Authigenic minerals are rare or present in trace abundances. Pyrite is present as silt-sized aggregates of euhedral crystals or as framboids. The biogenic component in all smear slides consists of abundant to very abundant nannofossils. Foraminifers are abundant to common. Calcareous nannofossils and planktonic foraminifer datums are in good agreement.
Siliceous microfossils are rare or absent in much of the core.
A significant amount of tropical to subtropical planktonic foraminifer species between 140 and 150 mbsf may indicate a warming event or increased input from the warm Aghulhas Current. Except for the uppermost 30 mbsf, the cores show significant coring-induced remagnetization. Detailed comparisons between the magnetic susceptibility records generated on the MST and color reflectance measured with the Minolta spectrophotometer demonstrated complete recovery of the sedimentary sequence down to 232 mcd. The interstitial water composition is dominantly controlled by the high carbonate content and low organic carbon concentrations in the sediments. The chemical gradients at Site 1086 are even more gradual than those found at the lithologically similar Site 1085.