Hydrothermal Origin of Early Permian Chert Nodules in the Central North China Craton Linked to Northern Margin Cratonic Activation

Abstract

AbstractSedimentary chert phases from the Archean to the present are widely used to trace sedimentary environments and tectonic settings. Recently, chert nodules occurring within carbonates have been the subject of possible hydrothermal or biogenic origin, in lieu of a diagenetic origin. However, chert nodules from a vast cratonic basin represent extremely rich silica accumulations but less noted is how they respond to submarine hydrothermal activity (and/or surface siliceous organism productivity). The links between the cratonic‐type chert depositions and environmental changes regarding cratonic evolution need to be revisited at a large temporal‐spatial scale. The chert nodules are widespread throughout the Lower Permian Taiyuan Formation in the North China Craton (NCC). Several Taiyuan chert‐rich successions across the NCC have been selected to study possible links between chert deposition and cratonic evolution in scenario of partial cratonic activation of the northern NCC margin during the Late Paleozoic. Based on stratigraphic correlation, the chert nodules are ubiquitously, evenly distributed throughout the Taiyuan Formation at a large craton‐basin scale from the northern to southern interior NCC. Petrological results, elemental abundances, together with silicon and oxygen isotopic compositions of chert samples infer significant hydrothermal contributions for the silica accumulations. Therefore, the cratonic‐scale chert depositions of hydrothermal origin infer a giant and remote silica reservoir, linking to the large igneous province and magmatism in the NCC northern margins. The Taiyuan chert nodules could be unique marine sedimentary archives recording the Late Paleozoic NCC partial activation, which also generated continental records of igneous rocks, bauxites and tuffs. The strong tectonics of the northern margin, south‐dipping topography and northward transgression of the Early Permian NCC facilitated the chert deposition on the shallow marine platform in the cratonic interior.