Widespread Miocene deep-sea hiatuses: coincidence with periods of global cooling.

High-resolution biostratigraphic analyses of Miocene deep-sea cores reveal eight intervals of widespread hiatuses in the world ocean. In complete sections these hiatuses correspond to intervals of cool faunal and floral assemblages, rapid enrichment of delta ¹⁸ O, and sea-level regressions. These factors suggest that Miocene deep-sea hiatuses result from an increased intensity of circulation and corrosiveness of bottom currents during periods of increased polar refrigeration.-Authors