Proportion of Mesozoic sedimentary rock types: data from northern Eurasia reveal similarities to North American patterns

Abstract

The Mesozoic stratigraphic record of northern Eurasia includes a total of 1,739 formations. The proportion of conglomerate, sandstone + siltstone, shale, carbonates, evaporites, siliceous rocks, and volcanics + volcaniclastics among sedimentary complexes are evaluated for each epoch of the Mesozoic. Sandstone, shale, and conglomerate occur in 86%, 71%, and 42% of formations respectively. Less common are carbonates (28%) and volcanics and volcaniclastics (24%), whereas evaporites and siliceous rocks are rare (< 5%). The proportion of particular sedimentary rock types fluctuates throughout the Mesozoic. The proportion of sandstone + siltstone changes quite similarly to that of shale. A comparison of stratigraphic data from northern Eurasia and North America reveals some similarities, including a Lower Triassic increase in the conglomerate proportion, a Middle-Upper Triassic increase in the proportion of siliceous rocks, Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic and Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous “clastic spikes”, and a Middle-Upper Jurassic “carbonate-evaporite spike”. They may reflect any global-scale processes. Increases in clastic deposition coincided with eustatic lowstands, whereas voluminous accumulation of carbonates and evaporites tended to coincide with global sea-level rises. It remains unclear whether global climate was responsible for changes in the proportion of sedimentary rock types.