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A new high-resolution δ13Ccarb record for the Early-Middle Triassic: Insights from the Tianshengqiao section, South China

  • 1.

    School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

  • 2.

    Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China

Cite this:
https://doi.org/10.52396/JUST-2021-0128
  • Received Date: 09 May 2021
  • Rev Recd Date: 17 June 2021
  • Publish Date: 30 June 2021
    Abstract

  • Abstract

    Previous studies have documented remarkable changes in the carbon cycle during the Early Triassic. To verify these trends and improve our understanding of carbon cycling during the Early-Middle Triassic, we investigate the new δ13Ccarb record for the Early-Middle Triassic in the Tianshengqiao section of South China. Our study shows that the δ13Ccarb values in the Tianshengqiao section have received minimal diagenetic alterations. The δ13Ccarb profile initially shows a negative excursion of 2.2‰ within the Member I of the Jialingjiang Formation, followed by a positive excursion of 3.8‰ in the lower part of the Member III of the Jialingjiang Formation. After that, δ13Ccarb displays a negative excursion of 2.5‰ in the Member III of the Jialingjiang Formation, followed by a positive excursion with a maximum of +5.0‰ at the base of the Member I of the Guanling Formation. Above the maximum value, the δ13Ccarb profile exhibits a third negative excursion and then recovers and stabilizes around +1‰ to +2‰ through the Member II of the Guanling Formation to the Yangliujing Formation. The observed trend of the δ13Ccarb profile in the Tianshengqiao section can be correlated with the global C-isotopic excursions derived from the coeval sections worldwide. The similarity of the Early-Middle Triassic δ13Ccarb profile to those from other sections worldwide is indicative of the near completeness of the stratigraphic interval of the Tianshengqiao section. Our results suggest that the δ13Ccarb profile in the Tianshengqiao section represents a global carbon cycle perturbation. The stratigraphic coincidence between the carbon cycle perturbation and the limited biotic recovery has been documented in the Tianshengqiao section, suggesting that the physical mechanism of the carbon cycle perturbation may have contributed to the prolonged biotic recovery.

    Abstract

    Previous studies have documented remarkable changes in the carbon cycle during the Early Triassic. To verify these trends and improve our understanding of carbon cycling during the Early-Middle Triassic, we investigate the new δ13Ccarb record for the Early-Middle Triassic in the Tianshengqiao section of South China. Our study shows that the δ13Ccarb values in the Tianshengqiao section have received minimal diagenetic alterations. The δ13Ccarb profile initially shows a negative excursion of 2.2‰ within the Member I of the Jialingjiang Formation, followed by a positive excursion of 3.8‰ in the lower part of the Member III of the Jialingjiang Formation. After that, δ13Ccarb displays a negative excursion of 2.5‰ in the Member III of the Jialingjiang Formation, followed by a positive excursion with a maximum of +5.0‰ at the base of the Member I of the Guanling Formation. Above the maximum value, the δ13Ccarb profile exhibits a third negative excursion and then recovers and stabilizes around +1‰ to +2‰ through the Member II of the Guanling Formation to the Yangliujing Formation. The observed trend of the δ13Ccarb profile in the Tianshengqiao section can be correlated with the global C-isotopic excursions derived from the coeval sections worldwide. The similarity of the Early-Middle Triassic δ13Ccarb profile to those from other sections worldwide is indicative of the near completeness of the stratigraphic interval of the Tianshengqiao section. Our results suggest that the δ13Ccarb profile in the Tianshengqiao section represents a global carbon cycle perturbation. The stratigraphic coincidence between the carbon cycle perturbation and the limited biotic recovery has been documented in the Tianshengqiao section, suggesting that the physical mechanism of the carbon cycle perturbation may have contributed to the prolonged biotic recovery.
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    • References(35)
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    Erwin D H. Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006: 320.
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    Galfetti T, Bucher H, Brayard A, et al. Late Early Triassic climate change: Insights from carbonate carbon isotopes, sedimentary evolution and ammonoid paleobiogeography. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2007, 243: 394-411.
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    [16]
    Tong J N, Yin H F. The Lower Triassic of South China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2002, 20: 803-815.
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    Luo M, George A D, Chen Z Q. Sedimentology and ichnology of two Lower Triassic sections in South China: Implications for the biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction. Global and Planetary Change, 2016, 144: 198-212.
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    Kaufman A J, Knoll A H. Neoproterozoic variations in the C-isotopic composition of seawater:Stratigraphic and biogeochemical implications. Precambrian Research, 1995, 73: 27-49.
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    Knauth L P, Kennedy M J. The late Precambrian greening of the Earth. Nature, 2009, 460: 728-732.
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    Higgins J A, Blattler C L, Lundstrom E A, et al. Mineralogy, early marine diagenesis, and the chemistry of shallow-water carbonate sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2018, 220: 512-534.
    [26]
    Ahm A C, Bjerrum C J, Blattler C L, et al. Quantifying early marine diagenesis in shallow-water carbonate sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2018, 236: 140-159.
    [27]
    Payne J L, Kump L R. Evidence for recurrent Early Triassic massive volcanism from quantitative interpretation of carbon isotope fluctuations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2007, 256: 264-277.
    [28]
    Hammer Ø, Jones M T, Schneebeli-Hermann E, et al. Are Early Triassic extinction events associated with mercury anomalies? A reassessment of the Smithian/Spathian boundary extinction. Earth-Science Reviews, 2019, 195: 179-190.
    [29]
    Sexton P F, Norris R D, Wilson P A, et al. Eocene global warming events driven by ventilation of oceanic dissolved organic carbon. Nature, 2001, 471: 349-352.
    [30]
    Chen Z Q, Wang Y B, Kershaw S, et al. Early Triassic stromatolites in a siliciclastic nearshore setting in northern Perth Basin, Western Australia: Geobiologic features and implications for post-extinction microbial proliferation. Global and Planetary Change, 2014, 121: 89-100.
    [31]
    Fang Y H, Chen Z Q, Kershaw S, et al. An Early Triassic (Smithian) stromatolite associated with giant ooid banks from Lichuan (Hubei Province), South China: Environment and controls on its formation. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2017, 486: 108-122.
    [32]
    Zhang G J, Zhang X L, Shen Y. Quantitative constraints on carbon cycling and temporal changes in episodic euxinia during the end-Permian mass extinction in South China. Chemical Geology, 2021, 562: 120036.
    [33]
    Zhang G J, Zhang X L, Li D D, et al. Evidence for the expansion of anoxia during the Smithian from a quantitative interpretation of paired C-isotopes. Global and Planetary Change, 2021, 204: 103551.
    [34]
    Feng X Q, Chen Z Q, Bottjer D J, et al. Additional records of ichnogenus Rhizocorallium from the Lower and Middle Triassic, South China: Implications for biotic recovery after the end-Permian mass extinction. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2018, 130: 1197-1215.
    [35]
    Luo M, Shi G R, Buatois L A, et al. Trace fossils as proxy for biotic recovery after the end-Permian mass extinction: A critical review. Earth-Science Reviews, 2020, 203: 103059.
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    [1]
    Erwin D H. Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006: 320.
    [2]
    Knoll A H, Bambach R K, Payne J L, et al. Paleophysiology and end-Permian mass extinction. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2007, 256: 295-313.
    [3]
    Chen Z Q, Benton M J. The timing and pattern of biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction. Nature Geoscience, 2012, 5: 375-383.
    [4]
    Sun Y D, Joachimski M M, Wignall P B, et al. Lethally hot temperatures during the Early Triassic greenhouse. Science, 2012, 338: 366-370.
    [5]
    Grasby S E, Beauchamp B, Embry A, et al. Recurrent Early Triassic ocean anoxia. Geology, 2013, 41: 175-178.
    [6]
    Huang Y G, Chen Z Q, Wignall P B, et al. Latest Permian to Middle Triassic redox condition variations in ramp settings, South China: Pyrite framboid evidence. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2017, 129 (1/2): 229-243.
    [7]
    Zhang G J, Zhang X L, Hu D P, et al. Redox chemistry changes in the Panthalassic Ocean linked to the end-Permian mass extinction and delayed Early Triassic biotic recovery. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2017, 114: 1806-1810.
    [8]
    Zhang F F, Algeo T J, Cui Y, et al. Global-ocean redox variations across the Smithian-Spathian boundary linked to concurrent climatic and biotic changes. Earth-Science Reviews, 2019, 195: 147-168.
    [9]
    Algeo T J, Twitchett R J. Anomalous Early Triassic sediment fluxes due to elevated weathering rates and their biological consequences. Geology, 2010, 38 (11): 1023-1026.
    [10]
    Sun H, Xiao Y L, Gao Y J, et al. Rapid enhancement of chemical weathering recorded by extremely light seawater lithium isotopes at the Permian-Triassic boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018, 115 (15): 3782-3787.
    [11]
    Payne J L, Lehrmann D J, Wei J Y, et al. Large perturbations of the carbon cycle during recovery from the end-Permian extinction. Science, 2004, 305: 506-509.
    [12]
    Horacek M, Richoz S, Brandner R, et al. Evidence for recurrent changes in Lower Triassic oceanic circulation of the Tethys: The δ13C record from marine sections in Iran. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2007, 252: 355-369.
    [13]
    Tong J N, Zuo J X, Chen Z Q. Early Triassic carbon isotope excursions from South China: Proxies for devastation and restoration of marine ecosystems following the end-Permian mass extinction. Geological Journal, 2007, 42: 371-389.
    [14]
    Galfetti T, Bucher H, Brayard A, et al. Late Early Triassic climate change: Insights from carbonate carbon isotopes, sedimentary evolution and ammonoid paleobiogeography. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2007, 243: 394-411.
    [15]
    Zhang L, Orchard M J, Algeo T J, et al. An intercalibrated Triassic conodont succession and carbonate carbon isotope profile, Kamura, Japan. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2019, 519: 65-83.
    [16]
    Tong J N, Yin H F. The Lower Triassic of South China. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2002, 20: 803-815.
    [17]
    Zhao L S, Chen Y L, Chen Z Q, et al. Uppermost Permian to Lower Triassic conodont zonation from Three Gorges area, South China. Palaios, 2013, 28: 523-540.
    [18]
    Luo M, George A D, Chen Z Q. Sedimentology and ichnology of two Lower Triassic sections in South China: Implications for the biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction. Global and Planetary Change, 2016, 144: 198-212.
    [19]
    Hu S X, Zhang Q Y, Chen Z Q, et al. The Luoping biota: Exceptional preservation, and new evidence on the Triassic recovery from end-Permian mass extinction. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2011, 278: 2274-2282.
    [20]
    Benton M J, Zhang Q Y, Hu S X, et al. Exceptional vertebrate biotas from the Triassic of China, and the expansion of marine ecosystems after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. Earth-Science Reviews, 2014, 137: 85-128.
    [21]
    Kaufman A J, Knoll A H. Neoproterozoic variations in the C-isotopic composition of seawater:Stratigraphic and biogeochemical implications. Precambrian Research, 1995, 73: 27-49.
    [22]
    Knauth L P, Kennedy M J. The late Precambrian greening of the Earth. Nature, 2009, 460: 728-732.
    [23]
    Derry L A. A burial diagenesis origin for the Ediacaran Shuram-Wonoka carbon isotope anomaly. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2010, 294: 152-162.
    [24]
    Swart P K. The geochemistry of carbonate diagenesis: The past, present, and future. Sedimentology, 2015, 62: 1233-1304.
    [25]
    Higgins J A, Blattler C L, Lundstrom E A, et al. Mineralogy, early marine diagenesis, and the chemistry of shallow-water carbonate sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2018, 220: 512-534.
    [26]
    Ahm A C, Bjerrum C J, Blattler C L, et al. Quantifying early marine diagenesis in shallow-water carbonate sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2018, 236: 140-159.
    [27]
    Payne J L, Kump L R. Evidence for recurrent Early Triassic massive volcanism from quantitative interpretation of carbon isotope fluctuations. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2007, 256: 264-277.
    [28]
    Hammer Ø, Jones M T, Schneebeli-Hermann E, et al. Are Early Triassic extinction events associated with mercury anomalies? A reassessment of the Smithian/Spathian boundary extinction. Earth-Science Reviews, 2019, 195: 179-190.
    [29]
    Sexton P F, Norris R D, Wilson P A, et al. Eocene global warming events driven by ventilation of oceanic dissolved organic carbon. Nature, 2001, 471: 349-352.
    [30]
    Chen Z Q, Wang Y B, Kershaw S, et al. Early Triassic stromatolites in a siliciclastic nearshore setting in northern Perth Basin, Western Australia: Geobiologic features and implications for post-extinction microbial proliferation. Global and Planetary Change, 2014, 121: 89-100.
    [31]
    Fang Y H, Chen Z Q, Kershaw S, et al. An Early Triassic (Smithian) stromatolite associated with giant ooid banks from Lichuan (Hubei Province), South China: Environment and controls on its formation. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 2017, 486: 108-122.
    [32]
    Zhang G J, Zhang X L, Shen Y. Quantitative constraints on carbon cycling and temporal changes in episodic euxinia during the end-Permian mass extinction in South China. Chemical Geology, 2021, 562: 120036.
    [33]
    Zhang G J, Zhang X L, Li D D, et al. Evidence for the expansion of anoxia during the Smithian from a quantitative interpretation of paired C-isotopes. Global and Planetary Change, 2021, 204: 103551.
    [34]
    Feng X Q, Chen Z Q, Bottjer D J, et al. Additional records of ichnogenus Rhizocorallium from the Lower and Middle Triassic, South China: Implications for biotic recovery after the end-Permian mass extinction. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2018, 130: 1197-1215.
    [35]
    Luo M, Shi G R, Buatois L A, et al. Trace fossils as proxy for biotic recovery after the end-Permian mass extinction: A critical review. Earth-Science Reviews, 2020, 203: 103059.
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