δ18O and δ13C stable isotope data from a new composite sediment record, Cyprus (Eastern Mediterranean)

We present a c. 12 Ma record of oxygen and carbon stable isotopes from the Island of Cyprus to help constrain the nature and extent of Miocene palaeoceanographic changes in the eastern Mediterranean region. Cyprus includes Neogene deep-sea pelagic sedimentary rocks, which are suitable for stable isotope studies. Our composite geochemical record integrates data from the Lower-Upper Miocene succession at Kottaphi Hill along the northern margin of the Troodos ophiolite, and the Upper Miocene succession at Lapatza Hill to the south of the Kyrenia Range. Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy reveals that the composite record spans the Miocene Climatic Optimum's onset to the beginning of the Messinian Salinity Crisis.