Redox condition during Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in the Lower Yangtze deep water basin, South China: constraints from iron speciation and δ 13Corg in the Diben section, Zhejiang

Abstract

Cherts of the Piyuancun Formation and black mudstones of the Hetang Formation in Diben Town, Kaihua County, Zhejiang were deposited in a deep water basin of the Lower Yangtze area during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition (E–C transition), offering an opportunity to reconstruct the ancient redox condition of the deep water basin. Total 53 samples were collected and analyzed for iron speciation, including pyrite iron (FePy), carbonate associated iron (FeCarb), iron oxide and hydroxide (FeOx), magnetite iron (FeMag) and total iron (FeT) as well as δ 13Corg to gain a deeper understanding of specific redox condition during the period. The results show that (1) most samples have pyrite concentration 0.5). (2) The E–C boundary in the Diben section occurred at the maximum negative excursion of organic carbon isotope within the Piyuancun Formation, which can be correlated with other sections by using δ 13Corg. We thus concluded that the relatively high content of highly reactive iron and low content of pyrite iron in the Diben section indicate a minor occurrence of H2S and a predominance of anoxic and ferruginous environment, which is similar to other reported sections such as the Longbizui and Yanwutan sections, western Hunan. In addition, oxygen concentration in sea water showed an increasing trend in the interval corresponding to the bottom and upper layer of the Hetang Formation as indicated by the FeHR/FeT ratio, which decreased from 0.7 to 0.38, however, it was not great enough to oxidize the whole deep water. Therefore, during the E–C transition deep water basin in South China was most likely an anoxic and ferruginous enrironment, which prevented metazoon from the evolution in the deep water basin. Our work offers an important reference to better understanding of the spatiotemporal occurrence and dynamic processes of the “Cambrian Explosion”.