Carboniferous and Lower Permian sedimentological cycles and biotic events of South China

Abstract

The sedimentary successions and four fossil groups, including rugose corals, brachiopods, fusulinaceans and conodonts, from the Carboniferous and Lower Permian of South China have been studied in order to reveal the sedimentary characteristics and evolutionary pattern of main biological groups in the East Tethyan region during the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age. The Lower Carboniferous lithology of South China is diverse, ranging from basinal and shelf carbonate rocks to coal measures and continental clastics, while the Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian are composed mostly of shallow-marine carbonates. From uppermost Devonian to Lower Carboniferous, five major regression events are recognized at the topmost Devonian, middle and upper Tournaisian boundary, Tournasian–Viséan boundary, uppermost Viséan and the Mid-Carboniferous boundary in South China, separately. The Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian shallow-water carbonate rocks consist of remarkable, high-frequency cyclothems. Moreover, another major sea-level fall is recognized and characterized by an extensive sedimentary hiatus at the Sakmarian–Artinskian boundary throughout South China. All of the sedimentary basins of South China were formed in extensional tectonic settings during this time; thus, multiple regressive events that occurred throughout South China should be primarily induced by glacio-eustatic drawdown. In addition, two biotic events characterized by a remarkable decline in the diversity of benthic biota and a turnover in the composition of fossil assemblages occurred, respectively, at the Mid-Carboniferous and Sakmarian–Artinskian boundaries, consistent with two major regressions, and were probably caused by the glaciations in Gondwana.

Pennsylvanian–earlyPermianpalaeokarst development on theYangtzePlatform,South China, and implications for the regional sea‐level history

“…This formation represents a major regression stage during the late Sakmarian to earliest Kungurian, which resulted in coal‐bearing sandstone strata and a widespread sedimentary hiatus in South China (Wang et al . , ).…”

“…In South China, subaerial exposure surfaces and karstification phenomena have been described in Pennsylvanian–lower Permian strata in southern Guizhou Province (Ueno, Hayakawa, Nakazawa, Wang, & Wang, ; Yan, Yan, & Wu, ). They have been related to sea‐level changes caused by fluctuations in the volume of ice on Gondwana (Ueno et al, ; Wang et al, ; Yan et al, ).…”

Gigantoproductid brachiopod storm shell beds in the Mississippian of South China: implications for their palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographical significances

“…Correlations of Mississippian strata in South China were summarized by Wang & Jin (2000), Hance et al (2011) and Wang et al (2013). In the upper Viséan to Serpukhovian, the Shangsi and Baizuo formations are separated in the Huishui area, whereas the Du'an Formation comprises the entire interval in Tianlin area (Hance et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2013).…”

“…In the upper Viséan to Serpukhovian, the Shangsi and Baizuo formations are separated in the Huishui area, whereas the Du'an Formation comprises the entire interval in Tianlin area (Hance et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2013). In the Yashui section, the upper Shangsi Formation (30 m thick) consists of lightgrey to dark-grey, middle-to thick-bedded (c. 0.2 to c. 1.0 m) mudstone, wackestone and packstone interbedded with shale, nodular limestone and dolomitic limestone, yielding abundant corals and brachiopods (Lin et al, 2012).…”

Late Palaeozoic environmental changes: an introduction

“…He concludes that the fundamental changes in Gondwanan depositional environments resulted not from the slight drift of Gondwana to the equator or modifications of the global ocean, but from evolution of the solar system and its impact in terms of cosmic ray flux, magnetic intensity, gravitational vectors and their variation over the course of the galactic year. Wang et al (2013) discuss Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian shallow-water carbonates and their high-frequency cyclothems. Two biotic events occurring at the Mid-Carboniferous and Sakmarian-Artinskian boundaries in South China are consistent with two major regressions, probably associated with climate change caused by the glaciations of Gondwana.…”