Albian oceanic anoxic events in northern Tunisia: Biostratigraphic and geochemical insights

Albian pelagic successions of the Nebeur area in northwestern Tunisia consist of radiolarian-bearing and organic-rich black shale beds, which represent the lower part of the Fahdene Formation. The carbonate content of the organic-rich beds ranges between 40 and 48%. Total organic carbon (TOC) analyses via Rock Eval pyrolysis yielded values ranging between 0.7 and 2.8% and a mixed marine/terrestrial origin. T_max values vary between 424 and 450 °C, indicative of submature to mature organic matter. High resolution planktic foraminiferal and radiolarian biostratigraphy suggest that the black shales beds span the mid- to late Albian, confined to the middle part of the Ticinella primula zone, upper Biticinella breggiensis zone and lower appeninica + buxtorfi zone. Episodes of organic-rich deposition in the “Tunisian Trough” are interpreted as being the sedimentary record of the global oceanic anoxic events OAE1b, c, and d respectively. Age-diagnostic radiolarian assemblages recovered from late Albian organic-rich black shales lie within the UA13–UA14 boundary biochronozones. The abundance of radiolarian and calcispheres (i.e. pithonella) within the black shales suggests high productivity periods and eutrophic conditions probably triggered by upwelling currents.     

Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) recorded in the northern margin of Africa as possible oil and gas shale potential in Tunisia: An overview

Abstract

Significant attention has been given, during the last decade, to Palaeozoic unconventional oil and gas shale in northern Africa where the productive Palaeozoic basins are located. New tentative strategies shed light on Mesozoic unconventional plays represented by Cretaceous shale reservoirs. In most petroleum systems the proven Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), represented mainly by the Fahdene and Bahloul Formations, played the main role in hydrocarbon generation with good distribution. Their deposition was restricted to the early Aptian (Bedoulian), the early/late Albian, and the Cenomanian–Turonian transition. Additional black shales have been detailed for the first time in Tunisia which relate to the Valanginian Weissert and late Hauterivian Faraoni events. Biostratigraphic and complete geochemical reviews have been undertaken from published papers and unpublished internal reports to better assess these important source intervals. These black shale levels, pertaining to OAEs, were deposited in almost deep marine environments during short-lived periods of anoxia (ca. 2 Ma). In the course of this review, thickness, distribution, and maturity maps have been established for each level using well data from published sources.     

Aptian and Albian atmospheric CO2 changes during oceanic anoxic events: Evidence from fossil Ginkgo cuticles in Jilin Province,Northeast China

The Early Cretaceous was a time with super-greenhouse conditions and episodic global oceanic anoxic events. However, relative timing of atmospheric CO₂ emissions and oceanic anoxic events, and their causal relationships remain matters of debate. Using the stomatal index approach, well-preserved fossil cuticles of Ginkgo from the Lower Cretaceous Changcai Formation, eastern Jilin, and from the Lower Cretaceous Yingcheng Formation, central Jilin, Northeast China, were investigated to reconstruct atmospheric CO₂ concentrations during the Aptian and earliest Albian (Early Cretaceous). The results indicate that the CO₂ concentrations reached 1098–1142 ppmv (Carboniferous standardization) or 970–1305 ppmv (regression function) during the Aptian and earliest Albian. Our estimates of palaeoatmospheric CO₂ concentrations during the earliest Albian (OAE 1b) are slightly higher than the data between the early Aptian Selli (OAE 1a) and the middle Aptian Fallot OAEs; this may indicate the absence of any great emissions of CO₂ during the latest Aptian and earliest Albian.     

Role of microorganisms in oceanic anoxic events (OAEs)

The accumulation of organic matter (OM) during oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) that took place in the Mesozoic may reflect different biogeochemical pathways and feedbacks related to palaeoenvironmental changes. It originates from a combination of nutrient cycling, metal concentrations and position of the chemocline and/or pycnocline controlling biological production. Because ocean stagnation cannot induce euxinia, an expanded oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) associated with upwelling and improved hydrological cycles is more commonly accepted. In some depositional settings, it permitted the evolution of anoxia/dysoxia to euxinia (sulphidic waters). The latter is recorded by the presence of anoxygenic phototrophs and involved denitrification, anaerobic oxidation of methane and sulphate reduction. In order to better constrain different OAE palaeoenvironments, models are suggested here that show the evolution from main microbial communities thriving through the water column to bacterial and more complex microbial mats. Therefore, microbial processes have a key role in OM production and metabolization. They directly influence the position of the chemocline. Detailed study of the OM preserved in black shales will be key to understanding OAEs.     

黔北早寒武世缺氧事件：生物标志化合物及有机碳同位素特征

本文首次报道了黔北早寒武世黑色岩系的生物标志化合物，并结合有机碳同位素组成特征，探讨该时期所发生的重大地质事件。所有样品均检出了丰富的正构烷烃、类异戊二烯烃、萜类化合物以及甾类化舍物。在GC谱图上，正构烷烃显示明显的单峰型分布特征，碳数分布范围为nC14-nC31主峰碳为nC18、nC19或nC20，nC17／nC31为1．15～50．17，显示轻烃组分占绝对优势，OEP值为0．84～1．11，CPI值为0．92～1．16，接近平衡值1．0，无明显的奇偶碳数优势分布。Pr／Ph值为0．24～0．79，具有明显的植烷优势。萜烷化合物以C30藿烷占优势，其相对丰度三环萜烷〉五环三萜烷〉四环萜烷，并且检出少量的γ-蜡烷。规则甾烷C27-C28-C29呈“V”字型分布，∑（C27＋C28）〉∑C29，其比值为1．25～1．99，∑C27／∑C29为0．78～1．22，重排甾烷C27／规则甾烷C27值为0．21～0．47。4-甲基甾烷普遍存在，但丰度相对较低。在地层剖面上，有机碳含量（TOC（％））从0．05～7．91％，平均为2．52％；有机碳同位素组成（δ^13Corg）从-29．49‰～-34．41‰（PDB），发生负偏移，偏移量达到4．3‰，代表该期海平面处于上升阶段，底层水处于严重缺氧状态，底栖生物缺乏。本文根据生物标志化合物特征参数，结合有机碳同位素组成变化，详细分析了黔北早寒武世这套黑色岩系的有机质来源、成熟度、沉积环境以及古海洋意义，将为我国南方早寒武纪古地理重建、地质事件记录提供可靠依据。     

Response and recovery of the Comanche carbonate platform surrounding multiple Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events,northern Gulf of Mexico

The ubiquity of carbonate platforms throughout the Cretaceous Period is recognized as a product of high eustatic sea-level and a distinct climatic optimum induced by rapid sea-floor spreading and elevated levels of atmospheric carbon-dioxide. Notably, a series of global oceanic anoxic events (OAEs) punctuate this time-interval and mark periods of significantly reduced free oxygen in the world's oceans. The best records of these events are often from one-dimensional shelf or basin sections where only abrupt shifts between oxygenated carbonates and anoxic shales are recorded. The Comanche Platform of central Texas provides a unique opportunity to study these events within a well-constrained stratigraphic framework in which their up-dip and down-dip sedimentologic effects can be observed and the recovery of the platform to equilibrium states can be timed and understood. Stable isotope data from whole cores in middle Hauterivian through lower Campanian mixed carbonate-siliciclastic strata are used to construct a 52-myr carbon isotope reference profile for the northern Gulf of Mexico. Correlation of this composite curve to numerous global reference profiles permits identification of several anoxic events and allows their impact on platform architecture and facies distribution to be documented. Oceanic anoxic events 1a, 1b, 1d, and 2 occurred immediately before, after, or during shale deposition in the Pine Island Member, Bexar Member, Del Rio Formation, and Eagle Ford Group, respectively. Oceanic anoxic event 3 corresponds to deposition of the Austin Chalk Group. Platform drowning on three occasions more closely coincided with globally recognized anoxic sub-events such as the Fallot, Albian-Cenomanian, and Mid-Cenomanian events. This illustrates that the specific anoxic event most affecting a given carbonate platform varied globally as a function of regional oceanographic circumstances.Using chemo- and sequence-stratigraphic observations, a four-stage model is proposed to describe the changing facies patterns, fauna, sedimentation accumulation rates, platform architectures, and relative sea-level trends of transgressive-regressive composite sequences that developed in response to global carbon-cycle perturbations. The four phases of platform evolution include the equilibrium, crisis, anoxic, and recovery stages. The equilibrium stage is characterized by progradational shelf geometries and coral-rudist phototrophic faunal assemblages. Similar phototrophic fauna typify the crisis stage; however, incipient biocalcification crises of this phase led to retrogradational shelf morphologies, transgressive facies patterns, and increased clay mineral proportions. Anoxic stages of the Comanche Platform were coincident with back-ground deposition of organic-rich shale on drowned shelves and heterotrophic fauna dominated by oysters or coccolithophorids. Eustatic peaks of this stage were of moderate amplitude (∼30 m), yet relative sea-level rises were greatly enhanced by reduced sedimentation rates. In the recovery stage, heterotrophic carbonate factories re-established at the shoreline as progradational ramp systems and sediment accumulation rates slowly increased as dysoxia diminished. Full recovery to equilibrium conditions may or may not have followed. Geochemical and stratigraphic trends present in the four stages are consistent with increased volcanism along mid-ocean ridges and in large-igneous provinces as primary drivers of Cretaceous OAEs and the resulting transgressive-regressive composite sequences.     

Cretaceous black shale and the oceanic red beds:Process and mechanisms of oceanic anoxic events and oxic environment

The Cretaceous is an important period in which many geological events occurred, especially the OAEs (oceanic anoxic events) which are characterized by black shale, and the oxic process characterized by CORBs (Cretaceous oceanic red beds). In this paper, the causative mechanism behind the formation of black shale and the oceanic red beds are described in detail. This may explain how the oceanic environment changed from anoxic to oxic in the Cretaceous period. It is suggested that these two different events happened because of the same cause. On the one hand, the large-scale magma activities in Cretaceous caused the concentration of CO₂, the release of the inner energy of the earth, superficial change in the ocean-land, and finally, the increase of atmospheric temperature. These changes implied the same tendency as the oceanic water temperature show, and caused the decrease in O₂ concentration in the Cretaceous ocean, and finally resulted in the occurrence of the OAEs. On the other hand, violent and frequent volcanic eruptions in the Cretaceous produced plenty of Fe-enriched lava on the seafloor. When the seawater reacted with the lava, the element Fe became dissolved in seawater. Iron, which could help phytoplankton grow rapidly, is a micronutrient essential to the synthesis of enzymes required for photosynthesis in the oceanic environment. Phytoplankton, which grows in much of the oceans around the world, can consume carbon dioxide in the air and the ocean. Meanwhile, an equal quantity of oxygen can be produced by the phytoplankton during its growth. Finally, the oxic environment characterized by red sediment rich in Fe³⁺ appeared. The anoxic and oxic conditions in the Cretaceous ocean were caused by volcanic activities, but they stemmed from different causative mechanisms. The former was based on physical and chemical processes, while the latter involved more complicated bio-oceanic-geochemical processes. __________ Translated from Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology, 2007, 27(3): 69–75 [译自: 海洋地质与第四纪地质]     

黑色页岩与大洋缺氧事件的Re-Os同位素示踪与定年研究

地质历史中发育多次大规模的大洋缺氧事件并伴随有巨量的黑色页岩沉积, 对这些大洋缺氧事件发生时限及成因机制的研究已成为当前国际古海洋学研究的一个前沿领域。开展对大洋缺氧事件的研究,有助于了解古海洋演化、地球系统变化和地球其他圈层对生物圈的影响,以及金属成矿、油气形成及生烃环境。因此近年来人们从古海洋、古气候、古地理、古生物、大地构造和地质地球化学等学科,积极开展对大洋缺氧事件的研究。对大洋缺氧事件进行准确定年则是研究工作开展的首要任务之一;而如果用于定年的同位素体系能同时提供相关的环境变迁信息,则更加有利于我们对缺氧事件成因机制的认识。Re Os同位素作为近年来发展起来的一种新的同位素技术方法,恰好适用于对富有机质沉积岩和黑色页岩的定年,可以获得精确的地层沉积年龄,同时利用这些海洋沉积物的Os同位素比值还可获得古海水的Os同位素组成及随时间的演化规律。在中国华南地区新元古代—早古生代发育有多幕次的大洋缺氧事件和黑色页岩的巨厚沉积和广泛分布,利用Re Os同位素研究,不但可以精确厘定这些事件发生的时限,而且可以有效示踪当时的古海洋环境。     

Middle and late Cenomanian oceanic anoxic events in shallow and deeper shelf environments of western Morocco

The response of shallow‐water sequences to oceanic anoxic event 2 and mid‐Cenomanian events 1a and 1b was investigated along the west African margin of Morocco north of Agadir (Azazoul) and correlated with the deep‐water sequence of the Tarfaya Basin (Mohammed Beach) based on biostratigraphy, mineralogy, phosphorus and stable isotopes. In the deeper Mohammed Beach section results show double peaks in δ¹³C_org for mid‐Cenomanian events 1a and 1b (Rotalipora reicheli biozone, lower CC10a biozone), the characteristic oceanic anoxic event 2 δ¹³C excursion (Rotalipora cushmani extinction, top of CC10a biozone) and laminated (anoxic) black shale. In the shallow environment north of Agadir, a fluctuating sea‐level associated with dysoxic, brackish and mesotrophic conditions prevailed during the middle to late Cenomanian, as indicated by oyster biostromes, nannofossils, planktonic and benthonic foraminiferal assemblages. Anoxic conditions characteristic of oceanic anoxic event 2 (for example, laminated black shales) did not reach into shallow‐water environments until the maximum transgression of the early Turonian. Climate conditions decoupled along the western margin of Morocco between mid‐Cenomanian event 1b and the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary, as also observed in eastern Tethys. North of Agadir alternating humid and dry seasonal conditions prevailed, whereas in the Tarfaya Basin the climate was dry and seasonal. This climatic decoupling can be attributed to variations in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and in the intensity of the north‐east trade winds in tropical areas.     

Minor changes in surface-water fertility across the oceanic anoxic event 1d (latest Albian,SE France) evidenced by calcareous nannofossils

The latest Albian sediments deposited in the Vocontian basin in south-eastern France record the oceanic anoxic event (OAE) 1d, locally named the Breistroffer interval. They are represented by argillaceous marls and marls, containing organic matter (total organic carbon varying from 0.8 to 1%). Changes in calcareous nannofossil abundance and assemblage composition as well as macrofauna abundance, ichnofossil assemblage, and bioturbation intensity were analysed in order to evaluate the main palaeoenvironmental factors controlling the deposition of the OAE 1d sediments in this area. The pelagic carbonate production is limited and the carbonate fraction is predominantly of nektonic/benthic, and of allochthonous origin from carbonate platforms. The enrichment in organic carbon within the Breistroffer interval is weak and not associated with high surface-water productivity. The organic matter is mainly terrigenous. Its record is due to (1) a good preservation under dysoxic conditions within the sediments, and (2) a weak input of allochthonous carbonates. Eustatic fluctuations strongly influenced the variations of nannofossil and macrofauna abundances. Distinctive patterns in nannofossil assemblages and macrofauna abundances within the Breistroffer interval are also recognized, reflecting changes from mesotrophic to more oligotrophic conditions which are probably controlled by climate.     

Biostratigraphic Study of the Paleocene–Eocene Boundary in Northern Tunisia, North Africa

A new section at Jebel Gorraa,in northern Tunisia,contains the Paleocene-Eocene transition interval.Sample analysis of the section delivers abundant and diverse microfauna of planktonic and benthic foraminifera.Biostratigraphically,the Acarinina sibaiyaensis index-species is identified for the first time in this region,which allows us to specify the location of the Paleocene-Eocene boundary as well as the first E1 biozone of the lower Eocene.Samples from this biozone contain calcitic tests poorly preserved with an enrichment of iron oxide signifying a period of upheaval in local marine environments linked to the global warming of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum （PETM）,the marker for the P/E boundary.     

Carbon isotope records of the early Albian oceanic anoxic event (OAE) 1b from eastern Tethys (southern Tibet,China)

The early Albian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE), i.e., OAE1b, is well documented in western Tethys and in the primary North Atlantic Ocean, but has not yet been reported from eastern Tethys. In this paper, we present bulk carbon isotope data of hemipelagites to examine if it was recorded in eastern Tethys. Samples were taken from the upper Chuangdepu Member (nannofossil zone CC8) of the lower Gyabula (former Shadui) Formation at the Bangbu section, Qonggyai, southern Tibet of China. The δ¹³C values mainly range from −0.6‰ to 1.8‰ with a maximum of 1.87‰ and a minimum of −0.69‰. Three stages of carbon isotope evolution were distinguished with three boundaries. By the constraint of the stratigraphic sequence and nannofossil biostratigraphic zone CC8, the rapid δ¹³C change and correlation with western Tethys and Atlantic Ocean together suggest that these three boundaries of the carbon isotope evolution probably correspond to three subevents of the early Albian OAE1b, and the subevent levels of upper Kilian, Paquier, and Leenhardt are recorded in eastern Tethys (southern Tibet). The fact that the amount of δ¹³C shift is less by ∼1.5–2.0‰ in eastern Tethys than in western Tethys and Atlantic Ocean is interpreted as a result of possible cool sea surface (∼14–16 °C) of the southeastern Tethys (northern Indian passive margin of Greater India), which was probably located in a medium–high latitude during the Albian, leading to low primary productivity. The recognition of OAE-1b from Tethys Himalaya can improve our understanding of the Tethys and global paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic changes during the mid-Cretaceous.     

Ocean current intensification during the Cretaceous oceanic anoxic event 2 – evidence from the northern Tethys

Mesozoic Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) are expressions of major physical oceanographic changes at times of perturbation of the global carbon cycle. A northern Tethyan record of OAE2 is preserved in expanded Cenomanian–Turonian pelagic limestone sections (Seewen Formation) in Eastern Switzerland. The new carbonate carbon‐isotope stratigraphy extracted from these limestones demonstrates that the OAE2 is condensed in all the studied successions and only the onset of the δ¹³C excursion (5.0‰) is present. The condensed interval is characterized by dissolution features, which are filled by a glauconite quartz sandstone. This bed is overlain by a well‐sorted sandstone with intercalated limestone pebbles (Götzis Member), which can be compared with palimpsest sands forming today along current‐swept shelves. The wide distribution of this thin sandstone layer within OAE2 indicates that an intense, erosive, east‐west trending shelf current was active during the highest sea level and most extreme carbon‐cycle perturbation of the OAE2.     

Evidence of bottom-redox conditions during oceanic anoxic event 2 (OAE2) in Wadi Bazina,Northern Tunisia (Southern Tethyan margin)

Detailed chemostratigraphy across the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary in northern Tunisia points to several prevailing paleoceanographic conditions during the deposition of organic-rich beds of Bahloul Formation. The sedimentological study shows that there is no correlation between color and CaCO₃ content because both dark and light-colored intervals of Bahloul Formation are carbonate-rich. Stable isotope analysis displays a positive carbon isotope excursion characterized by four significant peaks (I to IV) which are ranging from 3.2 to 3.5‰. These peaks represent episodes of elevated rates of organic carbon burial during the C/T oceanic anoxic event (C/T boundary OAE2). The Cenomanian-Turonian boundary could be situated between the third isotopic peak and the filament event. The total organic carbon (TOC) measurements show values ranging from 0.28 to 6.19% with average value of 3.5%. This indicates that the Bahloul Formation shale is a very good oil source rock. The Hydrogen Index (HI) values range from 359 to 698 mg HC/g TOC. The T _max values range from 390 to 438 °C. Binary diagrams HI vs. T _max indicate a type II with values falling within the immature organic-matter range. The concentrations major elements reveal low values of Ti and K. The correlation between Al and Ti and K shows a significant correlation pointing to homogeneous provenance. Primary productivity indicators (Cu, Ba, and Ni) record its association with organic matter. Redox-sensitive elements such as U, V, and Mo and the high values of V/(V + Ni) ratio indicate a strongly reducing environment which led to the better preservation of the organic matter.     

The early Toarcian and Cenomanian-Turonian anoxic events in Europe: comparisons and contrasts

Two intervals of Mesozoic time are demonstrably of sufficient geological brevity to qualify readily for the term Anoxic Event: the earlyfalciferum Zone orexaratum Subzone of the Toarcian and theWhiteinella archaeocretacea Interval Zone that straddles the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. Both periods of time saw regional deposition of anomalously organic-rich strata (black shales) accompanied by a positive 2 PDB carbon-isotope excursion in coeval biogenic carbonates, and significant faunal change. The duration of both events was probably less than half a million years, and both were preceded by regional erosion and possible upwelling. Coincident sea-level rise and transgression is likely. A »European view« of these events, however, spotlights some significant differences. Whereas thefalciferum-Zone organic matter is generally more concentrated and more hydrogen-rich on the palaeo-European shelf than on the Tethyan continental margins, the reverse holds true for the black shales formed during theWhiteinella archaeocretacea Interval Zone. Furthermore, the carbon-isotope composition offalciferum-Zone organic matter from both north European and Tethyan sites is anomalously negative compared to that developed in theWhiteinella archaeocretacea Interval Zone. Differing planktonic organisms may have been involved and their possible diverse ecological requirements may go some way to explaining the nature and distribution of facies deposited during these two events.

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Zusammenfassung Zwei mesozoische Abschnitte rechtfertigen die Verwendung des Begriffes »Anoxic Event«: die frühefalciferum-Zone oderexaratum-Zone des Toarcian und dieWhiteinella archaeocretacea Interval-Zone, die die Grenze Cenoman-Turon überquert. In beiden Zeitabschnitten bildeten sich regional Sedimente mit anomalem Reichtum an organischer Substanz (Schwarzschiefer), die von einem positiven über 2 PDB hinausgehenden Ausschlag bei den Kohlenstoffisotopen in gleichalten biogenen Karbonaten begleitet werden. Die Dauer der beiden Ereignisse betrug wahrscheinlich weniger als eine halbe Million Jahre und beiden ging eine Phase regionaler Erosion und möglicherweise des »Aufquellenden Tiefenwassers« voraus. Gleichzeitiger Anstieg des Meerespiegels mit Transgression ist wahrscheinlich. Die europäische Sicht dieser Ereignisse bedeutet einige signifikante Unterschiede. Diefalciferum-Zone besitzt auf dem palaeo-europäischen Shelf generell eine höhere Konzentration des organischen Materials und der Kohlenwasserstoffe als auf den Kontinentalrändern der Tethys. Das Gegenteil ist der Fall in den Schwarzschiefern, die sich während derWhiteinella archaeocretacea Interval-Zone gebildet haben. Außerdem ist die Zusammensetzung der Kohlenstoffisotopen des organischen Materials derfalciferum-Zone sowohl von Nordeuropa als auch von der Tethys unnormal negativ verglichen mit derWhiteinella archaeocretacea Interval-Zone. Die Beteiligung unterschiedlicher planktonischer Organismen und möglicherweise abweichende ökologische Bedingungen können für die Faziesverteilung während dieser zwei Ereignisse verantwortlich gemacht werden.

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Résumé Deux intervalles de l'ère mésozoque sont assez brefs pour être qualifiés d'événements anoxiques: la Zoneà falciferum (souszone àexaratum) du Toarcien et la Zone àWhiteinella archaeocretacea à la limite Cénomanien-Turonien. Chacun de ces deux intervalles correspond à un dépôt régional de couches anormalement riches en matières organiques (black shales), accompagné, dans des carbonates biogénétiques de même âge, d'une anomalie positive de plus de 2 PDB des isotopes du carbone. Les deux événements ont probablement été précédés par une phase d'érosion ou de condensation sédimentaire et de remontée d'eaux profondes («upwelling»). Leur durée, qui correspondait probablement à une période d'élévation du niveau des mers et de transgression, a été inférieure à 500.000 ans.A l'échelle européenne, les deux événements anoxiques se distinguent: la matière organique de la Zone àfalciferum est plus concentrée et plus riche en hydrogène sur la plateforme mésozoque nord-européenne que sur la marge téthysienne, tandis que la Zone àWhiteinella archaecocretacea montre une dispostion inverse. De plus, la composition isotopique du C dans la matière organique de la Zone àfalciferum est plus négative que celle de la Zone àWhiteinella archaeocretacea tant dans les régions nord-européennes que téthysienne. Il est possible qu'il s'agisse d'espèces différentes d'organismes planctoniques, leurs milieux écologiques différents pouvant expliquer la nature et la distribution des faciès typiques déposés pendant les deux épisodes.

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n Event ( ) : , , Whiteinella archaeocretacea, / . ( ), ( PDB 2) . , , , — . , . . , , , , , , , . , , , . , , , , .

     

Early Carnian anoxic event as recorded in the southern Tethyan margin,Tunisia: an overview

Considerable attention has been given to the Carnian (Late Triassic) Pluvial and Reingraben events associated with organic-rich shale accumulation in the Germanic basin, Alps, southern Appenines as well as in northwestern Tethyan margins. Less interest has been shown to the southern Tethyan portion represented by the northern margin of Africa, including Tunisia. Tunisian basins represented by the Tellian domain, Tunisian trough, the ‘Dorsale’, and the North–South Axis (NOSA) belong to the southern Tethyan margin, where northern and central areas record the early Carnian anoxic event within an extensive carbonate platform. This short-lived (~2 million year) period of anoxia ranges within the Aonoides to Austriacum ammonite zones, and corresponds in Tunisia generally to intermediate to shallow water environments marked by organic-rich black limestone, dolomite, and shale. Interestingly, toward the south, the dysaerobic conditions in the Jeffara–southern Dahar basin appear to have prevailed locally also in the early Carnian. Here we review evidence of early Carnian anoxia in Tunisia based on the analysis of more than 17 Triassic sections and wireline logs from several petroleum exploration wells penetrating the black dolomites, limestones, and shales. In addition, biostratigraphic and complete geochemical reviews have been undertaken from published papers and unpublished internal reports to better assess this important and promising hydrocarbon source interval.     

Alteration of the oceanic crust: Implications for geochemical cycles of lithium and boron

Fresh tholeiitic basalt glass has been reacted with seawater at 150°C, (water/rock mass ratio of 10), and fresh diabase has been reacted with a Na-K-Ca-Cl fluid at 375°C (water/rock mass ratios of 1, 2, and 5) to understand better the role of temperature, basalt composition, and water/rock mass ratio on the direction and magnitude of B and Li exchange during basalt alteration. At 150°C, slight but nevertheless significant amounts of B and Li were removed from seawater and incorporated into a dominantly smectite alteration phase. At 375°C, however, B and Li were leached from basalt. B behaved as a “soluble” element and attained concentrations in solution limited only by the B concentration in basalt and the water/rock mass ratio. Li, however, was less mobile. For example, at water/rock mass ratios of 1, 2, and 5, the percent of Li leached from basalt was 58, 70, and 92% respectively. This suggests some mineralogic control on Li mobility during hydrothermal alteration of basalt, especially at low-water/rock mass ratios. In general, these results, as well as those for B, are consistent with the temperature-dependent chemistry of altered seafloor basalt and the chemistry of ridge crest hydrothermal fluids.Based on the distribution and chemistry of products of seafloor weathering, low (≤ 150°C) and high-temperature hydrothermal alteration of basalt, and the chemistry of ridge crest hydrothermal fluids, it was estimated that alteration of the oceanic crust is a Li source for seawater. This is not true for B, however, since the hot spring flux estimated for B is balanced by low-temperature basalt alteration. These data, coupled with B and Li flux estimates for other processes (e.g., continental weathering, clay mineral adsorption, authigenic silicate formation and formation of siliceous skeletal material) yield new insight into the B and Li geochemical cycles. Calculations performed here indicate relatively good agreement between the magnitude of B and Li sources and sinks. The geochemical cycle of B, however, may be affected by serpentinization of mantle derived peridotite in oceanic fracture zones. Serpentinites are conspicuously enriched in B and if the B source for these rocks is seawater, then an additional B sink exists which must be integrated into the B geochemical cycle. However, until more data are available in terms of areal extent of serpentinization, serpentite chemistry and isotopic composition, the importance of B in these rocks with respect to the B geochemical cycle remains speculative at best.     

The sedimentary expression of oceanic anoxic event 1b in the North Atlantic

The Aptian/Albian oceanic anoxic event 1b contains the record of several perturbations in the global carbon cycle and multiple black shale levels, particularly in the Western Tethys. The local lithological expression of an oceanic anoxic event depends on palaeogeographical and depositional setting as well as on regional palaeoclimate. Marine sediments at a particular location may therefore be more or less organic‐rich (or not at all) and they may consist of different lithologies. In most studies, however, much of the lithological variability associated with oceanic anoxic events is left unaccounted for and, thus, the exact processes leading to the enrichment of organic matter in these marine sediments and their subsequent preservation in the geological record are unknown. This study focuses on the local sedimentary processes behind the deposition of organic‐rich sediments at Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 545 and Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1049 and 1276 in the North Atlantic during oceanic anoxic event 1b. Although specifically dealing with the sediments deposited during this particular event at these localities, it is expected that the same processes were responsible for determining the exact sedimentary products at localities in similar settings, as well as during other similar events in the Mesozoic. Here, it is shown that the deposition of organic‐rich sediments during oceanic anoxic event 1b was a consequence of the enhanced productivity favoured by upwelling and by riverine nutrient input, or aeolian fertilization of the euphotic zone depending on geographical location. Slope instability processes resulted in the transfer of part of these organic‐rich sediments from the shelf to deep sea depocentres as mud‐laden organic‐rich turbidites, especially in the northern North Atlantic. The so‐called ‘black shales’ are much more varied than their name implies. The end product of sedimentation during an oceanic anoxic event at a particular location is commonly the result of several equifinal processes acting on a local scale rather than the direct result of basinal or even global mechanisms.     

羌塘中生代盆地大洋缺氧事件及全球对比

位于藏北高原的羌塘盆地保存了我国最大面积的侏罗纪海相盆地,记录了较为完整的中生代海相序列。在羌塘中生代（T3—K1）盆地演化过程中,发生了多次水体缺氧事件,这些缺氧事件是全球大洋缺氧事件在羌塘盆地的反映。本文对这些缺氧事件的最新研究成果进行了介绍。羌塘盆地海相T—J界线剖面的碳同位素表现为两次明显的负偏异常,对应于全球T—J典型界线剖面碳同位素的“初始负偏移”和“主要负偏移”,T—J之交水体由氧化环境变为缺氧环境。在盆地演化早期,在毕洛错地区识别出早侏罗世托儿期碳同位素负偏异常,可与全球早侏罗世托尔期大洋缺氧事件的碳同位素负偏进行精确地对比,揭示了早侏罗世托儿期全球缺氧事件在羌塘盆地的普遍性。在盆地演化晚期,海水逐渐从北羌塘拗陷西北部退出盆地,广泛沉积了一套黑色页岩、油页岩、泥岩及泥灰岩的岩石组合,碳同位素特征可与南特提斯、北特提斯及西北特提斯对应时期的碳同位素相对比,是早白垩世巴雷姆期全球大洋缺氧事件在羌塘盆地的反映。