The Eocene Kuldana Formation(KF)in the Yadgar area of Pakistan,comprises a diverse range of sedimentary facies,including variegated red beds of shales,mudstones,and sandstones,as well as interbedded limestone and marl...The Eocene Kuldana Formation(KF)in the Yadgar area of Pakistan,comprises a diverse range of sedimentary facies,including variegated red beds of shales,mudstones,and sandstones,as well as interbedded limestone and marl.In this study,we conducted an integrated micropaleontological,sedimentological,mineralogical,and geochemical investigation to determine the depositional setting,biochronology,provenance,and paleoclimate of the KF.The study identified six lithofacies and six microfacies,which indicate a variety of environments ranging from floodplains and channels to the margins and shallow marine settings.The nannofossil biostratigraphy places the KF in the Early Eocene,more precisely the NP10 zone(Ypresian),and the fossil zone of benthic foraminifera classifies the study section as the Shallow Benthic Zone SBZ-8(Middle Ilerdian 2).In terms of petrography,the KF sandstone was classified as litharenite and feldspathic litharenite,while the QtFL diagram suggests a recycled orogen.Geochemical proxies indicate an oxidizing environment,a high-to-low regular sedimentation rate,moderate-to-intense chemical weathering in the source region,and a warm-humid to dry climate during the deposition of KF.Overall,the findings suggest that the deposition of KF marks the end of Neo-Tethys due to the Early Eocene Indian–Kohistan collision and that the uplifting of the Himalayas provided the source for the deposition of KF in the foreland basin.The study provides new insights into the depositional environment,biochronology,provenance,and paleoclimate of KF,and highlights the potential for red beds as reliable indicators of oxygenation levels in proximity to mineral deposits.展开更多
Soil organic matter (SOM) is a complex heterogeneous mixture formed through decomposition and organo-mineral interactions, and characterization of its composition and biogeochemical stability is challenging. From this...Soil organic matter (SOM) is a complex heterogeneous mixture formed through decomposition and organo-mineral interactions, and characterization of its composition and biogeochemical stability is challenging. From this perspective, Rock-Eval® is a rapid and efficient thermal analytical method that combines the quantitative and qualitative information of SOM, including several parameters related to thermal stability. This approach has already been used to monitor changes in organic matter (OM) properties at the landscape, cropland, and soil profile scales. This study was aimed to assess the stability of SOM pools by characterizing the grain size fractions from forest litters and topsoils using Rock-Eval® thermal analysis. Litter (organic) and topsoil samples were collected from a beech forest in Normandy (France), whose management in the last 200 years has been documented. Fractionation by wet sieving was used to separate large debris (> 2 000 μm) and coarse (200–2 000 μm) and fine particulate OM (POM) (50–200 μm) in the organic samples as well as coarse (200–2 000 μm), medium (50–200 μm), and fine (< 50 μm) fractions of the topsoil samples. Rock-Eval® was able to provide thermal parameters sensitive enough to study fine-scale soil processes. In the organic layers, quantitative and qualitative changes were explained by the progressive decomposition of labile organic compounds from plant debris to the finest organic particles. Meanwhile, the grain size fractions of topsoils presented different characteristics. The coarse organo-mineral fractions showed higher C contents, albeit with a different composition, higher thermal stability, and greater decomposition degree than the plant debris forming the organic layer. These results are consistent with those of previous studies that microbial activity is more effective in this fraction. The finest fractions of topsoils showed low C contents, the highest thermal stability, and low decomposition degree, which can be explained by the stronger interactions with the mineral matrix. Therefore, it is suggested that the dynamics of OM in the different size fractions be interpreted in the light of a plant-microbe-soil continuum. Finally, three distinct thermostable C pools were highlighted through the grain size heterogeneity of SOM: free coarse OM (large debris and coarse and fine particles), weakly protected OM in (bio)aggregates (coarse fraction of topsoil), and stabilized OM in the fine fractions of topsoil, which resulted from the interactions within organo-mineral complexes. Therefore, Rock-Eval® thermal parameters can be used to empirically illustrate the conceptual models emphasizing the roles of drivers played by the gradual decomposition and protection of the most thermally labile organic constituents.展开更多
文摘The Eocene Kuldana Formation(KF)in the Yadgar area of Pakistan,comprises a diverse range of sedimentary facies,including variegated red beds of shales,mudstones,and sandstones,as well as interbedded limestone and marl.In this study,we conducted an integrated micropaleontological,sedimentological,mineralogical,and geochemical investigation to determine the depositional setting,biochronology,provenance,and paleoclimate of the KF.The study identified six lithofacies and six microfacies,which indicate a variety of environments ranging from floodplains and channels to the margins and shallow marine settings.The nannofossil biostratigraphy places the KF in the Early Eocene,more precisely the NP10 zone(Ypresian),and the fossil zone of benthic foraminifera classifies the study section as the Shallow Benthic Zone SBZ-8(Middle Ilerdian 2).In terms of petrography,the KF sandstone was classified as litharenite and feldspathic litharenite,while the QtFL diagram suggests a recycled orogen.Geochemical proxies indicate an oxidizing environment,a high-to-low regular sedimentation rate,moderate-to-intense chemical weathering in the source region,and a warm-humid to dry climate during the deposition of KF.Overall,the findings suggest that the deposition of KF marks the end of Neo-Tethys due to the Early Eocene Indian–Kohistan collision and that the uplifting of the Himalayas provided the source for the deposition of KF in the foreland basin.The study provides new insights into the depositional environment,biochronology,provenance,and paleoclimate of KF,and highlights the potential for red beds as reliable indicators of oxygenation levels in proximity to mineral deposits.
文摘Soil organic matter (SOM) is a complex heterogeneous mixture formed through decomposition and organo-mineral interactions, and characterization of its composition and biogeochemical stability is challenging. From this perspective, Rock-Eval® is a rapid and efficient thermal analytical method that combines the quantitative and qualitative information of SOM, including several parameters related to thermal stability. This approach has already been used to monitor changes in organic matter (OM) properties at the landscape, cropland, and soil profile scales. This study was aimed to assess the stability of SOM pools by characterizing the grain size fractions from forest litters and topsoils using Rock-Eval® thermal analysis. Litter (organic) and topsoil samples were collected from a beech forest in Normandy (France), whose management in the last 200 years has been documented. Fractionation by wet sieving was used to separate large debris (> 2 000 μm) and coarse (200–2 000 μm) and fine particulate OM (POM) (50–200 μm) in the organic samples as well as coarse (200–2 000 μm), medium (50–200 μm), and fine (< 50 μm) fractions of the topsoil samples. Rock-Eval® was able to provide thermal parameters sensitive enough to study fine-scale soil processes. In the organic layers, quantitative and qualitative changes were explained by the progressive decomposition of labile organic compounds from plant debris to the finest organic particles. Meanwhile, the grain size fractions of topsoils presented different characteristics. The coarse organo-mineral fractions showed higher C contents, albeit with a different composition, higher thermal stability, and greater decomposition degree than the plant debris forming the organic layer. These results are consistent with those of previous studies that microbial activity is more effective in this fraction. The finest fractions of topsoils showed low C contents, the highest thermal stability, and low decomposition degree, which can be explained by the stronger interactions with the mineral matrix. Therefore, it is suggested that the dynamics of OM in the different size fractions be interpreted in the light of a plant-microbe-soil continuum. Finally, three distinct thermostable C pools were highlighted through the grain size heterogeneity of SOM: free coarse OM (large debris and coarse and fine particles), weakly protected OM in (bio)aggregates (coarse fraction of topsoil), and stabilized OM in the fine fractions of topsoil, which resulted from the interactions within organo-mineral complexes. Therefore, Rock-Eval® thermal parameters can be used to empirically illustrate the conceptual models emphasizing the roles of drivers played by the gradual decomposition and protection of the most thermally labile organic constituents.
