Variabilities of carbonate δ13C signal in response to the late Paleozoic glaciations, Long’an, South China

doi:10.1007/s11707-019-0781-9

Front. Earth Sci.

2020, Vol. 14

Issue (2) : 344-359 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-019-0781-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Variabilities of carbonate δ¹³C signal in response to the late Paleozoic glaciations, Long’an, South China

Bing YANG^1,², Xionghua ZHANG¹(

), Wenkun QIE³, Yi WEI⁴, Xing HUANG³, Haodong XIA²

¹. Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
². Cores and Samples Centre of Natural Resources, Langfang 065201, China
³. State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology and Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
⁴. School of Safety Engineering, North China Institute of Science and Technology, Langfang 065201, China

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Abstract

An integrated study of biostratigraphy, microfacies, and stable carbon isotope stratigraphy was carried out on the late Famennian–early Asselian carbonates of the Long’an section in Guangxi, South China. Stable carbon isotope studies in the Long’an section have revealed four major positive shifts of δ¹³C values in the Carboniferous strata in South China. The first shift occurred in the Siphonodella dasaibaensia zone in the Tournaisian, with an amplitude of 4.19‰. The second shift occurred near the Visean/Serpukhovian boundary, with an amplitude of 2.63‰. The third shift occurred in the Serpukhovian, with an amplitude of 3.95‰. The fourth shift occurred in the Kasimovian, with an amplitude of 3.69‰. Furthermore, there were several brief positive δ¹³C shifts during the late Famennian to early Tournaisian. All of these shifts can be well correlated globally, and each corresponds to sea-level regressions in South China and Euro-America, indicating increases in ocean primary productivity and global cooling events. Chronologically, the four major positive excursions of δ¹³C, together with several brief positive δ¹³C shifts that were observed during the late Famennian to the early Tournaisian, correspond to the well-accepted Glacial I, II, and III events.

Keywords carbon isotopes Late Paleozoic Ice Age Carboniferous sea-level changes global climate variation

Corresponding Author(s): Xionghua ZHANG

Online First Date: 03 June 2020 Issue Date: 21 July 2020

Cite this article:

Bing YANG,Xionghua ZHANG,Wenkun QIE, et al. Variabilities of carbonate δ¹³C signal in response to the late Paleozoic glaciations, Long’an, South China[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2020, 14(2): 344-359.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-019-0781-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2020/V14/I2/344

Fig.1 Reconstruction map of Carboniferous paleogeography. (A1) (B1) The global Carboniferous paleogeographic reconstruction map, modified after ^{Saltzman (2003)}; (A2) (B2) The Carboniferous lithofacies-paleogeography map of south China, modified after ^{Feng et al. (1998).}

Fig.2 Foraminifera from the upper Du’an Formation (beds 42–51). A. Janischewskina sp.; B. Koskinotextularia sp.; C. Earlandia vulgaris; D. Cribrospira panderi; E, H. Consobrinella consobrina; F. Palaeotextularia sp.; G. Eostaffella sp.; I. Mediocris breviscula; J. Forschia sp.; K. Cribrostomum sp.; L, Palaeotextularia gibbosa minima. (A–H, J–L Scale bars= 1 mm; I Scale bars= 0.5 mm).

Fig.3 Range chart showing stratigraphic distributions of fusulinids and biochronology in the Bashkirian through Asselian in the Long’an section.

Fig.4 Typical microfacies types and Outcrop photograph from the Long’an section. (a) Lime mudstone (Mf1), bed 19, Long’an Formation; (b) Chert nodules (Mf1), bed 30, Long’an Formation; (c) Oolitic Grainstone (Mf2), bed 45, Du’an Formation; (d) Bioclastic grainstone (Mf3), bed 73, Huanglong Formation; (e) Fenestral boundstone (Mf4), bed 46, Du’an Formation; (f) Calcareous algal boundstone (Mf5), bed 47, Du’an Formation. Legend: br—brachiopods; c—cavities; f—foraminifera; o—oncoids; fu—fusulinids; cr —crinoids; ca—calcareous algae; sc—siliceous conglomerations; os-ostracods.

Fig.5 Typical microfacies types from the Long’an section. (a) Bioclastic intraclast grainstone (Mf6), bed 52, Du’an Formation; (b) Bioclastic intraclast wackestone (Mf7), bed 67, Huanglong Formation; (c) Bioclastic packstone (Mf8), bed 3, Rongxian Formation; (d) Bioclastic wackestone (Mf9), bed 70, Huanglong Formation; (e) Dolomite limestone (Mf10), bed 27, Long’an Formation; (f) Dolomite (Mf11), bed 52, Du’an Formation. Legend: g—gastropods; cp—calcispheres; br—brachiopods; fu—fusulinids; cr —crinoids; ca—calcareous algae; os-ostracods.

Tab.1 Summary of the characteristics of the five major facies associations of the Long’an section

Fig.6 A comprehensive graph showing the lithological columnar chart of the Long’an section biozones and δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O variation curves. Among these biozones, the conodont zones were identified based on ^{Qie et al., (2010}, ^2014, and ²⁰¹⁵). These are shown in the graph as MFZ1= Lower Siphonodella praesulcata zone; MFZ2= Middle Siphonodella praesulcata zone; MFZ3= Upper Siphonodella praesulcata zone; MFZ4= Siphonodella homosimplex zone; MFZ5= Siphonodella sinensis zone; MFZ6= Siphonodella dasaibaensia zone; MFZ7= Polygnathus communis carina zone; MFZ8= Gnathodus cuneiformis zone; and MFZ9= Polygnathus communis porcatus zone. The fusulinid biozones: MFZ10= Pseudostaffella zone; MFZ11= Profusulinella zone; MFZ12= Fusulina-Fusulinella zone; MFZ13 = Triticites zone; MFZ14= Quasifusulina zone; and MFZ15= Pseudoschwagerina zone. LM-Lime mudstone. (blue areas represents negative shifts, pink areas represent for positive shifts)

Fig.7 δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O crossplots from different formations in the Long’an section (^{Wynn and Read, 2007}).

Fig.8 A comprehensive graph showing the contrasts in the evolution of carbon isotope values among the Carboniferous system carbonates in the Long’an section in South China, the carbonates in Europe and North America (^{Buggisch et al., 2008}), the mean values of carbon isotope values from calcite in brachiopod shells on the Russian platform and the US Mid-continent (^{Grossman et al., 2008}), the carbon isotope values from calcite in brachiopod shells in western Europe and Moscow Basin (^{Bruckschen et al., 1999}), the Kongshan area in Jiangsu, and the Naqing area of Guizhou (^{Buggisch et al., 2008}), and the southern Nevada and Antler Highland (^{Saltzman and Thomas, 2012}). The absolute age values are based on ^{Cohen et al. (2013)}.

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