Sapropels and intercalated marls in a piston core from the eastern Mediterranean are chemically and mineralogical distinct: kaolinite, smectite, and total S contents, Fe/Al, Ba/Al, Co/Al, Mo/Al, and V/Al are higher, whereas quartz, Mg calcite, illite contents, Si/Al, Ti/Al, K/Al, Rb/Al, and Zr/Al are lower in the sapropels. Missing and ghost sapropels are identified by mineralogical and chemical properties that are not prone to diagenesis. Primary production was higher (Ba/Al) and bottom water and/or interstitial oxygenation was lower (Co/Al, Mo/Al, Ni/Al, and V/Al) during sapropel formation. Wind speeds (quartz/clay, Si/Al, and Zr/Al) and bottom water salinities (Mg calcite/calcite) were higher during periods of marl formation. Sapropels represent a fundamentally different sedimentary facies whose formation is linked to changes in the hydrological balance in the basin, driven by precessionally modulated changes in monsoon strength and subtropical precipitation changes, which altered circulation, production, and sediment source areas. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union