y by M i l u t i n M i l a n k o v i t c h , t h e a s t r o n o m i c a l

0012-821X/94/$07.00 1994 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

SSDI 0012-821X(94)00127-K

92

F.C. Bassinot et al. /Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

theory of climate was widely accepted by Earth

scientists only about 15 years ago, when Hays et
al. [14] unambiguously showed that fluctuations
in paleoclimatic indicators in geologic records do
contain the periods associated with the Earth's
orbital components (namely, eccentricity of the
Earth's orbit, tilt and precession of the Earth's
axis). The astronomical theory of climate brought
important insights into the mechanisms that control global changes and it has also opened the
way to a very powerful means for developing
accurate geological time-scales. By fine tuning
paleoclimatic indicators to astronomical forcing
functions, Earth scientists have provided detailed
Pliocene-Pleistocene chronologies for marine
sediments with a theoretical accuracy of a few
thousand years [e.g., 2-5,15-18]. In the late Pleistocene, with the exception of Johnson's results
[15], orbitally derived ages for the last B r u n h e s Matuyama magnetic reversal (e.g., 728 ka [2]; 738
ka [3]; 734 ka [4]) have been in good agreement
with the 730 ka age obtained by K / A r radiochronological dating [6]. This agreement apparently indicated that all the climatic variations
predicted by the astronomical theory of climate
were observed in the paleoclimatic records available so far.
Four years ago, however, Shackleton et al. [1]
proposed a revised orbitally derived time-scale
for the last 2.6 Myr that differs significantly from
previous ones below oxygen isotope stage 16 ( ~
620 ka) and yields estimated ages for the last six
major reversals of the Earth's magnetic field that
are 5 - 7 % older than the K / A r radiometric values [6-8]. These ages have since been confirmed
by precise A r / A r dating obtained on carefully
selected single crystals of sanidine from lavas
[e.g., 9-11]. At first sight, this independent confirmation of Shackleton et al.'s age estimates
suggests that several climatic oscillations predicted by the astronomical theory of climate were
missing in paleoclimatic records used by former
investigators for the development of orbitally derived timescales. However, the 120 m long oxygen
isotope record used by Shackleton et al. was not
retrieved in one single piece but constructed by
carefully splicing together 9.5 m long hydraulic
piston cores using all the available data. It is not

absolutely certain whether such a composite

record is complete and permits an accurate astronomical calibration. Furthermore, no magnetostratigraphy was available at site 677 and positions of the magnetic reversals were inferred from
biostratigraphy and oxygen isotope stratigraphy.
We have addressed these uncertainties in the
Upper Pleistocene (last 900 kyr) by studying the
oxygen isotope record provided by the ~ 53 m
long piston core MD900963 (tropical Indian
Ocean) in which the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal
has been precisely located. The core MD900963
provides one of the most detailed Late Pleistocene climatic records ever retrieved in low latitudes. It allows us to compare in detail paleoclimatic oscillations with variations in orbital forcing, making it possible to test the accuracy of the
orbitally derived timescale of Shackleton et al.
[1].

2. The giant piston core MD900963: location,

biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy
Core MD900963 was collected in the Indian Ocean, east of the Maldives platform
(0503.30'N-7352.60'E) from a water depth of
2446 m, during the MD65-SEYMAMA expedition of the French R / V Marion Dufresne in 1990
[19]. The core liner was 52.70 m long and the
sediment thickness retrieved is 51.70 m. With the
exception of minor flow-in structures at the bottom of sections 3 (roughly between about 4.0 and
4.5 m) and 4 (between about 5.5 and 6.0 m), the
sediment does not present any evidence of coring
disturbance. The sediment is free of turbidite
layers but a slump of 60 cm was found between
26.30 and 26.90 m. Measurements performed
within this slump interval were discarded and the
entire interval was eliminated in the calculation
of final sub-bottom depths.
Biostratigraphy is based on calcareous nannofossil and planktonic foraminifer datums studied
at a 10 cm sampling interval. The depositional
history of core MD900963 records a major hiatus
at about 41 m, as shown by the concomitant
disappearance within a narrow depth range of
Helicosphaera sellii, Calcidiscus macintyrei and

F.C Bassinot et aL / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

Globigerinoides fistulosus, and the appearance of

Gephyrocapsa oceanica [for details see 20]. How-

mentation rate (averaging 4.5 cm/kyr) minimized

smoothing of the climatic signal by bioturbation,
thus permitting the recovery of one of the most
detailed deep-sea records of Late Pleistocene climatic variability ever retrieved in low latitudes.
The sedimentation rate translates into an average
sample spacing of about 2.2 kyr. Unfortunately,
the uppermost portion of the oxygen isotopic
curve does not extend into the Holocene. This
suggests that the very top part of the sedimentary

ever, the upper 41 m of core MD900963 covers

the entire Late Pleistocene, down to isotope stage
boundary 23.0 (Fig. 1). Isotopic stages defined by
Emiliani [21] and Shackleton and Opdyke [22] are
particularly well expressed, owing to the superposition of the global ice volume signal and a local
salinity effect, most probably controlled by
changes in monsoon intensity [12]. The high sedi-

8180 (%0)
0
0

-1

Paleomagnetic

-2
I

-3
I

93

-50

150

50

declination

(o)

250

%
10
~

11

20

oo

oo

E
1O.
0

C3

o
o

15

30

17

19

21

B/M

40
Hiatus

50

Fig. 1. Stable oxygen isotope stratigraphy and magnetic declinations in core MD900963.

94

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

section was not preserved in the core. A loss of

this type is not u n c o m m o n in piston coring [e.g.,

(~1 8 0 (%o)

23].
Paleomagnetic m e a s u r e m e n t s were performed
with standard plastic cubes (8 cm 3) taken roughly
every 75 cm along the core, from the top of the
core and about 40 m. The mean sampling interval
was reduced to about 15 cm around the Brunh e s - M a t u y a m a reversal. In addition, U-channels
were measured in order to get continuous and
detailed records within specific intervals, selected
on the basis of the results of the single samples.
We followed the procedure described by Nagy
and Valet [24], involving m e a s u r e m e n t s every 2
cm using the high-resolution pick-up coils of a
three-axis cryogenic 2G magnetometer. Stepwise
alternating field demagnetization of the natural
remanent magnetization ( N R M ) up to 55 m T for
single samples and up to 40 m T for U-channels
was p e r f o r m e d within a shielded room at the
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.
Results of single samples and U-channels paleomagnetic analyses are plotted versus depth in
Fig. 1 (single samples analyses are presented only
for intervals without U-channel data, with the
exception of the interval containing the Brunh e s - M a t u y a m a reversal for which both data sets
are shown on the figure). The sediments between
24.3 m (middle of section 18) and about 26.3 m
(end of section 19) present anomalous magnetic
declinations, with a constant angular deviation of
100 c o m p a r e d to values directly measured above
and below this interval. However, as is clearly
seen in Fig. 1, the location of the B / M reversal is
unambiguously identified from both sets of results. T h e r e is an abrupt change in declination at
35.13 m (observed from the U-channels) between
180 and 0 . Within the same interval the magnetization intensity is very low and the angular
variations between the successive directions isolated after each demagnetization step increase to
values exceeding 10 . This behaviour reveals a
zone (between 34.82 and 35.20 m) where it is
impossible to isolate a clear characteristic component, probably because the field intensity was too
low. A m o n g several possibilities, we cannot exclude that transitional directions could not be
recorded properly by the sediment within this

0
i

34

-1
i

I,~

-2
i

-3
I

34.5

35

,.C
Q. 35.5

36

36.5

37

81

I
-100

B/M
'ansition

80--11

I
0

Declination

I
100

I
200
(o)

Fig. 2. Position of the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal in core

MD900963 as inferred from paleomagnetic measurements
performed on discrete samples (squares) and on U-channels
(dashed line with circles). See text for details.
interval, as also suggested by other studies [25].
Therefore, the position of the reversal must be
defined with an uncertainty linked to the length
of this interval. We notice that the only result
obtained with a single sample within this interval
confirms our interpretation. Our best estimate of
the position of the B r u n h e s - M a t u y a m a transition
is at 35.01 + 0.19 m (Fig. 2).

3. Late Pleistocene oxygen isotope stratigraphy in

core MD900963

We measured the oxygen isotope composition

planktonic foraminifers Globigerinoides
ruber (white) on samples collected at a 10 cm

(~180) of

F.C. Bassinot et aL / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

to stage 11, shows good agreement with the 6180

composite curves produced by the SPECMAP workers, but below stage 11 it shows important differences compared to these records (Fig. 1) [4,13]. In
stages 12-14, the 6180 signal of core MD900963
is slightly noisier compared to the rest of the
curve (Fig. 1). We tentatively assume that the
6~80 peaks labelled X and Y correspond to iso-

interval. The mass spectrometer used was a

Finnigan M A T 251, with automated carbonate
preparation system (individual reaction chamber
device). The data are all reported with respect to
NBS 19 [26]. Mean external reproducibility was
0.05%c at ltr. The mean sample size was 3-5
shells per analysis.
The upper part of MD900963 8~So curve, down

Ice
6 ] S O (%0)

0
0

-2
~

~
~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

300
---"-"~ 400

<

. . . . . . . . . . . .

volume

(arbitrary

- 1

95

Z.............

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

scale)

more ice
~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i~

500

600

............................................ _~15

............................................

700

900
Fig. 3. Correlation of the MD900963 &zs0 record with the ice volume curve of [28] used as a target curve for the development of

our orbital chronostratigraphy.

96

F.C. Bassinot et al. /Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

topic events 13.2 and 13.3, respectively, although

they reach unusually high and low relative values
compared to values observed either in stacked
records [4,13] or in other high-resolution 6180
records [1].
In the lower Brunhes chronozone, discrete
substages in the 6180 curve of MD900963 are
much more clearly expressed than in most deepsea isotopic records, and especially those used for
the SPECMAP stack [4,13]. In stage 17, three peaks
are clearly observed in our 6180 record; in the
SPECMAP stack, this interglacial interval is reduced to two precession cycles. An additional
peak is also observed in stage 18 of core
MD900963 at about 33.50 m (Fig. 1). This peak
can be seen in the 6180 record of ODP site 502,
which is one of the five records used for the
construction of the composite record used by
Imbrie et al. [4]. During the stacking procedure,
this extra peak at site 502 has been 'eliminated'
(or at least seriously reduced) because it was not
observed in the two other 6180 records that
extended into the Lower Pleistocene (V28-238
and V22-174; [4]).
Finally, oxygen stage 21 of core MD900963
clearly shows three peaks that we interpret as
related to precession cycles (Fig. 1), whereas
Ruddiman et al. [16] compressed this stage into a
single obliquity cycle in O D P site 607, and Hilgen
[27] interpreted it as containing two tilt cycles.
In the following section we examine: (1)
whether these additional oscillations in the 6180
record are in good agreement with paleoclimatic
changes predicted by the astronomical theory of
climate; and (2) what the implications of these
extra peaks are for the astronomical calibration
of the 6180 record from core MD900963.

4. Development of an orbitally derived time-scale

in core MD900963

The first step in the tuning approach used by

Imbrie et al. [4] to establish the SPECMAP chronology consisted of developing an initial age model
based on a few radiochronologically calibrated
control points (including the isotopic stages 5 / 6
transition and the B r u n h e s / M a t u y a m a reversal).

A band-pass filter was then used to extract the

astronomical components of the ~180 stacked
record and these extracted components were
tuned to astronomical functions. However, different initial age models may be developed from
core MD900963 depending on the radiochronological age assigned to the B r u n h e s / M a t u y a m a
reversal. Since extraction of astronomical components by band-pass filtering of climatic records is
very sensitive to inaccuracies in the initial
chronology [17], we decided to tune the complete,
unfiltered 6180 curve to orbital functions directly, without making any preliminary depth-totime conversion based on radiochronologically
calibrated control points. In such a tuning approach, the target curve must obviously have as
many features as possible in common with the
oxygen isotope record to allow an unambiguous
tuning without preliminary age control points.
The ice model developed by Imbrie and Imbrie
[28] offers a good tuning target. The resulting
curve has proved to be a powerful tuning target
in the uppermost Pleistocene [17] as well as in the
lower Pleistocene [1]. This model assumes that
the rate of the climate response (growth or decay
of ice sheets) is proportional at any instant to the
magnitude of the summer insolation forcing at
65N. Using a slightly longer time constant for
the growth of the ice sheets than for their decay,
the model introduces some non-linearity in the
response to insolation forcing, which results in a
~ 100 ka oscillation. We constructed this target
curve (Fig. 3, right) using the equations and time
constants for decay and growth of ice sheets given
by Imbrie and ImbHe [28], and the 65N, July
monthly insolation curve of Berger and Loutre
[29].
The first step of our tuning procedure was to
align features in the MD900963 6180 record with
features in the ice volume curve using the program ' L I N A G E ' developed at the Centre des
Faibles Radioactivit6s of Gif-Sur-Yvette [Paillard
and Labeyrie, pers. commun., 1993]. The tuned
6180 curve and the ice volume model are presented in Fig. 3. Such correlations are relatively
easy because precession-related oscillations are
so well expressed in the 6180 record from core
MD900963. In our tuning procedure, the 6180

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108
Table 1
Control points used for our depth-to-age conversion in core
MD900963
Depth (m)

Age (ka)

0.010
3.365
7.735
9.750
11.120
13.335
14.525
17.990
19.320
20.120
21.020
22.235
23.095
23.735
24.915
25.615
26.725
27.935
29.750
31.910
33.130
34.420
35.515
38.410
39.905

6.0
70.0
127.0
160.0
187.0
243.0
281.0
346.0
384.0
396.0
427.0
459.0
480.0
500.0
510.0
525.0
539.0
577.0
622.0
683.0
721.0
759.0
789.0
864.0
907.0

stage boundaries were given higher priorities than

the centres of glacial and interglacial intervals.
The sedimentation rates are assumed constant
between selected age control points and change
more or less abruptly at these control points.
Such an assumption may be realistic when control
points correspond to glacial-interglacial transitions, when environmental changes might be expected to affect the sedimentation rates. Furthermore, locating a rapid change with large amplitude is probably more accurate than positioning a
peak or trough with considerable width and small
amplitude in comparison with analytical noise.
Control points for this initial age model are given
in Table 1.
Down to 8180 stage 10, tuning was a fairly
straightforward process. For stage 11, low-amplitude insolation fluctuations at about 400 ka result
in low-amplitude peaks in the ice volume curve
that are difficult to correlate unambiguously to

97

the 6180 record (Fig. 3). For this interval, we

adopted the solution of Imbrie et al. [4] and
assigned two precession cycles to the major 6180
peak of stage 11, found at about 21 m (Figs. 1 and
3). We assumed that 8180 peaks labelled X and
Y in Figs. 1 and 3 correspond to isotopic events
13.2 and 13.3, respectively, and we tuned these
peaks to the high and low ice volume peaks found
at about 510 and 525 ka. We are confident in the
tuning of the entire stage 15 and isotopic event
16.2 since the 6180 record and the ice volume
curve are so similar that mismatch in the tuning
procedure seems unlikely. Once the stage 15 is
tuned, however, we must shrink the 6180 record
in stages 13-14 slightly to keep pace with the ice
volume model and respect the number of precession-related peaks in this interval. Our age model
solution results in two short intervals with very
high sedimentation rates (up to 12 c m / k y r ) . As
seen above, the sediments between 24.3 m and
about 26.3 m present magnetic declinations with
a constant angular deviation of 100, compared to
values directly measured above and below this
interval. We cannot reject the possibility that this
2 m long sediment section has rotated during the
coring process. However, this interval may also
correspond to an allochthonous sediment lens,
thus explaining both our difficulties during the
tuning procedure and the resulting high sedimentation rates. Nevertheless, since there is no clear
evidence of mass movement in the core description, this interpretation remains speculative.
When we discard the 6180 measurements performed within the anomalous magnetic declination interval, the tuning procedure does not appear to be significantly easier. Another long piston core taken in the vicinity of core MD900963
is being processed for 6180 in order to resolve
uncertainties within this interval.
Down to glacial stage 16, our chronology is
similar to the SPECMAP chronology [4]. Below that
stage, however, discrepancies between the two
data sets result in different tuning solutions and
different chronologies. Once the extra peak in
stage 17 is associated to a precession oscillation,
and if we interpret the small 6180 peak found in
stage 18 as containing two precession cycles and
the stage 21 as containing three precession cycles,

98

F.C. Bassinot et aL / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

a very i m p r e s s i v e m a t c h c a n b e a c h i e v e d b e t w e e n
t h e t~180 r e c o r d o f c o r e M D 9 0 0 9 6 3 a n d t h e ice
v o l u m e curve (Figs. 3 a n d 4). T h e s e a d d i t i o n a l
p e a k s a r e also o b s e r v e d at site 677 [1], suggesting
t h a t t h e y a r e p r o b a b l y t r u e f e a t u r e s o f t h e oxygen
i s o t o p e s t r a t i g r a p h y a n d d o n o t r e s u l t f r o m distortion of the MD900963 record.
F u r t h e r i m p r o v e m e n t s in o u r t i m e - s c a l e w e r e
p e r f o r m e d by fine t u n i n g t h e e x t r a c t e d p r e c e s s i o n
c o m p o n e n t s o f t h e 6180 r e c o r d to t h e p r e c e s s i o n
c o m p o n e n t s o f t h e ice v o l u m e m o d e l using t h e
inverse a p p r o a c h for signal c o r r e l a t i o n o f M a r t i n son [30] with 21 coefficients. B o t h r e c o r d s w e r e

SPECMAP stack
(%o)
1

-1

-2
i

600

== 15.5

8180 M D 9 0 0 9 6 3

5 I s o o D P Site 6 7 7

0;o)

(%o)

-1

f i l t e r e d using b a n d - p a s s filters c e n t r e d at a p e riod o f a b o u t 22 kyr. T h e 6180 r e c o r d was filt e r e d using a slightly l a r g e r b a n d - p a s s filter to
i n c l u d e essentially all o f t h e d i s t o r t e d p r e c e s s i o n
v a r i a n c e t h a t c o u l d have b e e n s m e a r e d to neighb o u r i n g f r e q u e n c y b a n d s d u e to a slight inaccuracy in o u r initial age m o d e l . This s e c o n d t u n i n g
s t e p l e a d to m i n o r age a d j u s t m e n t s t h a t d i d n o t
e x c e e d 3,500 yr. T h e d e p t h s , final ages a n d 6180
v a l u e s o f c o r e M D 9 0 0 9 6 3 a r e given in T a b l e 2.
T h e final t u n e d 6~80 curve was b a n d - p a s s
f i l t e r e d a g a i n to extract t h e p r e c e s s i o n c o m p o n e n t s a n d t h e n c o m p a r e d to e x t r a c t e d p r e c e s s i o n

-2

-3

-1

-2

-3

650
17.1
17.3
8.3

700

17

-4

-4
-4

19.1
<

750

-4

---4

-t

19

800
1

850

900

I
more

Ice

I
ice

volume

(arbitrary

scale)

I
~--Ice

more

ice

volume

(arbitrary

scale)

4--more

ice

Ice
volume
(arbitrary scale)

Fig. 4. Stratigraphy of the lower Brunhes interval. The ice volume model [28] is superimposed on the orbitally tuned SPECMAPstack
(left) [4] and the tuned 6180 records from core MD900963 (middle; this paper) and site 677 (right) [1]. An impressive match can be
seen between the 'MD900963 record and the ice volume model. On the figures, oxygen isotope events are labelled according to
Prell et al. [13]. In the MD900963 record, stage 19 is unambiguously recognized on the basis of the location of the BrunhesMatuyama boundary, but the details of stages 17-19 cannot be identified by reference to the SPECMAPstack; they do, however,
resemble the equivalent part of ODP Site 677.

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

by a direct response of climate to orbitally driven

changes in insolation are present in the 6180
record from core MD900963; and (2) that an
accurate tuning solution has been obtained.
Cross-spectral analysis makes it possible to examine coherency across the entire range of statistically visible frequencies at a higher resolution
than is practical with filters. To determine over
the entire range of Milankovitch primary frequencies the amount of 6180 variance in core
MD900963 that can be explained by linear response to orbital forcing, we performed crossspectral analysis between the tuned 6~So record

cycles of ice volume model (Fig. 5). Both records

were filtered using the same band-pass filter centred at a period of 22 kyr. Precession exhibits a
strong modulation, which is related to changes in
eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. In Fig. 5, the
match between the modulation of the two filtered
records (the ice model and the MD900963 6180
record) is obvious. Especially noteworthy is the
good agreement between the two filtered records
in the interval from about 900 ka to 600 ka, the
interval within which we assigned additional precession-related peaks. These results suggest: (1)
that all the climatic oscillations that are predicted

a180 (%0)
0
0

200

-1
I

..........~

4oo ........

-2
t

Ice v o l u m e m o d e l
filtered

6~80filtered
-0.2

-3
I

.......

99

0.2
i

- 4
i

. . . .

0
i

4
i

. . . .

. . . . . . . . .

600

800

1000
Fig. 5. The tuned 8180 curve from core MD900963 (left) is band-pass filtered to extract its precession components (middle). The
filtered record is compared with precession cycles of the ice volume curve extracted using the same filter centered at about 22 kyr
(right).

F.C. Bassinot et al. /Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

100

Table 2
Depths, final ages (after improvement of the chronology using inverse approach for signal correlation [30], see text for details) and
oxygen isotope values for core MD900963
Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%0)

Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%0)

Depth
(m)

0.010
0.060
0.100
0.155
0.200
0.255
0.300
0.335
0,370
0.400
0.500
0.600
0.700
0.785
0.900
1.100
1,200
1.300
1.515
1.590
1.680
1.790
1.880
1.980
2.070
2.280
2.375
2.475
2.675
2.775
2.880
3.075
3.165
3.265
3.365
3.475
3.575
3.665
3.765
3.875
3.985
4.065
4.165

6.0
6.9
7.7
8.7
9.5
10.5
11.4
12.0
12.7
13.2
15.1
16.9
18.8
20.3
22.5
26.2
28.1
29.9
33.9
35.4
37.0
39.1
40.8
42.7
44.4
48.4
50.2
52.1
55.9
57.8
59.8
63.6
65.3
67.2
69.2
70.6
72.0
73.2
74.5
75.9
77.4
78.5
79.8

4.265
4.375
4.465
4.645
4.745
4.845
4.945
5.045
5.145
5.245
5.345
5.445
5.545
5.645
5.745
5,845
5.945
6.055
6.170
6.270
6.365
6.465
6.565
6.665
6.765
6.865
6.965
7.065
7.160
7.260
7.355
7.455
7.555
7.645
7.735
7.835
7.930
8,025
8.125
8.230
8.325
8.425
8,525

81.1 -1.45
8 2 . 6 -1.88
83.8 -1.91
86.2 -1.73
87.5 -1.61
8 8 . 9 -1.61
9 0 . 2 -1.55
9 1 . 5 -1.34
9 2 . 9 -1.99
9 4 . 2 -1.99
95.6 -2.30
9 6 . 9 -2.34
9 8 . 2 -2.18
99.6 -2.43
100,9-2.15
102.2-1.91
103.6-2.04
105,0 - 2 . 2 2
106,6-1.56
107,9 - 1 . 8 1
109,2-1.77
110,5 - 1 . 8 2
111,8 - 1 . 9 8
113,2 - 1 . 6 9
114,5 - 2 . 3 9
115,8 - 2 . 5 4
117,1 -2.66
118.5 -2.64
119,7 - 2 . 9 5
121,0-3.10
122,3 -2.96
123,6 - 2 . 8 9
124,9 - 2 . 9 1
126.1 -2.30
12713 - 1 . 4 5
128.9 -0.96
130.5 - 0 . 8 7
132.1 -0.50
133.7 - 1 , 2 5
135.4-0.50
137.0-0.98
138.6-0.82
140.3 - 0 , 9 1

8.625 141.9-0.87
8.725 143.6 - 0 . 9 8
8.825 145.2 - 1 . 3 2
8.930 146.9 - 1 . 2 3
9.060 149.0 -1.46
9.150 150.5-0.89
9.250 152.1 -1.06
9.350 153.8 -1.06
9.450 155.4 - 1 . 2 9
9.550 157.0 -0.96
9.660 158.8-0.93
9.750 160.3-1.50
9.850 162.3 -1.49
9.950 164.3 - 1 . 6 8
10.050 166.2-1.38
10.150 168.2-1.61
10.210 169.4-1.26
10.240 170.0 - 0 . 7 8
10.270 170.6-1.45
10.340 172.0 - 1 . 4 1
10.430 173.7-1.39
10.520 175.5 - 0 . 9 7
10.620 177.5 - 1 . 3 3
10.720 179.5 -1.54
10.820 181.5 - 1 . 1 8
11.020 185.4 - 1 . 7 7
11.120 187.4 - 1 . 7 7
11.220 190.0 - 2 . 6 9
11.320 192.5 - 2 . 3 9
11.420 195.1 - 2 . 3 4
11.520 197.6 - 1 . 4 3
11.670 201.4-1.42
11.830 205.5 - 1 . 6 3
11.950 208.6-2.14
12.030 210.6 - 2 . 1 6
12.130 213.2 - 2 . 5 6
12.230 215.8 -1.82
12.430 220.9 - 1 . 6 1
12.530 223.4 - 1 . 4 4
12.630 226.0-1.18
12.730 228.5 - 1 . 0 7
12.830 231.1 - 1 . 6 7
12.930 233.7 -2.04

-2.58
-2.90
-2.59
-2.07
-1.87
-1.97
-1.48
-t.37
-0.72
-0.72
-0.81
-0.45
-0.66
-0.99
-1.06
-1.01
-1.30
-1.30
-1.15
-1.23
-1.08
-1.22
-1.18
-1.18
-1.08
-1.25
-1.49
-1.24
-1.37
-1.29
-1.13
-1.24
-1.19
-1.23
-1.44
-2.00
-1.24
-1.76
-1.80
-1.79
-1.94
-1.88
-1.81

Age 8180
(ka) (%0)

Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%0

13.030 236.2-2.31
13.130 238.8 - 2 . 6 5
13.335 244.2 - 1 . 2 2
13.435 247.2 - 0 . 6 2
13.535 250.5 -1.29
13.635 253.7-1.20
13.735 256,9 -0.94
13.835 260,1 - 1 . 3 3
13.935 263,3 -l.17
14.035 266,6 -1.02
14.145 270,1 -0.87
14,235 273,0-1.29
14.335 276,2 - 1 . 2 5
14.435 279.4 - 1 . 2 1
14.525 282.3-1.48
14.625 284.2-l.78
14.845 288.3-1,79
14.945 290.2 - 1 . 7 1
15.045 292.1 -1.49
15.135 293.8 -1.50
15.235 295.7-1.14
15.330 297.5 -1.56
15.430 299.4 -1.29
15.535 301.4 - 1 . 5 1
15.635 303.2 -1.81
15.855 307.4 - 2 . 0 3
15.955 309.3 - 2 . 0 8
16.055 311.2 - 2 . 2 4
16.155 313.1 - 1 . 9 8
16.255 315.0-1.73
16.355 316.8 - 1 . 8 1
16.455 318.7 - 1 . 5 1
16.555 320.6 - 1 . 8 5
16.655 322.5 -2.06
16.755 324.4 -2.31
16.855 326.3 - 2 . 6 5
16.955 328.2 -2.64
17.055 330.1 - 2 . 4 2
17.260 334.0 -2.00
17.300 334.8-0.89
17.440 337.4-0.84
17.540 339.3-0.56
17.740 343.1 -0.80

Depth
(m)

Age (5180
(ka) (%0)

17.840 345.0-1.17
17.910 346.3 -1.13
17.990 347.8 -1.60
18.090 350.7 -1.81
18.260 355.6 -0.94
18.340 357.9-0.95
18.440 360,7 -1.04
18.540 363.5 -1.12
18.650 366.6 -1.33
18.755 369.6 -1.39
18.830 371.7-1.64
18.930 374.5 -1.58
19.030 377.3 -1.44
19.120 379.8 -1.56
19.220 382.5-1.96
19.320 385.2-2.25
19.420 386.7-2.29
19.520 388.1 -1.94
19.620 389.5 -1.64
19.730 391.1 -1.44
19.820 392.4-1.86
19.920 393.8 -1.81
20.020 395.2 -1.88
20.120 396.6 -2.32
20.230 400.2 -2.42
20.320 403.1 -2.92
20.420 406.3 -2.58
20.520 409.6-2.77
20.620 412,8 -2.22
20.720 416.1 -2.01
20.820 419.3 -1.94
20.920 422.6 -1.25
21.020 426.0 -0.49
21.120 428,5 -0.59
21.220 431.1 -0.51
21.320 433.7 -0.60
21.410 436.1 -1.23
21.630 441,9 -1.02
21.750 445,1 -1.04
21.835 447.4-2.53
21.935 450.1 -1.15
22.035 452.8-1.71
22.135 455.5 -1.11

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

101

Table 2 (continued)
Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%~)

Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%o)

Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%~)

Depth
(m)

Age 8180
(ka) (%~)

22.235
22.335
22.435
22.515
22.725
22.835
22.915
22.995
23.095
23.335
23.435
23.535
23.635
23.735
23.845
23.945
24.035
24.135
24.335
24.435
24.735
24.835
24.915
25.015
25.065
25.115
25.215
25.315
25.415
25.515
25.615
25.715
25.815
25.915
26.015
26.155
26.245
26.425
26.525
26.625
26.725
26.825
26.925

458.2 -1.59
460.8 -1.20
463.3 -1.37
465.3 -1.61
470.6-1.40
473.4-2.01
475.4-1.81
477.3 -1.92
479.8-2.10
487.4 -1.88
490.5 -1.64
493.6-2.13
496.7 -2.04
499.8 -2.21
500.7 -2.15
501.5 -2.23
502.3 -1.60
503.1 -1.86
504.7 -1.71
505.6-1.76
508.0 -1.10
508.8 -0.78
509.5 -0.55
511.6 -1.44
512.6 -1.43
513.6 -1.89
515.7 -1.41
517.7 -1.27
519.8 -1.73
521.8 -2.55
523.9 -2.55
525.1 -2.08
526.3 -1.54
527.5 -1.84
528.7 -1.54
530.4 -1.59
531.5 -1.32
533.7 -1.52
534.9 -1.11
536.1 -1.41
537.3 -1.15
540.4-1.34
543.5 -1.04

26.955
27.025
27.230
27.335
27.435
27.535
27.635
27.735
27.835
27.935
28.035
28.135
28.235
28.335
28.435
28.535
28.660
28.750
28.850
28.940
29.035
29.140
29.240
29.340
29.440
29.540
29.650
29.750
29.840
29.940
30.035
30.220
30.320
30.520
30.620
30.720
30.920
31.020
31.120
31.220
31.320
31.420
31.520

544.4 -1.90
546.5 -1.37
553.1 -1.93
556.2 -1.95
559.3-1.69
562.4-1.88
565.6 -1.80
568.7 -2.01
571.9 -2.44
575.0-2.33
577.5 -1.22
580.0-1.57
582.5 -1.26
585.0 -1.38
587.5 -1.61
590.0-1.56
593.1 -2.33
595.4 -2.05
597.9 -2.23
600.2 -2.14
602.6-1.64
605.2 -0.97
607.7 -1.68
610.3 -2.20
612.8 -2.10
615.4 -2.25
618.2 -2.08
620.8 -1.13
623.4 -0.28
626.4 -0.19
629.2 -0.23
634.7 -0.72
637.6 -1.10
643.6-1.17
646.6 -0.87
649.5 -0.80
655.4 -1.06
658.3 -1.06
661.3 -1.54
664.2 -1.65
667.1 -1.71
669.9-1.75
672.8 -1.57

31.620
31.670
31.810
31.910
32.010
32.110
32.210
32.310
32.410
32.510
32.610
32.710
32.760
32.810
32.910
33.110
33.130
33.240
33.320
33.410
33.520
33.620
33.720
33.820
33.920
34.020
34.120
34.220
34.320
34.420
34.675
34.745
34.815
34.915
35.015
35.115
35.215
35.315
35.415
35.515
35.615
35.715
35.815

675.6 -1.48
677.0-1.73
681.0 -1.42
683.8 -2.71
686.9-2.41
689.9-2.14
693.0-1.98
696.0-1.78
699.0 -1.71
702.0 -1.59
705.1 -1.88
708.1 -1.88
709.6 -1.86
711.1 -1.20
714.1 -1.05
720.2 -0.78
720.8 -0.73
724.0-1.43
726.3 -1.31
728.9-1.66
732.1 -1.51
735.1 -1.23
738.0 -1.23
741.0 -1.22
744.0 -0.96
746.9 -1.15
749.9-1.01
752.9-1.47
755.9 -1.53
758.9 -1.81
766.0 -2.09
768.0-1.79
769.9 -1.68
772.7 -1.82
775.5 -1.34
778.2-1.79
781.0-2.43
783.7 -2.03
786.4 -2.28
789.2 -1.25
791.7 -0.96
794.3-0.40
796.9 -0.84

35.915
36.015
36.170
36.270
36.340
36.415
36.515
36.615
36.715
36.815
36.915
37.015
37.115
37.215
37.315
37.435
37.520
37.715
37.810
37.905
38.005
38.105
38.205
38.315
38.410
38.515
38.605
38.715
38.815
38.915
39.025
39.115
39.170
39.215
39.265
39.315
39.415
39,515
39.615
39.715
39.795
39.905

799.4 -1.00
802.0-0.96
805.9 -1.28
808.5 -1.38
810.3-1.40
812.2-1.43
814.8 -1.74
817.3 -1.72
819.9 -1.86
822.5 -2.06
825.0-1.80
827.6-1.38
830.2-1.54
832.8 -1.78
835.4 -1.69
838.5 -2.41
840.8 -2.16
845.8 -1.48
848.3 -1.41
850.8 -1.52
853.3 -1.92
855.9 -2.15
858.5 -2.29
861.3 -2.11
863.7 -1.47
866.6 -0.73
869.0-0.51
872.0 -0.61
874.7 -0.78
877.4 -0.91
880.3 -0.89
882.6-0.66
884.0 -0.64
885.2 -0.97
886.4 -0.92
887.7 -1.38
890.2 -1.35
892.7 -1.02
895.1 -1.51
897.6 -1.50
899.5 -1.32
902.2-1.26

and an Eccentricity-Tilt-Precession (ETP) curve,

constructed by normalizing and stacking the eccentricity, tilt and precession functions given by

Berger and Loutre [29]. The sign of the precession index was reversed prior to stacking so that
positive changes in this signal have the same

102

F.C. Bassinot et aL / E a r t h and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

climatic impact in the Northern hemisphere as

the positive excursions in eccentricity and obliquity. The resulting coherencies in our cross-spectrum analysis are particularly high; reaching 0.93
in the obliquity band and 0.99-0.96 for the precession bands (23 and 19 kyr, respectively, Fig. 6).
These values fall significantly above the limit of
the 95% confidence interval, which is at about
0.75 (cross-spectral analysis was performed with
176 lags and 2 kyr sampling intervals). As the
square of coherency is the fraction of the variance in one signal, which is linearly related to the
variance in the other signal, our results indicate
that, in the 61So record from core MD900963,
about 86% of the variance in the 41 kyr band,
98% in the 23 kyr band and 92% in the 19 kyr
band is linearly related to orbital variations.

5. Age estimate of the B r u n h e s / M a t u y a m a Earth

magnetic reversal

The age error associated with our tuning procedure is estimated to be +5 kyr [17] and our
tuning solution results in an age estimate of about
775 + 10 ka for the Brunhes/Matuyama magnetic reversal located at 35.01_ 0.19 m in core
MD900963, in good agreement with age estimate
of 780 ka given by Shackleton et al. [1]. This age
is also in good agreement with recent results from
4Ar/39Ar incremental heating studies on series
of lavas from Maui, New Zealand and Valles,
which give ages of 783 + 11 ka, 780 + 30 ka and
780 + 10 ka, respectively [9-11]. This good agreement, and the fact that the tuned 6180 record
from core MD900963 shows very strong co-

.......

Ef'P

- -

~180

41

100

0
u)

23

E~
0
>,

(/)
E:

";' "?

', 7'" / / L'/

"]"'";', ,,

. ,"":""

"

''""',' L ,:""/ '"""

"0
G)
o
(. m

>
1

~
0e-

0.8

tO

0.4

0.6

0.20

' ' ' ' r ' ' ' ' [ ' ' ' ' I ....

0.01

0.02

0.03
Frequency

I ' ' ' ' I ' ' ' '

0.04
0.05
(cycles/kyr)

0.06

' ' ' '

0.07

Fig. 6. Coherency and variance spectra resulting from cross-spectrum analysis of the orbitally tuned 6180 record from core
MD900963 and an ETP record (formed by normalizing and stacking variations in eccentricity, obliquity and precession).

103

F. C. Bassinot et aL / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

Low

Latitude

(MD900963

S P E C M A P Stack

(%0)
2
0

1
I

0
~

Stack

+ Site 677)

(8180 - %0)

-1
~

-2

.I

2.2 ~

-1

-2
-)-

-3
0

3.1
3.3
5.1
~

100

6.2 ~

5.3

100

5.5

6.6

7.2 ~

200

7.1

74~~--~--82

8:4

'%'~'-------~
8.6 ~

300

200

7.3

7.5
8.5

300

9.2 ~

9.3

10.2 ~ 1 0 . 3
.

10.4

c'-------..._.~ 11,1

11.2Z ~
11.24

400
12.2 ~

11.23
400

11.

13.12 ~_~13.11
13.2 ~ 1 3 . 1 3

<
500

~3.3

" 14.2

600

15.4 ~

~
700
-

15.5

, ~ 1
17"4~17. 5

600

700

18"2~18.3
18.4

500

..______._______....>19. 1
~

8OO

800

21"4~21.
22.2 ~ - - - ' - - ~
I

I
[
I
J
I
900
900
Fig. 7. Left: the SPECMAPstack plotted against age using the time scale developed by Imbrie et al. [4]. Right: the low-latitude stack
(this study) tuned to the ice volume prediction model of Imbrie and Imbrie [28]. Based on this alternative stack for the upper
Pleistocene, we propose a revision of the numbering of the isotopic events (bold and underlined numbers).

F.C. Bassinot et aL /Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

104

Table 3
Data of the smoothed, low-latitude oxygen isotope stack as a function of age
Age
(ka)
6 -2.04
8 -1.09
10 -0.15
12 0.68
14 1 . 6 3
16 1.85
18 1.84
20 1.64
22 1.36
24 1.23
26 1.11
28 0.94
30 0,70
32 0.53
34 0.50
36 0.51
38 0.52
40 0.55
42 0.52
44 0,5l
46 0.39
48 0.29
50 0.18
52 0.07
54 0.14
56 0.24
58 0.35
60 0,45
62 0.47
64 0.49
66 0.47
68 0.35
70 -0.04
72 -0,34
74 -0.54
76 -0,78
78 -0.85
80 -0.83
82 -0.82
84 -0.53
86 -0.08
88 -0.09
90 -0,54
92 -1.05
94 -1.22
96 - 1 . 3 1
98 -1.30
100-1.15
102-1.00
104 -0.72
106 -0.53
108 -0.64
110 -0.83
112 -0.94

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

Age
(ka)

114-1.17
116 -1.52
118-1.87
120-2.47
122-2.54
124 -2.01
126 -1.07
128 0.35
130 1 . 4 8
132 1.66
134 1.72
136 1.66
138 1.64
140 1.61
142 1.55
144 1.38
146 1.15
148 1.02
150 1.03
152 1.04
154 0.94
156 1.04
158 1.19
160 1,07
162 0.78
164 0.76
166 0.80
168 0,91
170 1.15
172 1.02
174 1.11
176 1 . 0 7
178 0.96
180 0.79
182 0.61
184 0.49
186 -0.12
188 -0.65
190 -0.95
192 -I,19
194-1.27
196 -0,96
198-0,69
200 -0,50
202 -0,36
204-0,36
206 -0.48
208-0.59
210-0.67
212 -0.82
214 -0.75
216 -0.44
218 -0.18
220 0,08

222 0.42
224 0.71
226 0.65
228 0.40
230 0.01
232 -0.47
234 -0.90
236-0.83
238-0.55
240-0.21
242 0.12
244 0.57
246 0.98
248 1.11
250 1.12
252 1.03
254 1.00
256 0.97
258 0.95
260 0.91
262 0.89
264 1.03
266 1.07
268 1.02
270 0.94
272 0.83
274 0.68
276 0.57
278 0.46
280 0.26
282 -0.24
284-0.57
286-0.76
288 -0.87
290 -0.63
292 -0.15
294 0.06
296 0.13
298 -0.05
300 -0.24
302-0.55
304 -0.70
306-0.81
308 -0.95
310 -I.00
312-0.97
314 -0.91
316-0.84
318-0.93
320 -1.02
322 -1.25
324 -1.55
326 -1.95
328 -2,15

330-1.68
332 -1.09
334-0.40
336 0.96
338 1.49
340 1.70
342 1.69
344 1.52
346 0.97
348 0.47
350 0.45
352 0.52
354 0.62
356 0.86
358 0.99
360 0.96
362 0.83
364 0.63
366 0.39
368 0.16
370 0.06
372 0.09
374 0.17
376 0.14
378 -0.02
380-0.24
382 -0.46
384 -0.60
386 -0.63
388 -0.51
390 -0.37
392-0.40
394-0.57
396 -0.91
398 -1.27
400 -1.69
402 -2.17
404 -2.49
406 -2.60
408 -2.64
410-2.50
412 -2.31
414-2.07
416 -1.79
418 -1.48
420-1.13
422 -0.75
424-0.18
426 0.45
428 0.97
430 1.45
432 1.82
434 1.96
436 1,92

438 1 . 7 8
440 1.59
442 1 . 4 5
444 1 . 3 6
446 1 . 2 7
448 1.02
450 0.66
452 0,5l
454 0.25
456 0.30
458 0.45
460 0.23
462 0.28
464 0.16
466 0.12
468 0.14
470-0.03
472-0.23
474-0.39
476 -0.69
478 -0.88
480 -0.91
482-0.90
484-0.86
486 -0.82
488-0.76
490 -0.60
492 -0.56
494 -0.61
496 -0.75
498 -0,77
500-0.85
502-0.60
504 -0.49
506 0.08
508 0.55
510 0.59
512 0.24
514 -0.08
516 -0.08
518-0.13
520 -0.43
522-0.85
524 -1.14
526 -0.78
528-0.33
530 -0.04
532 0.11
534 0.18
536 0.23
538 0.18
540 0.01
542 0.04
544 -0.01

546-0.17
548 -0.42
550-0.74
552-0.79
554-0.84
556 -0.92
558 -1.13
560-1.20
562-1.18
564-1.15
566 -1.18
568 -1.27
570 -1.42
572 -1.58
574-1.64
576-1.32
578-0.87
580-0.33
582-0.11
584 -0.13
586 -0.23
588 -0.50
590-0.84
592-1.05
594 -1.31
596-1.24
598 -1.08
600 -0.81
602 -0.47
604 -0.36
606 -0.47
608-0.75
610-1.14
612 -1.39
614 -1.45
616 -1.29
618 -0.86
620 -0.17
622 0.72
624 1.62
626 2.15
628 2.37
630 2.30
632 2.15
634 2.00
636 1.79
638 1.49
640 1.41
642 1.35
644 1.31
646 1.35
648 1.29
650 1.21
652 1.16

654 1.10
656 0.82
658 0.47
660 0.22
662 0.02
664 -0.15
666 -0.20
668 -024
670 -0.26
672 -0.31
674 -0.37
676 -0.45
678 -0.56
680 -0.73
682 -0.93
684 -1.12
686 -1.27
688 -1.38
690 - 1.41
692 -1.13
694 -0.85
696 -0.59
698 -0.37
700 -0.24
702 -0.21
704 -0.30
706 -0.40
708 -0.42
710 -0.35
712 0,47
714 0.96
716 1.19
718 1.22
720 1.25
722 1.00
724 0.69
726 0.36
728 0.07
730 0.04
732 0.08
734 0.12
736 0.21
738 0.33
740 0.44
742 0.54
744 0.64
746 0.76
748 0.86
750 0.88
752 0.89
754 0.91
756 0.92
758 0.57
760 0.11

762 -0.47
764 -0.68
766 -0.81
768 -0.77
770 -0.65
772 -0.55
774 -0.64
776 -0.85
778 -1.06
780 -1.20
782 -1.16
784 -0.70
786 -0.18
788 0.45
790 1.14
792 1.50
794 1.59
796 1.53
798 1.35
800 1.08
802 0.94
804 0.79
806 0.53
808 0.36
810 0.17
812 -0.06
814 -0.26
816 -0.46
818 -0.72
820 -0.80
822 -0.76
824 -0.61
826 -0.38
828 -0.32
830 -0.37
832 -0.51
834 -0.79
836 -0.93
838 -1.01
840 -0.94
842 -0.77
844 -0.60
846 -0.41
848 -0.19
850 -0.29
852 -0.49
854 -0.74
856 -1.01
858 -1.03
860 -0.85
862 -0.47
864 0.24
866 0.94
868 1.52

870
872
874
876
878
880
882
884
886
888
89O

Ages have been interpolated to a constant sampling interval of 2 kyr.

Isotopic variations are expressed in standard deviation units around a zero mean.

1.86
1.90
1.83
1.72
1.60
1.54
1.59
1.58
1.53
1.25
O.7O

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

herency with orbital curves, clearly argue that our

age model is tightly constrained.
We shall consider the possibility that the exact
stratigraphic position of the B / M reversal relative to the 8180 record may be slightly biased in
core MD900963. The Brunhes-Matuyama reversal is located in the uppermost part of the isotopic stage 19 in this core. It has been shown,
however, that the magnetization which is measured in deep-sea sediments is most probably a
post-depositional
remanent
magnetization
(PDRM), with the Earth's magnetic field affecting sediments a few centimetres below the sedim e n t - w a t e r interface (fine ferrimagnetic grains
are free to rotate in high-porosity, unconsolidated
surface sediments) [e.g., 31-33]. Recent estimates
of the 'lock-in depth' (depth below the
sediment-water interface at which the remanent
magnetization was acquired) vary from 7 cm [34]
to about 16 cm [32,33]. Thus, the stratigraphic
position of the B / M reversal in the sedimentary
column may not permit a direct and accurate
estimate of its true chronologic occurrence relative to the /~180 events. Based on a careful study
of the relative stratigraphic positions of oxygen
isotopic stage 19 and the B / M reversal for eight
deep-sea sediment cores, deMenocal et al. [32]
recently concluded that the B / M reversal occurred about 6 + 2 kyr after the isotopic event
19.1. This translates into an age of 776 ka for the
B / M reversal in our time-scale (19.1 is dated at
782 ka in core MD900963). Although additional
work is necessary to address the 'true' stratigraphic position of the B / M reversal in core
MD900963 precisely, the good agreement between this age estimate of 776 ka and the age of
775 ka we obtained using the 'uncorrected' position of the B / M reversal in core MD900963
suggests that there might be only a small shift in
the B / M stratigraphic location relative to the
8180 record in this core. Such a small shift could
result from the combination of relatively high
sedimentation rates a n d / o r the small 'lock-in
depth' for these sediments.
Further improvement in our tuning target may
slightly modify our B / M age estimate and will
probably put it in closer correspondence to 4Ar/
39Ar radiochronological ages. The non-linear ice

105

volume model of Imbrie and Imbrie [28] introduces constant phase lags between the oscillations in the insolation forcing at 65N in July and
the computed ice volume responses to which we
tuned the oxygen isotopic record from core
MD900963. In the precession band, this phase lag
is of the order of 5 kyr [4, 28]. These phase lags
may be subject to revision. Recent work on U / T h
dating by mass spectrometry [e.g., 35] has shown
that corrections must be performed on the ~4C
age of the last glacial maximum, which is one of
the six control points used by Imbrie and Imbrie
[28] to constrain their ice volume model.

6. Alternative low-latitude ~180 stack for the Late

Pleistocene

In order to obtain a 8180 record which can be

confidently used as a reference curve for stratigraphic and chronologic purposes in the Late
Pleistocene down to about 0.9 Ma, we stacked
and tuned the 8180 records of core MD900963
and site 677 to orbital forcing functions. The
stacking procedure tends to reduce minor distortions of individuals ~ 8 0 records, thereby enhancing the low-latitude climatic signal recorded
at these two sites. We applied the technique of
graphic correlation in the depth domain [36,13],
using core MD900963 as the reference section
and plotting the depth range of isotopic events
that are common in both records. Isotopic records
were normalized (zero mean, unit standard deviation), stacked and slightly smoothed. The resulting record was tuned to the Imbrie and Imbrie
ice volume model [28]. Further improvements in
our time-scale were performed by fine tuning the
extracted precession components of the /~80
record to the precession components of the ice
volume model, using the inverse approach for
signal correlation of Martinson [30] with 21 coefficients. Data are interpolated at 2 kyr in Table 3.
The resulting curve is shown in Fig. 7 and
compared with the SPECMAP stack. We have redefined events in stages 17-21 in order to take into
account the extra details observed in stages 17, 18
and 21 that lead to the revised tuning solution
first proposed by Shackleton et al. [1] in this time

106

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

interval. The revised numbers are shown bold

and underlined in Fig. 7. For instance, event 19.1,
in which the B r u n h e s / M a t u y a m a reversal takes
place, becomes 19.3 in our new numbering. Owing to the strong precessional signal recorded in
core MD900963 and at site 677, additional 6180
peaks are also clearly observed in stages 10 and
11 compared to the SPECMAP stack and were
numbered according to the procedure presented
by Prell et al. [13] (Fig. 7). The SPECMAP stack
provides a better estimate of stages 6 and 12 than
our low-latitude stack. Disturbance in stage 6
results from the poorly defined structure of this
stage at site 677. Ages of the local minima, maxima and stage boundaries of our low-latitude
6180 stack record are given in Table 4 (with the
exception of stage 6, for which no age determination was attempted, and isotopic event 17.2, which
does not show distinctly in our low-latitude 3 t 8 0
stack).

Table 4
Ages of the isotopic events in the low-latitude oxygen isotope
stack
Isotopic Age
event

7. Conclusions

Using the high-resolution t~180 record obtained in the giant piston core MD900963 ( ~ 53
m) retrieved east of the Maldives platform, we
show that several oscillations in the lower Brunh e s - u p p e r Matuyama chronozones that are predicted by the astronomical theory of climate were
apparently missing in the deep-sea paleoclimatic
records first used for developing astronomically
derived time-scales for the Late Pleistocene. In
the detailed 6180 record of core MD900963, additional precession-related peaks are clearly observed in oxygen isotope stages 17 and 18 compared to the composite curves proposed by the
SPECMAP scientists [4,12] and stage 21 presents
three precession-related oscillations, as recently
suggested by Shackleton et al. [1]. These extra
peaks result in an excellent match between the
6180 record and the ice volume model of Imbrie
et al. [13], which is used as a target curve for
developing an orbitally derived age model in core
MD900963.
Based on our orbitally derived age model, the
Brunhes-Matuyama reversal (which is located in
the upper part of the stage 19 in core MD900963)

(ka)

Isotopic

Age

event

(ka)

Isotopic Age
event

(ka)

2.0

11

8.6

295

15.3

594

2.2

17

9.0

301

15.4

604

3.0

24

9.1

309

15.5

615

3.1

30

9.2

315

16.0

621

3.3

52

9.3

928

16.2

628

4.0

57

10.0

334

16.3

642

4.2

62

10.2

340

17.0

659

5.0

71

10.3

349

17.1

666

5.1

79

10.4

357

17.2

**

5.2

86

11.0

364

17.3

688

5.3

97

11.1

369

17.4

699

5.4

106

11.22

375

17.5

708

5.5

122

11.23

384

18.0

712

6.0

127

11.24

390

18.2

718

6.2

133

11.3

406

18.3

729

6.3

**

12.0

427

18.4

754

6.4

**

12.2

434

19.0

760

6.5

**

12.3

458

19.1

765

6.6

**

12.4

468

19.2

772

7.0

186

13.0

474

19.3

782

7.1

194

13.11

481

20.0

787

7.2

202

13.12

491

20.2

793

7.3

213

13.13

500

21.1

820

7.4

225

13.2

510

21.2

828

7.5

236

13.3

524

21.3

838

8.0

242

14.0

528

21.4

847

8.2

248

14.2

536

21.5

858

8.3

258

15.0

568

22.0

865

8.4

266

15.1

573

22.2

871

8.5

287

15.2

582

22.3

879

Isotopic minima and maxima are shown in Fig. 7; isotopic

events labeled 2.0, 3.0, etc., are stage boundaries not shown in
Fig. 7.

is dated at 775 _+ 10 ka, in good agreement with

recent A r / A r dating on selected sanidine crystals
[8-10] and the age estimate of 780 ka derived
from the orbital time-scale of Shackleton et al.

[1].
Finally, we developed an alternative, low-latitude, Late Pleistocene t~180 reference record by

F.C. Bassinot et al. / Earth and Planetary Science Letters 126 (1994) 91-108

stacking and tuning to the 6180 records from

core MD900963 (Indian Ocean) and ODP site
677 (Pacific Ocean) orbital forcing functions.

Acknowledgments
We are grateful to L. Beaufort for fruitful
discussions. We thank all the members of the
SEYMAMA expedition during which the giant
coring system developed by Y. Balut allowed the
recovery of exceptionally long cores. Special
thanks go to B. LeCoat, and J. Antignac for the
isotopic analysis and to N. Buchet for help in
sample preparation. This work was supported by
funding from I N S U / C N R S (under PNEDC, DBT
and IST programs) and TAAF. This is contribution No. 696 of DBT, No. 94004 of LGQ, No.
1588 of CFR, and No. 1322 of IPGP.

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