Abstract
BRONGERSMA-SAUNDERS has recently proposed1,2 that the extreme metal enrichment of many bituminous shales is brought about by the supply of metals by plankton in areas of oceanic upwelling. This model has been applied1,2 to the well known Permian Kupferschiefer of northern Germany, where the concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn are exceptionally high3. A modern environment of organic-rich sedimentation with metal enrichment is supposedly found on the continental shelf off South West Africa2, especially the region in and around Walvis Bay. The area lies beneath the Benguela Current, a site of intensive upwelling4 and very high primary organic production5. Information on the bottom sediments accumulating here is meagre, although they are known to be organic and sulphide-rich6–8.
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CALVERT, S., PRICE, N. Minor Metal Contents of Recent Organic-rich Sediments off South West Africa. Nature 227, 593–595 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/227593a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/227593a0
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