鄂尔多斯盆地早侏罗世富县期沉积演化: 大洋缺氧事件前后陆地气候变化的响应*

托阿尔期早期早侏罗世大洋缺氧事件(T-OAE,~183.8 Ma)是一次全球性的地质事件,鄂尔多斯盆地下侏罗统富县组记录了此次地质事件的陆地响应过程。主要基于盆地东缘野外地质调查、扫描电镜及薄片分析,本次研究描述了盆地东北部富县组岩性、颜色和沉积序列,利用前人研究成果总结了富县期岩相古地理变化规律及沉积模式,认为富县期经历了由干旱到湿润的古气候变化: 富县组下部含植物化石较为丰富的白色砂砾岩及黑色、灰色泥页岩沉积于湿润气候时期,对应着盆地下切河谷发育期和填平补齐期; 而上覆的罕见植物化石的杂色、红色泥页岩为(富县期晚期)相对平坦地形条件下的沉积,对应着早、中侏罗世湿润气候背景下的一次干旱气候脉动,为托阿尔期大洋缺氧事件在陆相环境的气候响应,可由此进行富县组区域等时性对比。研究认为“粗富县”为下切谷内河流充填沉积, “细富县”形成于湖泊环境或河漫环境, “黑富县”和“白富县”是湿润气候条件下沉积产物,而“红富县”和“杂富县”为T-OAE期后干旱条件下形成。     

内蒙古锡林浩特盆地早侏罗世晚期植物群:兼论中国早侏罗世晚期气候

首次报道了产于内蒙古锡林浩特盆地侏罗系红旗组的植物群,共计21属37种。该植物群由木贼目、真蕨纲、苏铁纲、银杏纲、松柏纲和少量分散保存的种子等组成,以真蕨类丰富、蚌壳蕨科Coniopteris和Eboracia出现以及南方型分子较多等为特征。该植物群的时代为早侏罗世晚期,反映研究区红旗组主体的沉积时代为早侏罗世晚期,上部沉积可能形成于中侏罗世早期。气候敏感植物,特别是南方型分子的出现,指示锡林浩特盆地早侏罗世晚期属于暖温带—亚热带气候区,气候较热或短期有一定程度的偏干旱;其气温较早侏罗世早期和中侏罗世早期更高,说明早侏罗世晚期发生过1次升温气候事件。对早、中侏罗世植物群和沉积特征的综合分析表明,中国在早侏罗世晚期可划分出黑龙江东部温凉气候区、北方暖温带温暖潮湿气候区、中部热带—亚热带半干旱—半潮湿气候区、中南热带—亚热带干旱气候区和西藏—滇西热带干旱气候区共5个气候区,其中北方暖温带温暖潮湿气候区与中部热带—亚热带半干旱—半潮湿气候区的界线较早侏罗世早期和中侏罗世早期偏北4°～8°(纬度),亦说明早侏罗世晚期发生了升温事件。此升温事件与中亚和西伯利亚的图阿尔期升温事件相当,其很可能是早侏罗世晚期图阿尔期大洋缺氧事件(T-OAE)在陆地生态系统中的响应。     

Organic Geochemistry of the Early Jurassic Oil Shale from the Shuanghu Area in Northern Tibet and the Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event

This paper presents new geological and geochemical data from the Shuanghu area in northern Tibet, which recorded the Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event. The stratigraphic succession in the Shuanghu area consists mostly of grey to dark-colored alternating oil shales, marls and mudstones. Ammonite beds are found at the top of the Shuanghu oil shale section, which are principally of early Toarcian age, roughly within the Harplocearasfalciferrum Zone. Therefore,the oil shale strata at Shuanghu can be correlated with early Toarcian black shales distributing extensively in the European epicontinental seas that contain the records of an Oceanic Anoxic Event. Sedimentary organic matter of laminated shale anomalously rich in organic carbon across the Shuanghu area is characterized by high organic carbon contents, ranging from 1.8% to 26.1%. The carbon isotope curve displays the δ^13C values of the kerogen (δ^13Ckerogen) fluctuating from -26.22 to -23.53‰ PDB with a positive excursion close to 2.17‰, which, albeit significantly smaller, may also have been associated with other Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) in Europe. The organic atomic C/N ratios range between 6 and 43, and the curve of C/N ratios is consistent with that of the δ^13Ckerogen values. The biological assemblage,characterized by scarcity of benthic organisms and bloom of calcareous nannofossils (coccoliths), reveals high biological productivity in the surface water and an unfavorable environment for the benthic fauna in the bottom water during the Oceanic Anoxic Event. On the basis of organic geochemistry and characteristics of the biological assemblage, this study suggests that the carbon-isotope excursion is caused by the changes of sea level and productivity, and that the black shale deposition, especially oil shales, is related to the bloom and high productivity of coccoliths.     

The impact of anoxia on pelagic macrofauna during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (Early Jurassic)

Extreme environmental change during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event had widespread impacts on marine biota. This study provides new evidence, from the Yorkshire coast sections, UK, that the event was associated with periods of elevated fish and ammonite mortality. Using a synthesis of pelagic macrofaunal changes, benthic macrofaunal data and geochemical proxies we show that there are stratigraphical correlations between: (1) pelagic macrofaunal ranges and abundance, (2) benthic macrofaunal abundance, and (3) geochemical proxies that indicate deoxygenation. We identify eight stratigraphical intervals of differing character. Results suggest two major phases of relatively persistent deoxygenation with photic zone euxinia. The cyclostratigraphic timescale indicates that each phase lasted at least tens of thousands of years. Belemnite migration during the event probably resulted from increased seawater temperatures and low food supply similar to that observed for many marine taxa, including squid, within the present-day oceans.     

Carbon-isotope records of the Early Jurassic (Toarcian) oceanic anoxic event from the Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps) sections: palaeoceanographic and stratigraphic implications

The Toarcian oceanic anoxic event ( ca 183 Ma) coincides with a global perturbation marked by enhanced organic carbon burial and a general decrease in calcium carbonate production, probably triggered by changes in the composition of marine plankton and elevated carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This study is based on high-resolution sampling of two stratigraphic successions, located in Valdorbia (Umbria–Marche Apennines) and Monte Mangart (Julian Alps), Italy, which represent expressions of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in deep-water pelagic sediments. These successions are characterized by the occurrence of black shales showing relatively low total organic carbon concentrations (compared with coeval strata in Northern Europe), generally < 2%, and low hydrogen indices. On this basis, they are similar to other Toarcian black shales described from the Tethyan region. The positive and negative carbon-isotope records from the two localities permit a high-resolution correlation such that ammonite biostratigraphy information from Valdorbia can be transferred to those parts of the Monte Mangart section that lack these fossils. Spectral analyses of δ¹³C_org values and of CaCO₃ percentages from the sedimentary records of both the Valdorbia and Monte Mangart sections reveal a strong cyclic pattern, best interpreted as an eccentricity signal which hence implies a duration of ca 500 kyr for the negative carbon-isotope excursion. Based on the carbon-isotope curves obtained, the high-resolution correlation between the Italian successions and a section in Yorkshire (Northern Europe) confirms the supposition that the apparent mismatch between the dating of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in the Boreal and Tethyan realms is an artefact of biostratigraphy.     

Expression of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event: New insights from a Swiss transect

A sedimentological, biostratigraphical and geochemical (stable isotopes and Rock‐Eval parameters) analysis was performed on four Swiss successions, in order to examine the expression of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event along a north–south transect, from the Jura through the Alpine Tethys (Sub‐Briançonnais and Lombardian basins). The locations were selected to represent a range of palaeoceanographic positions from an epicontinental sea to a more open marine setting. The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event was recognized by the presence of the characteristic negative carbon‐isotope excursion in carbonate (ca 2 to 4‰) and organic matter (ca 4 to 5‰) at the base of the falciferum ammonite Zone (NJT6 nannofossil Zone). The sedimentary expression of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event varies along the transect from laminated mudstone rich in total organic carbon (≤11 wt.%) in the Jura, to thin‐bedded marl (≤5 wt.% total organic carbon) in the Sub‐Briançonnais Basin and to hemipelagic reddish marly limestone (total organic carbon <0·05 wt.%) in equivalent levels from the Lombardian Basin. The carbon‐isotope excursion is thus independent of facies and palaeoceanographic position. The low nannofossil abundance and the peak in Calyculaceae in the Jura and the Sub‐Briançonnais Basin indicate low salinity surface waters and stratified water masses in general. Sedimentological observations (for example, obliquely‐bedded laminae and homogeneous mud layers containing rip‐up clasts) indicate the presence of dynamic conditions, suggesting that water mass stratification was episodically disrupted during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event. The proposed correlation highlights a stratigraphic gap and/or condensed interval between the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary and the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event interval (most of the tenuicostatum ammonite Zone is missing), which is also observed in coeval European sections and points to the influence of sea‐level change and current dynamics. This transect shows that the sedimentary expression of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event is not uniform across the Alpine Tethys, supporting the importance of local conditions in determining how this event is recorded across different palaeoceanographic settings.     

Carbon cycle variability in tropical Atlantic across two Early Eocene hyperthermals

Early Eocene hyperthermals are geologically short-lived global warming events and represent fundamental perturbations to the global carbon cycle and the Earth’s ecosystem due to massive additions of isotopically light carbon to the ocean-atmosphere system.They serve as ancient analogs for understanding how the oceanic carbonate system and surface-ocean ecosystem would respond to ongoing and future climate change.Here,we present a continuous carbonate record across the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2(ETM2 or H1,ca.54.1 Ma)and H2(ca.54 Ma)events from an expanded section at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1258 in tropical Atlantic.The abundant calcareous nannofossils and moderate carbonate content throughout the studied interval suggest this record was deposited above the calcite compensation depth(CCD),but below the lysocline and under the influence of terrestrial dilution.An Earth system model cGENIE is used to simulate the carbon cycle dynamics across the ETM2 and H2 to offer insights on the mechanism of the rapid warming and subsequent recovery in climate and ecosystem.The model suggests moderate changes in ocean pH(0.1–0.2 unit)for the two scenarios,biogenic methane from a rechargeable methane capacitor and organic matter oxidation from thawing of the permafrost.These pH changes are consistent with a recent independent pH estimate across the ETM2 using boron isotopes.The carbon emission flux during the ETM2 is at least an order of magnitude smaller than that during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum(PETM)(0.015–0.05 Pg C yr^-1vs.0.3–1.7 Pg C yr^-1).The comparable pre-and post-event carbonate contents suggest the lysocline did not over deepen following the ETM2 at this tropical Atlantic site,indicating spatial heterogeneity in the carbonate system due to strong dilution influence from terrestrial weathering and riverine discharge at Site 1258.     

鱼粪化石特征对早侏罗世托阿尔期湖泊生态系统的启示:以川东大安寨段为例*

早侏罗世托阿尔期早期大洋缺氧事件(Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event,~183.8 Ma)是一次全球性的多幕式生物—环境事件,其在四川盆地下侏罗统自流井组大安寨段亦有显示。对采集自川东北地区大安寨段的鱼粪化石进行形态学描述和内含物分析,发现鱼粪化石中含有大量的磷质成分,多为未经消化的鱼骨化石,另有大量介壳类化石与有机质混杂在一起。据露头岩性和显微薄片特征认为: (1)粪化石呈螺旋状,生产该粪化石的鱼类为大型肉食性鱼类,其喜食小型鱼类和软体动物等,推测可能是肺鱼类(角齿鱼);(2)鱼粪化石形成于开放型淡水湖泊中的半深湖—深湖区,其中湖泊表层含氧量丰富,主要由生产者、消费者构成了研究区早侏罗世托阿尔期大型湖泊生态系统,食物链较为复杂,而湖底为水动力条件较弱的还原环境。该研究成果可为早侏罗世托阿尔期大洋缺氧事件在湖泊中的沉积响应及生态影响研究提供依据。     

Sedimentation Geochemistry and Environmental Changes during the Late Pleistocene of Paleolake Qarhan in the Qaidam Basin

On the basis of the analyses of TOC, CaCO3, δ13Corg, δ18O, and δ13C of the shell bar section in the Qaidam basin, and compared with grain size data, the environmental change history of the high water level of paleolake Qarhan was reconstructed and it could be divided into five stages. From 39.7 to 35.8 kaBP was the development period of high paleolake level. From 35.8 to 33.6 kaBP and 33.6 to 27.2 kaBP, TOC and CaCO3 contents and δ18O values were high, whereas, δ13Corg values and median size content were low, reflecting a warm-humid climate and high lake level. During 27.2-22.3 kaBP and 22.3-17.5 kaBP, both temperature and the lake level were lower than those in the previous stages, but the climate was still warmer and more humid than that of today. The lake level decreased between 32.4 and 32.2 kaBP, 30.4 and 29.8 kaBP, and 28.4 and 27.2 kaBP. Generally, the climate was warm and humid in Qaidam basin and the high lake level sustained between 39.7 and 17.5 kaBP. The lake retreated abruptly at 17.5 kaBP, with a very strong increase in evaporation, which resulted in salt formation and the extinction of Corbicula.     

Palaeoclimate indicators (clay minerals,calcareous nannofossils,stable isotopes) compared from two successions in the late Jurassic of the Volga Basin (SE Russia)

A study of clay mineral and calcareous nannofossil abundances in late Jurassic–early Cretaceous sediments from the Volga Basin, SE Russia, is presented. From these results, we are able to compare some general patterns of mineralogical and palaeontological change for the Volga Basin to the palaeoclimate models developed for northern Europe and beyond. The two successions examined comprise calcareous mudstones with black organic‐rich shale horizons, overlain by a series of phosphatic silty sands. Clay mineralogical results show a progressive decrease in kaolinite and the concomitant increase of smectite and illite through the middle Volgian, followed by an abrupt increase in kaolinite in the late Volgian. The clay mineral evidence suggests increasing aridity at the end of the Jurassic, similar, in part, to many western European successions. Because of differential settling of clay minerals, superimposed upon this possible climatic signature is likely to be the effect of relative sea‐level change. Calcareous nannofossil analysis from a single section reveals a shift through the middle Volgian from low nutrient, warm water assemblages dominated by Watznaueria to cooler surface water and high nutrient assemblages dominated by Biscutum constans. These observations suggest that increased aridity is also associated with climatic cooling. Black shales are associated with increased productivity, higher sea levels and increases in smectite content. Hence, periods of low (chemical) hinterland weathering during semi‐arid conditions are paradoxically associated with relatively nutrient‐rich waters, and organic‐rich shales. Comparison of published carbon and oxygen stable isotope results from this and other sections to the clay mineral and nannofossil data confirms the palaeoclimatic interpretation. This study significantly improves the published biostratigraphically constrained clay mineral database for this time period, because other European and North American successions are either non‐marine (and thus poorly dated), absent (through penecontemporaneous erosion) or condensed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pleistocene biogeochemical record in the south‐west Pacific Ocean (images site MD97‐2114, Chatham Rise)

Through a multidisciplinary approach based on novel micropaleontological and geochemical analyses, the main paleoceanographic and paleoclimate changes that have influenced the surface‐ and deep‐water circulation in the SW Pacific Ocean (Chatham Rise, eastern New Zealand) during the last million years are reconstructed. This region represents a key area for investigating the climate evolution during the Pleistocene because here the largely wind‐driven Antarctic Circumpolar Current interacts with the west Pacific Ocean circulation via the Deep Western Boundary Current, the major source of deep water for the whole Pacific Ocean. To understand coupling or decoupling events between sea surface and bottom waters, a continuous marine sedimentary succession since 1.1 Ma, recovered by the IMAGES (International Marine Past Global Change Study) cruise in the SW Pacific Ocean (Core MD97‐2114), has been investigated based on calcareous planktonic and benthic microfossil content and C and O isotope record performed on planktonic and benthic foraminiferal tests. Results show the occurrence of long‐ and short‐term patterns of climate and ocean circulation in the last million years as the result of the interplay of ice‐sheet dynamics, surface tropical versus polar water inflow, and trophic status of the surface water. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sedimentology, petrography and geochemistry of a limestone breccia (Pietra di Billiemi) from north-west Sicily, Italy: implications for evolution of the Tethyan basins around the Triassic/Jurassic boundary

In this study, the Pietra di Billiemi , a famous dimension stone, is investigated because it records the tectonic evolution of the south Tethys continental margin and preserves a record of major environmental changes occurring near the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. The Pietra di Billiemi is a grey, coarse-grained and clast-supported limestone breccia cropping out in an area of the Palermo Mountains representing a segment of the Apennine–Maghrebian chain in western Sicily. The rock consists of metre-sized to centimetre-sized angular clasts, derived from Upper Triassic sponge boundstones and rudstones, with a differently coloured, silt-grained matrix. Fitted fragments are observed commonly which suggest an in situ origin for the bulk of the breccia. The matrix is characterized by the absence of biogenic components and by variable mineralogy and geochemistry. Petrographic features and Sr-isotope values indicate that the most important and earliest fillings of the breccia consist of black matrix and white matrix temporally referable to Hettangian–Sinemurian times. Clotted micrite, carbonate fluorapatite and abundant pyrite, in addition to relatively high contents of redox-sensitive elements (V, Ni, Zn and S), are consistent with deposition in anoxic conditions that favoured microbial mediation for authigenic carbonate (calcite and dolomite) precipitation in the matrix. As a whole, the Billiemi breccia can be considered a product of tectonic fragmentation of a Tethyan carbonate platform edge around the Triassic/Jurassic boundary, formed when the drowned platform edge was covered by hemipelagic mudstones recording the anoxic conditions existing during Early Jurassic times.     

柴达木盆地察尔汗古湖贝壳堤剖面沉积地球化学与环境变化

通过对柴达木盆地察尔汗古湖贝壳堤剖面沉积物中总有机碳、有机质碳同位素及碳酸盐含量、碳氧同位素的分析, 并结合粒度数据, 将研究剖面所记录的古湖泊环境演化过程划分为5个阶段.其中254 (连续古湖泊沉积开始与第八层底部) ~210cm (距今39.7~35.8ka BP之间) 为湖泊发育期.210~185cm (距今35.8~33.6ka BP之间), 185~112cm (距今33.6~27.2ka BP之间) : TOC、CaCO₃含量较高、δ18 O值偏正, δ13 C_org偏负, Mz值较低, 反映了当时温度较高, 湖水水位较高; 而112~55cm (距今27.2~22.3ka BP之间) 和55~0cm (距今22.3~17.5ka BP之间) : TOC、CaCO₃含量较低、δ18 O值偏负, δ13 C_org偏正, Mz值较高, 表明了温度相对较低(但气候仍较温暖), 湖水水位较低, 湖泊处于退缩时期.其间分别在距今32.2~32.4ka BP、30.4~29.8ka BP和28.4~27.2ka BP出现了3次较大的退缩过程, 约22ka BP出现了一次气候突变.贝壳堤剖面揭示在39.7~18.5 14C ka BP之间柴达木盆地气候较温暖湿润, 形成高湖面.从18.2ka BP开始, 湖泊进入退缩阶段.到17.5ka BP快速形成盐壳, 高湖面持续历史结束.      

西菲律宾海190 ka以来钙质超微化石的氧碳同位素记录

对西菲律宾海Ph05-5柱状样190ka以来钙质超微化石进行了氧碳同位素分析.研究结果表明, 钙质超微化石δ18O值在末次间冰期(MIS 5e) 和全新世明显低于末次冰期(MIS5d~2) 和倒数第二次冰期(MIS6).超微化石δ18O值与浮游和底栖有孔虫δ18O值都呈明显的正相关关系, 但超微化石δ18O平均值比浮游有孔虫Globigerinoides rubber δ18O平均值高0.431×10-3, 比Neogloboquadrina dutertrei δ18O平均值低0.410×10-3, 而这三者又远远低于底栖有孔虫Cibicides wullerstorfi的δ18O平均值.超微化石δ13C值变化阶段性特征明显, 并与该孔超微化石绝对丰度变化趋势极为相似, 二者共同反映出西菲律宾海大约从190ka到110ka的MIS6和大约MIS 5e期, 表层海水初级生产力相当稳定且显著低于其他各时期; 大约从MIS5d期开始表层初级生产力显著上升, 初级生产力的这一高值一致持续到约25ka左右的末次冰期; 在25ka以来的MIS1、2期, 表层初级生产力有所下降, 但仍高于190ka到110ka的MIS6和MIS 5e期.      

综合大洋钻探计划311航次沉积物中自生碳酸盐岩碳、氧稳定同位素特征

为了探索水合物背景下沉积物中自生矿物响应,对采自综合大洋钻探计划（IODP）311航次沉积物中自生碳酸盐岩颗粒进行了矿物组成、形貌特征和碳、氧稳定同位素特征等研究。X光粉晶衍射（XRD）和扫描电镜（SEM）结果显示碳酸盐岩颗粒的主要矿物成分是铁白云石和方解石,呈多孔状结核和不规则状集合体产出。碳酸盐岩颗粒的碳稳定同位素δ¹³C_PDB低至-41.50‰,证实其碳源源自甲烷,其成因与甲烷厌氧氧化过程有关,印证了研究区存在海底甲烷渗漏现象,是甲烷水合物赋存区重要的识别标志之一。碳酸盐岩颗粒的氧稳定同位素δ¹⁸O_PDB总体上随着沉积物深度增加而减小,可能指示沉积物的背景温度由下而上（从早到晚）逐渐降低。研究结果提供了现代海洋天然气水合物背景下沉积物中自生碳酸盐岩的碳、氧稳定同位素记录,对于寻找我国海域天然气水合物资源,探索地史时期古海洋沉积物中类似的甲烷事件记录具有重要的理论和实践指导意义。     

Holocene climate reconstructions of Ulungur Lake (Xinjiang,China) inferred from ostracod species assemblages and stable isotopes

In this paper, the data on the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes during the Holocene are presented and a discussion is made on a 225-cm-long sediment core from Ulungur Lake, located in Northwest China. The chronology is constructed from six AMS radiocarbon dates on the bulk organic matter. On the basis of the analysis of ostracod assemblages and the shell stable isotopes, the core is divided into three paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental evolution stages: 9 985–5 250 cal.aB.P. stage is the wettest phase of the core section. The climate changed from moderate-dry to cool-wet, and then to warm-wet in turn, and the lake level rose accordingly, showing the characteristic of a high lake level. 5 250–1 255 cal.aB.P. stage was the driest phase of the core sediment. The climate turned from the early warm-dry to the late warm-wet and the lake level fell and rose again. Finally, the 1 255 cal.aB.P. stage was the medium stage of the section. The temperature was low and then increased after the 1920s and the climate was dry. The whole climatic and environmental evolution records of Lake Ulungur were not only in agreement with the sporopollen record of the same core but also in agreement with the record of environmental changes of adjacent areas. It responded to regional environmental changes and global abrupt climate events, following the westerly climate change mode on 100-year-scale, primarily with cold-wet and warmdry characteristics. __________ Translated from Quaternary Sciences, 2007, 27(3):382–391 [译自:第四纪研究]     

The Early Jurassic to Aalenian paleobiogeography of the Arctic realm: Implication of microbenthos (Foraminifers and Ostracodes)

Stages in evolution of the Early Jurassic to Aalenian foraminifers and ostracodes are established based on the analyzed diversity dynamics of respective microfauna associations. Evolution of foraminifers is divided in two, the Hettangian-initial early Toarcian and the late early Toarcian-Aalenian stages, while the identical first stage in evolution of ostracodes has been followed by the late early Toarcian-Callovian stage. During the Jurassic, periodic migrations of foraminiferal and ostracod genera and species, which were interrelated with large transgressions and climatic changes, took place in the initial late and mid-late Pliensbachian, initial early Toarcian, and the late Toarcian-early Aalenian. Being isolated to the maximum extent in the second half of the late Aalenian, the Arctic basin lost connections with seas of northwestern Europe. The Early Jurassic to Aalenian biogeography of the Arctic basin is established based on the results of cluster analysis (group average link method, Jaccard coefficient, presence or absence of foraminifers and ostracodes genera) with due account for preceding and subsequent formation history of microbenthos structure in biochores. The distinguished biochores are ranked as realms and provinces of foraminifers and ostracodes. As is established, contours of the realms and provinces populated by different groups of microbenthos did not coincide and changed with time. Ecotones between the realms (e.g., the North Sea province) changed their localitization to be a part of the Arctic or Boreal Atlantic realms in different epochs. The Early-Middle Jurassic sedimentary successions of the Arctic basins reveal several levels of sharp taxonomic changes in composition of microbenthos under influence of the first-order abiotic factors.     

Climatic and sea‐level control of Jurassic (Pliensbachian) clay mineral sedimentation in the Cardigan Bay Basin,Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole,Wales

Early Jurassic climate is characterized by alternating cold and warm periods highlighted by studies based notably on oxygen isotopes measured on belemnite guards and other marine invertebrate shells. These climatic changes include changes in the hydrological cycle, and consequently weathering and runoff conditions. In order to clarify the erosion and weathering conditions during the Pliensbachian, this study determined the mineralogical composition of the clay fraction of 132 samples taken from the entire stage drilled in the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole (Cardigan Bay Basin). The clay mineral assemblages are composed of various proportions of chlorite, illite, illite/smectite mixed‐layers (R1 I–S), smectite and kaolinite, with possibly occasional traces of berthierine. The occurrence of abundant smectite indicates that the maximum burial temperature never exceeded 70°C. Consequently, clay minerals are considered mainly detrital, and their fluctuations likely reflect environmental changes. The variations in the proportions of smectite and kaolinite are opposite to each other. Kaolinite is particularly abundant at the base of the jamesoni Zone, in part coinciding with the δ¹³C negative excursion corresponding to the Sinemurian/Pliensbachian Boundary Event, and through the davoei Zone, whilst smectite is abundant in the upper part of jamesoni and base of ibex zones and through the subnodosus/gibbosus subzones of the margaritatus Zone. The kaolinite‐rich intervals reflect an intensification of hydrolysis and an acceleration of the hydrological cycle, while the smectite‐rich intervals indicate a more arid climate. The spinatum Zone is characterized by a distinct clay assemblage with abundant primary minerals, R1 I–S, kaolinite reworked from previously deposited sediments or from Palaeozoic rocks, and probably berthierine originating from contemporaneous ironstone‐generating environments of shallower waters. This mineralogical change by the end of the Pliensbachian likely reflects a transition from a dominant chemical weathering to a deeper physical erosion of the continent, probably related to a significant sea‐level fall consistent with a glacio‐eustatic origin.