Mineralogy at DSDP Sites 68-502 and 68-503

Eighty-four sediment samples from four holes at Site 502 and 54 samples from three holes at Site 503 were analyzed for mineral content by semiquantitative X-ray diffraction methods.
Site 502 is located in the Western Caribbean, whereas Site 503 lies in the Eastern Pacific (probably on the north flank of the Galapagos Spreading Center). Both sites were chosen to yield continuous core sections for investigations of late Neogene and Quaternary biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy and to study events such as the closing of the Isthmus of Panama.
Our X-ray diffraction work should provide a framework for further investigations - for example, determination of climatic changes in relationship to clay mineral composition or the influx of terrigeneous sediment components from South America before and after development of the Panama landbridge.