Geochemistry and isotopic study of southern Bay of Bengal sediments: Implications for provenance and paleoenvironment during the middle Miocene

The Bay of Bengal (BoB), the largest bay in the world, is known to receive large amounts of fresh water and suspended particulate matter from different sources. The sediments deposited in the bay serve as a repository for paleoenviromental reconstruction studies. The Miocene Epoch is an important interval in geologic time as it is marked by major climatic events that controlled ocean productivity, redox conditions and provenance of sediments. However, limited work has been carried out to establish paleoenviromental changes and provenance of sediments during the Miocene. Here we present detailed geochemical and radiogenic (Sr, Nd) isotopic results from predominantly middle Miocene sediments of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 758A, located in the southern BoB (Lat. 5 °23′N, Long. 90°21′E; water depth 2925 m), to understand paleoredox conditions, paleoproductivity and provenance. The results suggest that these sediments are strongly linked to climatically modulated surface processes that affected the region.