The geochemical characteristics and factors controlling the organic matter accumulation of the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian black shale in the Upper Yangtze Basin, South China

Abstract

Organic-rich black shale of the Upper Yangtze Basin from the Late Ordovician and Early Silurian is considered an excellent source rock in South China. The formation and preservation conditions of this resource are revealed by its geochemical characteristics in this study. Geochemical indices, including redox indices (V/(V + Ni), V/Cr, V/Sc, and Ni/Co) and primary productivity indices (P/Ti and Ba/Al), and paleoclimate, clastic flux and sedimentary rate analyses are presented to investigate the accumulation mechanism of organic matter. Redox indices suggest that a stagnant, anoxic environment predominated in the Upper Yangtze Basin during accumulation of Wufeng and Longmaxi formations. In contrast, ventilated and oxygenated marine conditions pervaded the Upper Yangtze Basin during deposition of Linxiang and Guanyinqiao formations. The concentrations of V and U demonstrate that accumulation of organic matter was mainly controlled by redox conditions. Besides, such factors as clastic fluxes, fresh water inflows or a mixed deposition with a rapid sedimentary rate cannot be ignored due to their influences on organic matter enrichment and preservation. However, weak co-variance relationship of TOC content and productivity proxies, including P/Ti and Ba/Al, demonstrates that the accumulation of organic matter was not controlled by primary productivity. Results of the present study suggest a depositional model that stresses the importance of tectonic movements and glacial events on the accumulation and preservation of organic matter. The model shows that the Upper Yangtze Basin was a semi-restricted basin system influenced by the isolation of Xuefeng, but also it implies that oxygen-depleted bottom water of the basin favored the accumulation and preservation of sedimentary organic matter, resulting in the formation of organic-rich black shale.