δ^(13)C_(org) perturbations preserved by the interglacial Datangpo Formation in South China with implications for stratigraphic correlation and carbon cycle

Palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of the Cryogenian Period have attracted attention in relation to the debated“Snowball Earth”hypothesis and the early evolution of metazoan life.The carbon cycle and redox conditions of the Sturtian-Marinoan non-glacial interval have been subjected to much controversy in the past decades because of the lack of a high-resolution stratigraphic correlation scheme.As one of the typical Sturtian-Marinoan interglacial deposits,the Datangpo Formation was widely distributed in South China with shales continuously deposited.The previous zircon dating data of the Datangpo Formation provide important ages for global constrain of the Sturtian-Marinoan non-glacial interval.Here we present a high-resolution straitigraphic study of the organic carbon isotopes of the Datangpo Formation from a drill core section in northern Guizhou Province.Based on measured episodicδ^(13)C_(org) perturbations,three positive shifts and three negative excursions are identified.Aδ^(13)C_(org)-based chemostratigraphic correlation scheme is proposed herein that works well for the Datangpo Formation regionally.Meanwhile,theδ^(13)C_(org) vertical gradients changed dynamically throughout the formation.This discovery implies that a significant ocean circulation overturn might have occurred in the upper Datangpo Formation,coinciding with the potential oxygenation.

The discovery of Neoproterozoic extensional structures and its significance for gas exploration in the Central Sichuan Block, Sichuan Basin, South China

The Central Sichuan Block(CSB) is the hardest block between the deep faults of Pujiang-Bazhong and Huaying Mountain in the central part of Sichuan Basin, which lies in the northwestern part of the upper Yangtze Craton. The CSB has long been considered as the oldest and most stable core area of Yangtze Craton, with the uniform basement and high level of hardening. Here we present a detailed interpretation of deep structures in the CSB by integrating high-resolution seismic data(approx. 50000 km2) with large-scale aeromagnetic data. Results show that eight Neoproterozoic extensional structures of different scales are nearly EW-, NEE-, and NW-trending in the CSB. Discovery of these extensional structures changes previous understanding of the CSB as a unified block. The extensional structures experienced one or two stages of extension in the longitudinal section, and filled with 3000–5000-m-thick weakly magnetic materials. Development of basal A-type granite in Weiyuan, Sichuan Basin and bimodal volcanic rocks of the Suxiong Formation, Western Sichuan confirms the CSB's Neoproterozoic extensional tectonic setting. The newly discovered Neoproterozoic extensional structures are of great significance for source rock and favorable sedimentary facies distribution, reservoir development, and gas accumulation.