Carbon and strontium isotope variations and responses to sea-level fluctuations in the Ordovician of the Tarim Basin

Abstract

In the Ordovician, a carbonate platform system grading from the platformal interior eastwards to basin was developed in the Tazhong area of the Tarim Basin, and the study column is located in the place where the paleoslope occurred. The isotope compositions of the carbonates there are thus considered as having reflected those of simultaneous sea waters in view of its good connection with the open seas. The carbon and strontium isotope compositions of the Ordovician carbonates in the Tazhong area are analyzed, and their relationships to the sea-level fluctuations are discussed as well. Studies have revealed that the carbon isotope composition is related positively with the sea-level fluctuations, whereas an opposing situation occurs to the strontium isotope variation. Similar responses of carbon and strontium isotope compositions to the sea-level fluctuations are reported elsewhere in the world, suggesting that the Ordovician sea-level fluctuations of the Tarim Basin were of eustatic implication.