Mid-Cretaceous desert system in the Simao Basin, southwestern China, and its implications for sea-level change during a greenhouse climate

Wu, Chen; Liu, Chenglin; Huang, Yi; Gao, Xia; Zhang, Hua; Wang, Licheng; Li, Gaojie; Wagreich, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.12.048

Cited by 33 publications

(17 citation statements)

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“…. The paleoclimate in this latitudinal zone was dominated by hot and dry [33], with development of evaporites and calcareous breccia (Figure 6). Under such climate, the weathering degree of parent rock is relatively moderate, and calcium oxide and sodium oxide are leached to a certain extent, which will lead to higher values of chemical index of alteration (CIA), plagioclase index of alteration (PIA), and chemical index of weathering (CIW) [28,30,34].…”

Section: Clay Mineralmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleogeographic Characteristics of the Mengyejing Formation in the Simao Basin during Its Depositional Period and Its Indication of Potash Mineralization: A Case Study of MZK-3 Well

et al. 2021

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In China, pre-Quaternary solid potash deposit has only been discovered in the Simao Basin, and the Lower Cretaceous Mengyejing (MYJ) Formation (Fm.) is the productive layer of potash deposit. In this study, we investigated the clay conglomerates which are distributed in upper and lower members of the potash-bearing salt rock layer. We analyzed the relative contents of major elements (Al2O3, Fe2OT 3, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O) and trace elements (B, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, Mn, Ni, Rb, Sr, V, Zn, Zr) in the samples. The results show that MgO and CaO in the major elements are rich relative to Post Archean Australian Shale (PAAS), whose average enrichment factor values of the MgO (EFMgO) is 2.61 and CaO (EFCaO) is 4.57, and the others major elements are relatively minor; trace elements (B, Ga, Mn, Zr) are rich relative to PAAS, and the others trace elements are minor relative to PAAS. The study of paleogeographic conditions using various parameters shows that the paleoclimate is generally dry and hot during the period of clay conglomerate deposition, but it was warm and humid in certain periods; the main sedimentary environment is weak oxidation condition with strong oxidation conditions in individual periods; the average value of paleosalinity is ~21‰, and the highest is no more than ~92‰. The significance of the paleogeographic characteristics of MYJ Fm. to potash mineralization are as follows: (1) they indicates that the clay conglomerates of MYJ Fm. are not clastic sediments in brine formed by seawater, because the paleosalinity of clay conglomerates deposition period is obviously lower than that of seawater; (2) MYJ potassic salt ore is not formed by evaporation and concentration of seawater in clay conglomerates in the sedimentary basin, because there is no carbonate rock and sulfate rock of corresponding scale after the deposition of clay conglomerates in the basin; (3) clay conglomerates of MYJ Fm. were deposited in continental shallow water basin; (4) the matter source of potash minerals is deep marine strata; (5) in the MYJ Fm. sedimentation period, deep source salt moved to the surface under the background of extensional structure, and the subsequent sedimentary clastic rock formed a protective layer of potash-bearing rock, thus completing the “deep source and shallow mineralization” metallogenic process.

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Section: Clay Mineralmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleogeographic Characteristics of the Mengyejing Formation in the Simao Basin during Its Depositional Period and Its Indication of Potash Mineralization: A Case Study of MZK-3 Well

et al. 2021

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“…The Mangang and Matoushan formations in the South China Block represent accumulation in extensive sandy desert systems (Wu et al ., 2017). The Matoushan Formation (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryospheric processes in Quaternary and Cretaceous hyper‐arid plateau desert oases

Rodríguez‐López

2020

Sedimentology

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Winter supercooling of oasis waters in hyper-arid plateau deserts leads to the formation of ice floes on oases water surfaces. Multi-year satellite imagery from recent oases in the Badain Jaran Desert (China) reveals dynamic cryospheric processes including ice floe, ice jams abutting on border ice, hinge and transverse cracks, multiple ice lobes related to aufeis formation on the ice floe surface indicating oases water level oscillations linked with short-term variations of the groundwater input. Oasis ice floe break up and transportation by strong desert winds produce an effective gouge and abrasion mechanism of oasis margin sediments, incorporating them both into the oasis bottom, and as supra-ice floe debris that ultimately will be released to the bottom of the oasis as dropstones as the ice cover melts. Supercooling conditions in the Badain Jarain Desert oases suggest that anchor ice can form in the oases bottoms from fazil ice crystals generated in open supercooled oasis waters. Mud dropstones and diamicton in Cretaceous wet interdune facies from China suggest ice-rafting processes in oases. Rounded and subangular mud intraclasts are mud boudins formed by in situ boudinage of mud interdune sediments due to the combined effect of compaction by prograding aeolian sediments and aufeis formation. Anchor ice formed in the oases bottoms lifted them up due to floatability and released them as dropstones to the oasis bottom when melted. Cryospheric processes in hyper-arid oases are more active than expected and may play a significant role in intraclast reworking. The recognition of these processes is critical for Mesozoic palaeoclimates.

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“…Warmer sea-water during regressions and a minor surface-water salinity decrease led the authors to favour aquifer-eustasy as the main process controlling these sea-level fluctuations. Evidence for desertification and related coeval sea-level highs was also put forward by Wu et al (2017) based on mid-Cretaceous aeolian and evaporite sedimentation in China.…”

Section: Evidence For and Impact Of Aquifer-eustasy In Earth Historymentioning

confidence: 93%

Aquifer-eustasy as the main driver of short-term sea-level fluctuations during Cretaceous hothouse climate phases

Sames

Wagreich

Conrad

et al. 2020

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A review of short-term (,3 myr: c. 100 kyr to 2.4 myr) Cretaceous sea-level fluctuations of several tens of metres indicates recent fundamental progress in understanding the underlying mechanisms for eustasy, both in timing and in correlation. Cretaceous third-and fourth-order hothouse sea-level changes, the sequencestratigraphic framework, are linked to Milankovitch-type climate cycles, especially the longer-period sequencebuilding bands of 405 kyr and 1.2 myr. In the absence of continental ice sheets during Cretaceous hothouse phases (e.g. Cenomanian-Turonian), growing evidence indicates groundwater-related sea-level cycles: (1) the existence of Milankovitch-type humid-arid climate oscillations, proven via intense humid weathering records during times of regression and sea-level lowstands; (2) missing or inverse relationships of sea-level and the marine δ 18 O archives, i.e. the lack of a pronounced positive excursion, cooling signal during sealevel lowstands; and (3) the anti-phase relationship of sea and lake levels, attesting to high groundwater levels and charged continental aquifers during sea-level lowstands. This substantiates the aquifer-eustasy hypothesis. Rates of aquifer-eustatic sea-level change remain hard to decipher; however, reconstructions range from a very conservative minimum estimate of 0.04 mm a −1 (longer time intervals) to 0.7 mm a −1 (shorter, probably asymmetric cycles). Remarkably, aquifer-eustasy is recognized as a significant component for the Anthropocene sealevel budget.

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Mid-Cretaceous desert system in the Simao Basin, southwestern China, and its implications for sea-level change during a greenhouse climate

Cited by 33 publications

References 64 publications

Paleogeographic Characteristics of the Mengyejing Formation in the Simao Basin during Its Depositional Period and Its Indication of Potash Mineralization: A Case Study of MZK-3 Well

Paleogeographic Characteristics of the Mengyejing Formation in the Simao Basin during Its Depositional Period and Its Indication of Potash Mineralization: A Case Study of MZK-3 Well

Cryospheric processes in Quaternary and Cretaceous hyper‐arid plateau desert oases

Aquifer-eustasy as the main driver of short-term sea-level fluctuations during Cretaceous hothouse climate phases

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