Linking the Jehol Biota Evolution to the Early Cretaceous Volcanism During the North China Craton Destruction: Insights From F, Cl, S, and P

Abstract

AbstractThe Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota evolution has remarkable spatiotemporal correlation with the destruction of the North China craton though the coupling mechanism remains enigmatic. The craton destruction was accompanied by intense magmatic activity and the released volatiles and nutrients might have had climatic and environmental impacts on the biotic evolution. In this study, we investigated the mentioned hypothetical causal link by determining concentrations and total emissions of volatile elements (S, F, Cl) and bulk‐rock P contents of volcanic rocks that were erupted during the pre‐flourishing, flourishing and post‐flourishing stages of the Jehol Biota. Our results show that the volcanism near the flourishing stage has lower S (1,083–2,370 ppm), Cl (1,277–5,608 ppm) and higher P2O5 contents (0.48–0.84 wt.%) than that in the non‐flourishing stages with S of 1,991–3,288 ppm, Cl of 7,915–12,315 ppm and P2O5 of 0.17–0.23 wt.%. Fluorine contents in the three stages vary from 893 to 3,746 ppm. The total volatile emissions are minor in the flourishing stage (1–14 Gt S, 0.6–10 Gt Cl, 0.6–9 Gt F) but elevated in the non‐flourishing stages (2–766 Gt S, 4–1,168 Gt Cl, 1–175 Gt F). Our data suggest that regional climatic and environmental impacts of volcanism in the non‐flourishing stages probably hindered the species diversification. The high P flux released from lithospheric mantle‐derived lavas during the peak time of craton destruction might have enhanced primary productivity and contributed to the flourishing of the Jehol Biota. Our study provides insights into the relationship between the biosphere and deep geodynamic processes driven by volcanism.