C, О, S,and Sr Isotope Geochemistry and Chemostratigraphy of Ordovician Sediments in the Moyero River Section,Northern Siberian Platform

The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in gypsum and limestones of the Ordovician section of the Moyero River decreases from the bottom upward from 0.7091?0.7095 in the Irbukli Formation (Nyaian Regional Stage, ~Lower Ordovician Tremadocian Stage) to 0.7080 in the upper part of the Dzherom Formation (Dolborian Regional Stage, ~Upper Ordovician Katian Stage), which is well consistent with biostratigraphic subdivision of the section and existing concept concerning the strontium isotope evolution of the World Ocean. The most characteristic feature of the carbon isotope curve is decrease of δ¹³С values in carbonates from weakly positive values (0.5…1.1‰) in the Irbukli Formation (Nyaian Regional Stage) to sharply negative values (–5.4...–5.8‰) in the middle part of the Kochakan Formation (top of the Kimaian Regional Stage, ~end of the Dapingian–base of the Darriwilian Stage). Increase of δ¹⁸О from 20?22‰ to 26?28‰, the negative correlation of δ¹³С and δ¹⁸О, and decrease of δ³⁴S in gypsum from 30?32‰ to 22?24‰ in this interval indicate that the ¹³С depletion of carbonates was not related to the sulfate reduction and oxidation of organic matter during diagenesis and that the negative δ¹³С excursion was of primary nature. The presence of negative δ¹³С anomalies at this stratigraphic level in Ordovician sections of the South and North America (Buggish et al., 2003; Edwards and Saltzman, 2014; McLaughlin et al., 2016) indicates the global or subglobal distribution of this event, which was possibly related to the emergence of the oldest ground vegetation. Against the general decrease of δ¹³С, the lower part of the section reveals three low-amplitude (1?2‰) positive excursions, the position of which in general confirms the existing correlation scheme of the Moyero River section with the international scale. The upper part of the section is characterized by the alternation of low-δ¹³С intervals (from–2 to–3‰) and brief positive excursions with amplitude of 0.5?1.3‰. The positive δ¹³С excursion terminating the Ordovician section of the Moyero River correlates with the δ¹³С excursion in the middle Katian Stage, while the δ¹³С excursion in the lower part of the Baksian Regional Stage correlates with the excursion marking the Katian–Sandbian boundary.     

Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of Lower-Middle Ordovician carbonate rocks in the northwestern Russian platform

Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of Lower-Middle Ordovician carbonate rocks in the northwestern Russian Platform (eastern Ladoga Klint, Lynna River, and Babino quarry sections) are considered. In the studied section interval, average δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values are 0 ± 0.5 and ?5 ± 0.5‰ (V-PDB), respectively. Two closely-spaced negative carbon isotope excursions with the amplitude of 2‰ are established near the Lower-Middle Ordovician boundary (between the Floian and Dapingian stages). The lower part of the Darriwilian Stage is marked by the gradual decrease in δ¹³C values to 1‰. Excursions of δ¹³C do not correlate with δ¹⁸O variations and can be considered as primary. The carbon isotope event defined at the Lower-Middle Ordovician boundary is traceable at the interregional level and represents a promising stratigraphic reference level. It may likely be explained by decrease in the relative rate of organic matter burial due to sea level fall and expansion of well-aerated shallow-water basins with a low primary production of phytoplankton.     

Carbon and oxygen isotopes suggesting deep-water basin deposition associated with hydrothermal events （Shangsi Section,Northwest Sichuan Basin-South China）

Carbon and oxygen isotope records for Shangsi Section in Northwest Sichuan Basin, South China can help investigating depositional environments and processes, including the burial rate and possible contribution of hydrothermal events. Samples from the lower Chihsian Formation show δ13CPDB and δ18OPDB values close to those of typical marine limestone. However, the overlying Permian middle-upper Chihsian, Wujiaping, and Maokou Formation samples reveal negative δ18OSMOW values and strong positive δ13CPDB values. These indicate high biological productivity and rapid burial of organic carbon. Samples from the Dalong Formation present both negative δ13CPDB and negative δ18OPDB values, which are quite different from the underlying Permian strata. These abnormal carbon and oxygen isotope characteristics in the Dalong Formation may suggest that hydrothermal processes contributed to deposition.     

Carbon isotope composition of Upper Cambrian to Lower Ordovician carbonate in Korea,and its bearing on the Cambrian–Ordovician boundary and Lower Ordovician paleoceanography

This study presents an example of locating Cambrian–Ordovician boundary in the lower Paleozoic carbonate succession in Korea using carbon isotope stratigraphy. The Yeongweol Unit of the lower Paleozoic Joseon Supergroup comprises the Upper Cambrian Wagok Formation and the Lower Ordovician Mungok Formation in the Cambrian–Ordovician transition interval. Conventionally, the boundary was placed at the lithostratigraphic boundary between the two formations. This study reveals that the boundary is positioned in the basal part of the Mungok Formation based on the carbon isotope stratigraphy coupled with biostratigraphic information of conodont and trilobite faunas. The δ¹³C curve of the Lower Ordovician Mungok Formation shows a similar trend to that of the coeval stratigraphic interval of Argentine Precordillera (Buggisch et al., 2003), suggesting that the δ¹³C curve of the Mungok Formation reflects the Early Ordovician global carbon cycle.     

浙江长兴二叠系和三叠系界限地层的碳同位素

研究海相碳酸盐岩的碳和氧同位素已有三十多年,积累了数千个数据,其目的在于研究古海洋碳和氧同位素的演变。在此期间,一部分研究者认为,海相碳酸盐岩的δ¹³C值在0±2范围内变化,未表现出与地质时代相关的变化趋势(Clayton和Degens,1959;Degens和Epstein,1962;Keith和Weber,1964;Galimov,1965;Becker和Clayton,1972;Schidlowski等,1975)。但是,另一些学者,如Jeffery等(1955),Baertschi(1975),Compston(1960),Weber(1967),Garrels和Parry(1974)却认为,海相碳酸盐岩的δ¹³C值随地质时代而有规律地变化。     

Application of carbon isotope chemostratigraphy to the Renison dolomites,Tasmania: A Neoproterozoic age

This study uses carbon isotope chemostratigraphy to propose an age for the Success Creek Group and Crimson Creek Formation in the absence of any direct radiometric dates, palaeomagnetic or reliable palaeontological data. The δ¹³C values were determined for the least‐altered dolomite samples. Suitable samples were selected on the basis of grainsize, cathodoluminescence petrography, most enriched δ¹⁸O values (> ‐2%o) low Mn/Sr ratios and low Fe and Mn concentrations. The average least‐altered, most ¹³C‐enriched dolomicrite samples in the youngest (No. 1) dolomite horizon are + 4.6%o. This is typical of Neoproterozoic (but not Cambrian) carbonates. The δ¹³C values of all dolomite samples in the succession are significantly positive (up to + 7.5%o) and the excursion characteristic of the Proterozoic/Cambrian boundary has not been observed. The lack of negative δ¹³C values in all dolomite samples studied also suggests an absence of correlatives of Sturtian and Varanger tillites in the dolomite successions. The δ¹³C values in all three dolomite horizons suggest a Neoproterozoic age between about 820 to 570 Ma (Cryogenian to Neoproterozoic III) on the current global compilation carbon isotope curves. This age for the Success Creek Group and Crimson Creek Formation, inferred from carbon isotope chemostratigraphy, can be substantiated by other evidence. The age of the Renison dolomites is constrained by K‐Ar dates of 708 ± 6 Ma from detrital muscovite in the underlying Oonah Formation and 588 ± 8 and 600 ± 8 Ma from doleritic rock in a lithostratigraphic equivalent of the Crimson Creek Formation from the Smithton Basin. Furthermore, acritarchs and the stromatolite Baicalia cf. B. burra also suggest a Neoproterozoic rather than Cambrian age.     

Duration and synchroneity of the largest negative carbon isotope excursion on Earth: The Shuram/Wonoka anomaly

Carbonate δ¹³C values provide a useful monitor of changes in the global carbon cycle because they can record the burial ratio of organic to carbonate carbon. The most pronounced isotope excursions in the geologic record occur during the Neoproterozoic and have assumed a central role in the interpretation of biogeochemical events preceding the Ediacaran and Cambrian radiations. The most profound negative carbon isotope excursion is best recorded in the Ediacaran-aged Shuram Formation of Oman and has potential equivalents worldwide including the Wonoka Formation of South Australia and other sections in China, India, Siberia, Canada, Scandinavia and Brazil. All these excursions are less well understood than those in the Phanerozoic because of their unusual magnitude, long duration (> 1 Ma) and the difficulty in correlating Neoproterozoic basins to confirm independently that they do indeed record global change in the mixed ocean reservoir. Alternatively, these δ¹³C anomalies could reflect diachronous diagenetic processes. Currently none of these excursion are firmly time constrained and critical to their interpretation is a coherent reproducibility and synchroneity at the global ocean scale. Here we use available strontium isotope record as an independent chronometer to test the timing and synchroneity of the Shuram δ¹³C and its potential equivalents. The use of the ⁸⁶Sr/⁸⁷Sr ratio allows the reconstruction of a coherent, global δ¹³C record calibrated independently against time. The calibrated δ¹³C curve indicates that the Shuram negative anomaly spans several tens of millions of years and reaches values below −10‰. This carbon isotopic anomaly therefore represents a meaningful oceanographic event that fundamentally challenges our understanding of the carbon cycle as defined in the Phanerozoic.     

Paired δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg records of the Ordovician on the Yangtze platform,South China

During the Ordovician, huge biological revolutions and environmental changes happened in Earth’s history, including the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, global cooling and so on, but the cause of these events remains controversial. Herein, we conducted a paired carbon isotopic analysis of carbonate (δ¹³C_carb) and organic matter (δ¹³C_org) through the Ordovician in the Qiliao section on the Yangtze platform of South China. Our results showed that the δ¹³C_carb trend of the Qiliao section can be correlated with local and global curves. The δ¹³C_org trend seems is less clear than the δ¹³C_carb trend for stratigraphic correlations, but some δ¹³C_org positive excursions in the Middle and Upper Ordovician may be used for correlation studies. These carbon isotopic records may have global significance rather than local significance, revealing several fluctuations to the global carbon cycle during the Ordovician. Several known δ¹³C_carb and δ¹³C_org negative and positive excursions have been recognised in this study, including the early Floian Negative Inorganic Carbon (δ¹³C_carb) Excursion (EFNICE), as well as the early Floian Positive Organic Carbon (δ¹³C_carb) Excursion, the mid-Darriwilian Inorganic Carbon (δ¹³C_carb and δ¹³C_org) Excursion (MDICE), and the early Katian Guttenberg Inorganic Carbon (δ¹³C_carb and δ¹³C_org) Excursion (GICE). These positive excursions and a smooth decline trend of δ¹³C_org values during the early to mid-Floian may imply multiple episodes of enhanced organic carbon burial that began at the early Floian stage, probably resulting in further decline in atmospheric pCO₂ and then global cooling.     

Sr, C, and O isotope geochemistry of Ordovician brachiopods: a major isotopic event around the Middle-Late Ordovician transition

Here we present Sr, C, and O isotope curves for Ordovician marine calcite based on analyses of 206 calcitic brachiopods from 10 localities worldwide. These are the first Ordovician-wide isotope curves that can be placed within the newly emerging global biostratigraphic framework. A total of 182 brachiopods were selected for C and O isotope analysis, and 122 were selected for Sr isotope analysis. Seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr decreased from 0.7090 to 0.7078 during the Ordovician, with a major, quite rapid fall around the Middle-Late Ordovician transition, most probably caused by a combination of low continental erosion rates and increased submarine hydrothermal exchange rates. Mean δ¹⁸O values increase from −10‰ to −3‰ through the Ordovician with an additional short-lived increase of 2 to 3‰ during the latest Ordovician due to glaciation. Although diagenetic alteration may have lowered δ¹⁸O in some samples, particularly those from the Lower Ordovician, maximum δ¹⁸O values, which are less likely to be altered, increase by more than 3‰ through the Ordovician in both our data and literature data. We consider that this long-term rise in calcite δ¹⁸O records the effect of decreasing tropical seawater temperatures across the Middle-Late Ordovician transition superimposed on seawater δ¹⁸O that was steadily increasing from ≤−3‰ standard mean ocean water (SMOW). By contrast, δ¹³C variation seems to have been relatively modest during most of the Ordovician with the exception of the globally documented, but short-lived, latest Ordovician δ¹³C excursion up to +7‰. Nevertheless, an underlying trend in mean δ¹³C can be discerned, changing from moderately negative values in the Early Ordovician to moderately positive values by the latest Ordovician. These new isotopic data confirm a major reorganization of ocean chemistry and the surface environment around 465 to 455 Ma. The juxtaposition of the greatest recorded swings in Phanerozoic seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹⁸O at the same time as one of the largest marine transgressions in Phanerozoic Earth history suggests a causal link between tectonic and climatic change, and emphasizes an endogenic control on the O isotope budget during the Early Paleozoic. Better isotopic and biostratigraphic constraints are still required if we are to understand the true significance of these changes. We recommend that future work on Ordovician isotope stratigraphy focus on this outstanding Middle-Late Ordovician event.     

The Origin of Paleokarst in the Huanglong Formation of the Eastern Sichuan Basin: Evidence from δ13C, δ18O and 87Sr/86Sr

Karst rocks from the Huanglong Formation exposed at the margin of the Eastern Sichuan Basin can be divided into four types:slightly corroded, moderately corroded porous, intensely corroded brecciated and intensely corroded and replaced secondary calcic karstic rocks. The carbon, oxygen and strontium isotope compositions of the various karst rocks are analyzed systematically and compared to rocks without karst corrosion. The results indicate that(1) the Huanglong Formation in the eastern Sichuan Basin was a restricted bay supplied and controlled by freshwater in which mudmicrite and mud-dolomicrite exhibit low δ13C and δ18O values and high 87Sr/86 Sr ratios;(2) all types of karstic rocks in the paleokarst reservoirs of the Huanglong Formation in the research area are affected by atmospheric freshwater with the δ13C and δ18O values and 87Sr/86 Sr ratios in the original formation approaching those of atmospheric freshwater, which reflects ancient hydrological conditions, fluid properties, isotopic source and the fractionation effect;(3) the intensely corroded and replaced secondary limestone is affected by a variety of diagenetic fluids, often reflected by δ13C and δ18O values, while the 87Sr/86 Sr ratios exhibit the strong degree of the corrosion;(4) after comparing the 87Sr/86 Sr ratios of each type of karst rock, the diagenetic fluids are determined to be mainly atmospheric freshwater, and depending on the strength of corrosion, and the low 87Sr/86 Sr ratio fluids in the layer will participate in the karst process. The carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotopes of different karstic reservoirs can provide meaningful geochemical information for forecasting and evaluating the development and distribution rules of the Huanglong Formation at the margin of the eastern Sichuan Basin in time and space.     

C and Sr isotope chemostratigraphy of Vendian-Lower Cambrian carbonate sequences in the central Siberian Platform

We propose a detailed δ¹³C curve for the Vendian and Lower Cambrian (Tommotian) strata of the central Siberian Platform. Two positive carbon isotope excursions identified near the base of the Yuryakh Formation (up to 5.5‰) and in the lower Bilir Formation (up to 5‰) are assigned to the lowermost and middle Tommotian, respectively. This correlation is supported by paleontological data, specific ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (0.70845-0.70856), and similar C isotope record in coeval Early Cambrian basins. The documented minor vertical oscillations (a few meters) of these isotope excursions relative to the formation boundaries in remote boreholes is presumably caused by the spatiotemporal migration of facies. A high-amplitude negative δ¹³C excursion (-8 to -11‰) in the upper Nepa Regional Stage putatively corresponds to the global Shuram-Wonoka negative carbon isotope excursion (Middle Ediacaran). Carbonates of the lower Nepa Regional Stage (Besyuryakh Formation) demonstrate positive δ¹³C values (up to 5‰) and minimum ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of 0.70796-0.70832. The C and Sr isotope record of the Nepa Regional Stage provides its robust correlation with the Dal’nyaya Taiga and Zhuya Groups of the Patom Foredeep. Micropaleontological data herein reported and glacial diamictites documented at the base of the Vendian sedimentary cover both in the central Patom Foredeep and on its periphery suggest a full stratigraphic volume of the Ediacaran System in the most stratigraphically complete sections of the central Siberian Platform.     

Oxygen and carbon isotope composition of Gordon Group carbonates (Ordovician), Florentine Valley,Tasmania, Australia

The Gordon Group carbonates consist of biota of the Chlorozoan assemblage, diverse non‐skeletal grains and abundant micrite and dolomite, similar to those of modern warm water carbonates. Cathodoluminescence studies indicate marine, meteoric and some burial cements. Dolomites replacing burrows, mudcracks and micrite formed during early diagenesis.

δ¹⁸O values (‐5 to ‐7%ō PDB) of the non‐luminescent fauna and marine cement are lighter than those of modern counterparts but are similar to those existing within low latitudes during the Ordovician because of the light δ¹⁸O values of Ordovician seawater (‐3 to ‐5%o SMOW). The δ¹⁸O difference (2%o) between marine and meteoric calcite indicates that Ordovician meteoric water was similar to that in modern subtropics. Values of δ¹³C relative to δ¹⁸O indicate that during the Early Ordovician there were higher atmospheric CO₂ levels than at present but during the Middle and Late Ordovician they became comparable with the present because of a change from ‘Greenhouse’ to glacial conditions. δ¹⁸O values of Late Ordovician seawater were heavier than in the Middle Ordovician mainly because of glaciation.

Dolomitization took place in marine to mixed‐marine waters while the original calcium carbonate was undergoing marine to meteoric diagenesis.     

Diagenetic overprinting of the sphaerosiderite palaeoclimate proxy: are records of pedogenic groundwater δ18O values preserved?

Meteoric sphaerosiderite lines (MSLs), defined by invariant δ¹⁸O and variable δ¹³C values, are obtained from ancient wetland palaeosol sphaerosiderites (millimetre‐scale FeCO₃ nodules), and are a stable isotope proxy record of terrestrial meteoric isotopic compositions. The palaeoclimatic utility of sphaerosiderite has been well tested; however, diagenetically altered horizons that do not yield simple MSLs have been encountered. Well‐preserved sphaerosiderites typically exhibit smooth exteriors, spherulitic crystalline microstructures and relatively pure (> 95 mol% FeCO₃) compositions. Diagenetically altered sphaerosiderites typically exhibit corroded margins, replacement textures and increased crystal lattice substitution of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ for Fe²⁺. Examples of diagenetically altered Cretaceous sphaerosiderite‐bearing palaeosols from the Dakota Formation (Kansas), the Swan River Formation (Saskatchewan) and the Success S2 Formation (Saskatchewan) were examined in this study to determine the extent to which original, early diagenetic δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values are preserved. All three units contain poikilotopic calcite cements with significantly different δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values from the co‐occurring sphaerosiderites. The complete isolation of all carbonate phases is necessary to ensure that inadvertent physical mixing does not affect the isotopic analyses. The Dakota and Swan River samples ultimately yield distinct MSLs for the sphaerosiderites, and MCLs (meteoric calcite lines) for the calcite cements. The Success S2 sample yields a covariant δ¹⁸O vs. δ¹³C trend resulting from precipitation in pore fluids that were mixtures between meteoric and modified marine phreatic waters. The calcite cements in the Success S2 Formation yield meteoric δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values. A stable isotope mass balance model was used to produce hyperbolic fluid mixing trends between meteoric and modified marine end‐member compositions. Modelled hyperbolic fluid mixing curves for the Success S2 Formation suggest precipitation from fluids that were < 25% sea water.     

Organic Carbon Isotope Geochemistry of the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation, South China

The Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation on the Yangtze Platform, South China, documents a sedimentary succession with different sedimentary facies from carbonate platform to slope and to deep sea basin, and hosts one of the world-class phosphorite deposits. In these strata, exquisitely preserved fossils have been discovered： the Weng＇an biota. This study presents carbon isotope geochemistry which is associated paired carbonate and organic matter from the Weng＇an section of a carbonate platform （shelf of the Yangtze Platform, Guizhou Province） from the Songtao section and Nanming section of a transition belt （slope of the Yangtze Platform, Guizhou Province） and from the Yanwutan section （basin area of the Yangtze Platform, Hunan Province）. Environmental variations and bio-events on the Yangtze Platform during the Late Neoproterozoic and their causal relationship are discussed. Negative carbon isotope values for carbonate and organic carbon （mean δ^13Corg = -35.0‰） from the uppermost Nantuo Formation are followed by an overall increase in δ^13C up-section. Carbon isotope values vary between -9.9‰ and 3.6‰ for carbonate and between -35.6‰ and -21.5‰ for organic carbon, respectively. Heavier δ^13Ccarb values suggest an increase in organic carbon burial, possibly related to increasing productivity （such as the Weng＇an biota）. The δ^13C values of the sediments from the Doushantuo Formation decreased from the platform via the slope to basin, reflecting a reduced environment with minor dissolved inorganic carbon possibly due to a lower primary productivity. It is deduced that the classical upwelling process, the stratification structure and the hydrothermal eruption are principally important mechanisms to interpret the carbon isotopic compositions of the sediments from the Doushantuo Formation.     

古生代海洋碳同位素演化

本文给出对中国古生代海相碳酸盐岩地层的系统的碳同位素研究结果。对密集地采自寒武纪、奥陶纪、泥盆纪、石炭纪和二叠纪5个海相碳酸盐岩地层剖面的681个样品作了碳同位素研究。所得到的古生代海相碳酸盐岩地层δ¹³C值长趋势演化的模式表明,从寒武纪(δ¹³C平均为-0.3‰)到石炭纪(3‰)和二叠纪(3.4‰)逐渐富集¹³C.此变化模式与古生代有机碳的埋藏数量有关,或许与大洋中脊体系的体积变化有关。     

Small-scaled environmental changes: indications from stable isotopes of gastropods (Early Miocene, Korneuburg Basin, Austria)

The Korneuburg Basin, with mainly upper Lower Miocene (Karpatian) sediment filling, is divided by the Mollmannsdorf–Obergänserndorf Swell into two sub-basins characterised by different environmental settings. Paleoecological data indicate a marine northern part and a mainly estuarine southern part. Nevertheless, short-termed marine ingressions from the north allowed marine faunas (ostracods, molluscs, and echinoids) to temporarily settle the southern part of the basin. The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of gastropod shells from these different environmental settings were investigated. Highest δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values are found in Turritella shells from the northern part of the basin, and in Turritella shells from layers interpreted as a marine ingression in the south. Generally, components of the mudflat fauna (Tympanotonos cinctus, Granulolabium bicinctum, Terebralia bidendata, and Ocenebra crassilabiata) have slightly lower isotope values. Considerable freshwater influx in the southern part is documented by abundant freshwater genera such as Melanopsis, which show low carbon and oxygen isotope values. Data of identical taxa, especially Turritella and Granulolabium, reflect a trend from higher isotope values at the marine northern part to slightly lower values in the mainly estuarine southern part of the basin. Differences in δ¹⁸O between the marine and the estuarine assemblages are interpreted to be caused by changes in salinity and isotopic composition of ambient water rather than by temperature. Paleotemperature estimates derived from oxygen isotope data are in good agreement with existing paleoclimatic proxies for the Korneuburg Basin. Hence, an annual range of the sea-surface temperature from 13 to 26°C can be predicted within that protected basin.     

鄂尔多斯奥陶系碳酸盐岩碳氧同位素特征及其意义*

鄂尔多斯古生代海相地层沉积厚度巨大。鄂尔多斯奥陶系碳酸盐岩的碳氧同位素组成受后期成岩作用影响较小,基本保留了原始海洋的同位素组成： δ¹³C值分布于-7.30‰～2.26‰之间,均值-0.30‰;δ¹⁸O值分布于-13.14‰～-1.94‰之间,均值-6.38‰,碳氧同位素组成与全球基本一致。区域上,鄂尔多斯西缘具有相对较高的δ¹³C值,南缘次之,而东缘最低。纵向上,碳同位素组成逐渐增重,并在中晚奥陶世发生明显的正向偏移,δ¹³C均值由马家沟组的-0.36‰增加到平凉组的0.15‰,至背锅山组增加至0.68‰。碳同位素的区域分布差异表明鄂尔多斯西缘水体相对较深,南缘次之,东缘相对较浅,由早奥陶世至晚奥陶世水体逐渐加深,碳同位素组成反映的海平面变化趋势与沉积相演化一致。鄂尔多斯西南缘中晚奥陶世碳同位素组成的正向偏移,标志着较高的生产力和有机碳埋藏率,具有重要的石油地质学意义,西南缘的平凉组/乌拉力克组和背锅山组是下古生界最重要和有效的烃源岩层。     

Revised estimate of δ34S for marine sulfates from the Upper Ordovician: data from the Williston Basin,North Dakota,U.S.A.

Analyses for δ³⁴S of 13 bedded, marine anhydrite samples from the “C” anhydrite member of the Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician) in the North Dakota portion of the Williston basin represent an addition of δ³⁴S data to a portion of the S isotope age curve with few data. Previously published estimates of δ³⁴S for Upper Ordovician marine sulfates apparently are limited to 4 samples from the Saskatchewan portion of the same basin. An adjusted mean value of +25.5‰ was calculated for all known Upper Ordovician δ³⁴S determinations. This value is approximately 2 to 3‰ lighter than the previous estimate, which suggests that δ³⁴S of the world ocean during the Upper Ordovician may have been lighter than previously thought. However, because all δ³⁴S data are from one sedimentary basin, additional S isotopic data from several globally-distributed evaporite basins are needed to evaluate this hypothesis and further constrain δ³⁴S for the Upper Ordovician. Similar re-examination of other portions of the S isotope age curve with limited amounts of data may increase our understanding of the secular variation in δ³⁴S.     

Techniques for assessing spatial heterogeneity of carbonate δ13C values: Implications for craton‐wide isotope gradients

The sedimentary record of carbonate carbon isotopes (δ¹³C_carb) provides one of the best methods for correlating marine strata and understanding the long‐term evolution of the global carbon cycle. This work focuses on the Late Ordovician Guttenberg isotopic carbon excursion, a ca 2·5‰ positive δ¹³C_carb excursion that is found in strata globally. Substantial variability in the apparent magnitude and stratigraphic morphology of the Guttenberg excursion at different localities has hampered high‐resolution correlations and led to divergent reconstructions of ocean chemistry and the biogeochemical carbon cycle. This work investigates the magnitude, spatial scale and sources of isotopic variability of the Guttenberg excursion in two sections from Missouri, USA. Centimetre‐scale isotope transects revealed variations in δ¹³C_carb and δ¹⁸O_carb greater than 2‰ across individual beds. Linear δ¹³C_carb to δ¹⁸O_carb mixing lines, together with petrographic and elemental abundance data, demonstrate that much of the isotopic scatter in single beds is due to mixing of isotopically distinct components. These patterns facilitated objective sample screening to determine the ‘least‐altered’ data. A δ¹⁸O_carb filter based on empirical δ¹⁸O_carb values of well‐preserved carbonate mudstones allowed further sample discrimination. The resulting ‘least‐altered’ δ¹³C_carb profile improves the understanding of regional as well as continental‐scale stratigraphic relations in this interval. Correlations with other Laurentian sections strongly suggest that: (i) small‐scale variability in Guttenberg excursion δ¹³C_carb values may result in part from local diagenetic overprinting; (ii) peak‐Guttenberg excursion δ¹³C_carb values of the Midcontinent are not distinct from their Taconic equivalents; and (iii) no primary continental‐scale spatial gradient in δ¹³C_carb (for example, arising from chemically distinct ‘aquafacies’) is required during Guttenberg excursion‐time. This study demonstrates the importance of detailed petrographic and geochemical screening of samples to be used for δ¹³C_carb chemostratigraphy and for enhancing understanding of epeiric ocean chemistry.