Orbital control on cyclical organic matter accumulation in Early Silurian Longmaxi Formation shales

High resolution(939 samples)total organic carbon content(TOC)analyses were conducted on the Shuanghe Section of^152.6 m in the Changning area,Sichuan Basin.The sampling section was divided into two units considering the distinct-different deposit environment and sediments accumulation rate.The lower part(Unit 1)and the peer part(Unit 2)with high resolution sample spacing(0.08–0.4 m)enables the identification of the precession cycle in two sedimentary sequences with distinct different sedimentary accumulation rate.MTM Power spectral analyses on untuned TOC series reveals significant peaks exceeding above the 95%confidence level and shows that both Unit 1 and Unit 2 have recorded Milankovitch cycles of 405 kyr long eccentricity,short eccentricity,obliquity and precession.The floating astronomical time scale(ATS)was constructed on the Shuanghe Section in the Early Silurian(~439.673–444.681 Ma),and which was calibrated by 405 kyr long eccentricity cycles.The total duration of the Wufeng and Longmaxi shales is 5.01 Myr.The floating ATS used for estimating the duration of the graptolite zones and each stage in the study interval.Finally,we postulated two models that could verify the linkage between orbital cycle and organic accumulation.To make sure whether productivity or preservation is the main factor that under long eccentricity control,the phase correlation between the obtained filtered signal and the theoretical orbital solution should be made clear in the further research.

Late Ordovician to Early Silurian Tectonic Events in the Himalayan Terrain

ObjectiveThe Himalaya terrain together with the ribbon terrains （e.g., Lhasa, Qiangtang, and Sibumasu blocks） of the Gondwana supercontinent has experienced episodic tectonic events since the Neoproterozoic. However, almost not any documentation with regard to the tectonic processes links the peri-Gondwana subduction between 510-480 Ma with the Carboniferous-Permian （-360-260 Ma） continental rifting event. This possible link is important for testing and formulating the tectonic model for the evolution of the present-day Himalayan orogenic belt, if we consider this belt has also experienced typical Wilson cycle plate tectonics. Recently, we have found several lines of evidence which imply that the Himalayan terrain and possibly other ribbon terrains of the eastern Gondwana have experienced unrecognized tectonic processes during the Late Ordovician to Early Silurian.

Quartz crystallinity index:New quantitative evidence for biogenic silica of the Late Ordovician to Early Silurian organic-rich shale in the Sichuan Basin and adjacent areas,China

Quartz crystallinity index(QCI)was used to reflect the crystallisation of silica in the Late Ordovician Wufeng(WF)and Early Silurian Longmaxi(LM)Formation shale,as well as the airborne volcanic ash-derived silica in the Lucaogou Formation tuffaceous shale,to distinguish the two types of silica.The silica in different graptolite biozones exhibited different crystallisation.The WF2–3,LM1–4 graptolite biozones showed obviously lower QCI values than the LM5–9 graptolite biozones and the Lucaogou Formation samples.The graptolite organisms played the role of adsorption,fixation,and precipitation in silicon accumulation and enrichment in stratum.The biogenic origin caused the poorest quartz crystallisation in WF2–3 and LM1–4 graptolite biozones samples.The airborne volcanic ash-derived silica in the Lucaogou Formation tuffaceous shale exhibited relatively poor quartz crystallisation because of weaker diagenesis intensity.Generally,although the WF2–3 and LM1–4 graptolite biozones underwent strong diagenesis and contained a small amount of detrital quartz,the silica still exhibited lower QCI values than the airborne volcanic ash-derived silica in the Lucaogou Formation tuffaceous shale.The biogenic silica crystallisation was much poorer than that of the airborne volcanic ash-derived silica.QCI is an effective quantitative index to demonstrate the biogenic silica in the organic-rich and silica-rich shale.

Environmental Redox Changes of the Ancient Sea in the Yangtze Area during the Ordo-Silurian Transition

Extensive organic-matter （OM） rich facies （black shales） occur in the Ordo-Silurian boundary successions in the Yangtze area, South China. To investigate the redox changes of the Yangtze Sea during the Ordo-Silurian transition, two OM sections （Wangjiawan in Yichang, Hubei Province, and Sanjiaguan in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province） straddling the Ordo-Silurian boundary are studied. The measurements finished in this study include contents of the total organic carbon （TOC）, pyrite sulphur, and different species of Fe, including dithionite-extractable Fe （FED）, pyrite Fe （FeP）, HCl-extractable Fe （FeH）, and total Fe （FeT）, in black shales, as well as other redox proxies, such as the SIC ratio, the ratio between highly reactive Fe （FeHR = FeD ＋ FeP） and FeT, and the FeP/（FeP ＋ FeH） ratio, known as the degree of pyritization （DOP）. In the Wangjiawan section, the Middle Ashgill sediments have high FeHR/FeT ratios （0.20-0.77; avg. 0.45）, high DOP values （0.21-0.72; avg. 0.54）, and a relatively constant sulfur content independent of the organic carbon content. By the contrast, the mid-early Hirnantian deposits generally have low FeHR/FeT ratios （0.10-0.35; avg. 0.21）, low DOP values （0.11- 0.40; avg. 0.28）, and SIC values are clustering on the normal marine value （SIC = 0.36）. The late Hirnantian and early Rhuddanian deposits, similar to those of the Middle Ashgill deposits, are characterized by high FeHR/FeT ratios （0.32-0.49; avg. 0.41）, high DOP values （0.46-0.68; avg. 0.53） and fairly constant sulfur contents. These data suggest the occurrences of marine anoxia on the Yangtze Sea shelf during intervals of the Mid Ashgill, Late Hirnantian and Early Rhuddanian, and ventilated and oxygenated marine conditions during the mid-early Hirnantian time. The mid-early Hirnantian ventilated event was concomitant with the global glacial period, likely resulted from the glacio-eustatic sea-level fall and subsequent circulation of cold, dense oxygenated waters upon the shelf seabed. Accordingly, the abrupt change from oxygenated to anoxic marine waters from the late Hirnantian and the early Rhuddanian were resulted from the post-glacial rise of eustatic sea level. Combined with the data from Sanjiaguan section near the subemergent highland, salinity stratification of water columns are strongly evidenced by very low S/C ratios （ 0.00-0.08, avg. 0.02）, low FeHR/FeT ratios （0.10-0.37, avg. 0.27）, low DOP values （0.01-0.27, avg. 0.10）, and TOC contents （0.72%-4.27%, avg. 2.55%）. Under this circumstance, the anoxic water columns could have formed beneath the halocline, above which desalinized waters formed. In the Wangjiawan section, TOC contents are generally high （0.94- 9.32%, avg. 4.44%）, but low （0.35%-2.12%, avg. 1.29%） in the mid-early Hirnantian that is coincident with the oceanic oxic stage, together with relation of the organic contents to the stratal thickness, suggesting that the accumulation of the organic matter was mainly controlled by the oxygen levels of the water columns; on the other hand, productivity and depositional rate may also have played a role in the organic accumulation and preservation.

Reservoir Potential of Silurian Carbonate Mud Mounds in the Southern Sichuan Basin,Central China

Lower Silurian mud mounds of the Shinuilan Formation, located in the southern Sichuan Basin, China, have developed in open shelf settings in deeper water than shallow-water reef-bearing limestones that occur in the region. An integration of the outcrop, drill data and seismic profiles show that contemporaneous faults have controlled the boundary and distribution of the sedimentary facies of Lower Silurian rocks in the southern Sichuan Basin. Mounds appear to have developed in the topographic lows formed by synsedimentary faulting, on the sheff of the Yangtze Platform. Average mound thickness is 20 m, maximum 35 m. Mounds are composed mainly of micrite, possibly microbially bound, and are overlain by shales. Mound tops are preferentially dolomitized, with the Mg^2＋ source probably from the clay content of the mound-top carbonate. Microfacies analysis and reconstruction of the diagenetic history reveal that the mound tops have higher porosity, and are gas targets; in contrast, mound cores and limbs show pores filled by three generations of calcite cement, and therefore have a low gas potential.

Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of the Late Silurian–Early Devonian Bimodal Intrusive Rocks in the Central Beishan Orogenic Belt,NW China:Constraints by Petrology,Geochemistry and Hf Isotope

A large number of Late Silurian–Early Devonian intrusive rocks are distributed in the central Beishan orogenic belt(BOB).Tectonic setting of these intrusive rocks is of great significance to the study of the subduction and accretion of the Paleo-Asian Ocean.Previous studies show that most of the intrusive rocks in this region are S-type or A-type granitoids.In this study,we firstly reported the Late Silurian–Early Devoniandia bases,granodiorites on the southside of the Baiyunshan ophiolitic mélanges belt,as a part of Hongliuhe-Xichangjing ophiolitic mélanges belt(HXOMB).Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating yields emplacement ages between 418 and 397 Ma,REE distribution patterns exhibit enriched LREE and flat HREE in the diabases,the discriminant diagrams show that the diabases have geochemical characteristics of intraplate basalt.The granodiorites in this paper present more like S-and A-type granitoids reported,showing the geochemical characteristics of syn/post-collision granites.Actually,the bimodal magmatic rocks are developed during Late Silurian–Early Devonian on both sides of the HXOMB,which are related to the tectonic background of the post orogeny extension.The diabases are tholeiitic with relative strong depletedεHf(t)(+8.1 to+13.0),which are mainly from relative depleted mantle.The granodiorites are calc-alkaline with relative slightly depletedεHf(t)(+0.7 to+5.6)and the lower Mg#and MgO contents(34.6–36.9,0.50 wt.%–1.19 wt.%respectively),reflecting the source characteristics of meta-basalt.Therefore,the remelting of juvenile crust may be the main way of continental crust accretion during Late Silurian–Early Devonian in the central BOB.