DRILLING AND DATING NEW-JERSEY OLIGOCENE-MIOCENE SEQUENCES - ICE VOLUME, GLOBAL SEA-LEVEL, AND EXXON RECORDS

Oligocene to middle Miocene sequence boundaries on the New Jersey coas tal plain (Ocean Drilling Project Leg 150X) and continental slope (Oce an Drilling Project Leg 150) were dated by integrating strontium isoto pic stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and biostratigraphy (planktonic foraminifera, nannofossils, dinocysts, and diatoms). the ages of coas tal plain unconformities and slope seismic reflectors (unconformities or stratal breaks with no discernible hiatuses) match the ages of glob al delta(18)O increases (inferred glacioeustatic lowerings) measured i n deep-sea sites. These correlations confirm a causal link between coa stal plain and slope sequence boundaries: both formed during global se a-level lowerings, The ages of New Jersey sequence boundaries and glob al delta(18)O increases also correlate well with the Exxon Production Research sea-level records of Haq et al, and Vail et al., validating a nd refining their compilations.