Black Shale Deposition Research Articles

Quantifying paleoecological impact of the OAE1a on shallow marine ecosystems from southeastern France

Climate and environmental instability during the early Aptian culminated with the unfolding of the Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) 1a, which resulted in the deposition of black shales in deep marine settings and a typical negative spike followed by a positive excursion in δ13C values. In Vercors (southern France) the Urgonian platform developed prior to and coeval to the OAE1a, but the impact of this paleoenvironmental crisis on the ecology of benthic ecosystems is yet to be quantified. We gathered field and petrographic data to identify sequence boundaries and maximum flooding surfaces that are biostratigraphically dated and correlated between four localities within the study area. A composite δ13C curve is built where the C3 to C7 isotope segments from the literature are identified, pinpointing the onset of the OAE1a above the last episode of deposition of Urgonian facies rich in rudist bivalves. Furthermore, thin section point counting data are used to quantify the proportion of allochems in samples and to trace changes in the ecology of ecosystems. The principal component analysis of point counting data helps define ecological tiers: a diversified, photozoan association with rudists, green algae, and benthic foraminifera dominated ecosystems before the OAE1a and up to the C7 segment, while a less diversified heterozoan association with bryozoans and crinoids developed after the OAE1a. To explore the triggers for this change, the principal component analysis of elemental geochemical data highlights an increased nutrient and detrital input as major triggering mechanisms for ecological adjustments and changes in the biodiversity of ecosystems. In particular after the OAE1a, an increase in detrital and nutrient input leads to the replacement of photozoan by heterozoan assemblages more adapted to these stressful conditions. This research directly links paleoenvironmental deterioration to paleoecological changes and quantifies the amount of adaptation of ecosystems.

Widespread coastal upwelling along the marginal Yangtze Platform (South China) during the early Cambrian: Implications for hyper-enrichment of organic matter

Early Cambrian Earth history witnessed significant changes in marine environments and biological evolution contemporaneous with extensive accumulation of organic-rich shale. However, major factors controlling hyper-enrichment of organic matter (OM) of lower Cambrian shale deposits remain controversial. Black shale of the lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation (NTT) of the Marginal Yangtze Platform (South China) deposited during the Cambrian middle Age 2 are especially organic-rich, with total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations of as much as 13.0 wt%. Geochemical evidence suggests that cool, dry paleo-climatic conditions that prevailed on the Yangtze Platform during the Cambrian Fortunian-late Age 2, induced vigorous coastal upwelling. Paleo-productivity level assessments indicate that the magnitude of primary productivity contemporaneous with deposition of the NTT shale deposits exceeded that of modern upwelling systems (e.g., Peruvian Margin). The widespread occurrence of phosphate nodules within these deposits and decreased Co-EF × Mn-EF values of associated lower Cambrian black shale successions deposited along the margin of the Yangtze carbonate platform suggest extensive coastal upwelling. Widespread and strong coastal upwelling in tandem with elevated surface water primary productivity and anoxic (even euxinic) bottom water conditions are manifested by deposition of OM hyper-enriched black shale during Cambrian Fortunian to middle Age 2 time. However, weakened seasonal upwelling that appears to have prevailed during the late Cambrian Age 2 was accompanied by accumulation of NTT shale deposits of diminished TOC content. In summary, this study provides robust evidence of extensive coastal upwelling along the Marginal Yangtze Platform during early Cambrian time that favored accumulation of OM hyper-enriched shale. These results help to elucidate the distribution of high-quality lower Cambrian natural gas source rocks in South China.

Late Ediacaran carbonate production and REE+Y signatures tracing redox conditions in a Cadomian retroarc basin, Central Iberian Zone, Spain

The late Ediacaran carbonate production recorded in a Cadomian retroarc basin from the Iberian Peninsula provides an excellent opportunity to evaluate the tectonic and redox factors that controlled the infill of the foredeep troughs, located between uplifted orogenic wedges and exposed forebulge transects. In the Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian massif, the carbonates of the Villarta Formation follow two geographic belts, which represent short-term mosaics of uplifted and tilted fault-bounded basement highs. These recorded the nucleation of fringing reefal (rich in Cloudina and Sinotubulites microfossils embedded in thromboid textures) and shoal and back-barrier complexes, which episodically fed slope-related megabreccia lobes and channels. REE+Y datasets from the impure carbonates reflect contamination by detrital material, hydrothermal interaction and variable redox conditions, ranging from oxic to dysoxic, the latter emphasized by the deposition of kerogenous black shales in distal parts of the foredeep trough.

Global carbon cycle disruption during the latest Pliensbachian (Lower Jurassic) evidenced by simultaneous isotopic depletion in marine and terrestrial carbon pools

The Pliensbachian-Toarcian (Pl-To) boundary was marked by an extinction event in marine organisms, and localised ocean anoxia – resulting in the deposition of black shales. Negative isotopic excursions in bulk organic carbon in many of these black shales, are widely believed to indicate that a global carbon cycle disruption accompanied this extinction event. The Pl-To preceded a period of more intense global carbon cycle disruption that occurred during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) by around a million years. It is evident from targeted carbon isotopic analyses of marine and terrestrial organic matter that simultaneous disruptions to the marine and terrestrial carbon cycles occurred during the T-OAE. However, it remains a matter of debate whether the main source of carbon emissions was a climate-sensitive methane reservoir, or volcanic processes. No records of terrestrial carbon cycle disruption exist for the latest Pliensbachian, and so the causal mechanisms behind localised anoxia in this stage of the Lower Jurassic are poorly constrained. We present a record of concomitant isotopic depletion in short and long-chain n-alkanes derived from a thin black shale (the Lower Sulphur Band – LSB) deposited during the latest Pliensbachian (located in Yorkshire, UK). A key argument is that simultaneous isotopic depletions in these different compound classes implies the presence of a brief global hyperthermal event in the latest Pliensbachian, with a timescale too short to have been captured by previous analyses of the Yorkshire section. We discuss the relevance of our data to the stratigraphic record of the Lower Jurassic sediments of Yorkshire, highlighting, in particular, the need for better constraint on the ammonite biostratigraphy of the study section. We further argue that the brief climate disruption that occurred in the latest Pliensbachian made the shallow marine environment vulnerable to the development of more widespread marine anoxia, during the succeeding Toarcian stage.

Comparative organic geochemistry of shale deposits of northern Appalachian Basin

The organic-rich black shales in the Appalachian basin are a vital producer of natural gas. In this study, we present new multiproxy geochemical data from the Ordovician and Devonian black shales in New York (NY) and Pennsylvania (PA). The samples include outcrop samples collected in NY (Utica Group and Marcellus Formation) and core samples from PA (Marcellus Formation, Skaneateles Formation, and Genesee Group). We combined organic geochemical data (% total organic carbon or %TOC, δ13Corg, C/N ratio, and lipid n-alkane distribution) with trace element (TE) data to identify the organic matter (OM) sources and depositional conditions. The TE analysis data shows that water conditions were variable during the deposition of these black shales, fluctuating between oxic and dysoxic conditions with occasional anoxia. There was probably a change from an open water condition (Co∗Mn = 0.2) during the deposition of the Flat Creek Formation to a more restricted exchange later during the deposition of the Indian Castle Formation (Co∗Mn = 2.9) in the Ordovician. Basin circulation likely remained restricted during the deposition of the Devonian black shales (Co∗Mn ranges from 0.4 to 1.3). Based on δ13Corg values (−32.9‰ and −29.6‰) that are more depleted than marine OM δ13Corg, C/N ratios (11.2 and 9.2) higher than marine OM, and the presence of longer chain n-alkanes in the range of C25 to C33, we suggest that bryophytes were possibly a significant organic source to the Ordovician Utica Group in NY. The kerogen type in Utica Group samples is type III, mostly terrestrial OM. The Devonian NY and PA samples show mostly bimodal distributions. In some samples, a secondary, though sometimes dominant, shorter chain peak in the range of C14 to C20 is present, in addition to the long chain peak. We suggest the bimodal n-alkane distribution signifies a mixed OM source consisting of terrestrial and marine contributions with differing degrees of thermal maturation compared to the samples with a unimodal distribution. Our results suggest that samples from the NY Marcellus Group are composed of type III kerogen, while samples from the PA Marcellus Formation, Skaneateles Formation, and Genesee Group contain both type II and type III kerogens.

Oxidative weathering on the continent and seawater upwelling along the passive continental margin promoted widespread phosphorite formation at the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian boundary in South China

The latest Proterozoic to early Cambrian is characterized by major global phosphogenic events and the diversification of complex multicellular life. However, the feedback mechanism of atmospheric oxidation and upwelling processes to form voluminous phosphorite deposits is unclear. South China is a key example of the sedimentary spectrum related to the Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian bloom of oxygenic photosynthesis, with alginite deposits (sapropelite; “stone coal”), barite, polymetallic black shales and phosphorites along the passive continental paleo-margin of the Yangtze craton. Here, we present a comprehensive geochemical analysis of drill core samples from the Zhijin phosphorite deposit, including Cr isotope, Fe speciation, and bulk elemental composition of dolostone, phosphorite and black shale from the Ediacaran to Early Cambrian sequence. The positively fractionated δ53Cr values of 0.11 to 1.81 ‰ of leachates from Ediacaran dolostone and Terreneuvian phosphorite indicate intensive oxidative terrestrial weathering. The phosphorite samples exhibit REE distribution patterns similar to modern seawater and strongly negative Ce anomalies (0.47–0.61), suggesting an oxic, open ocean environment. In contrast, the absence of Ce anomaly, high FeHR/FeT, and Fepy/FeHR ratios, enhanced redox-sensitive element concentrations, high Mo/TOC and TS/TOC, and high molar Corg:P ratios suggest euxinic to anoxic conditions for the overlying black shale sedimentation in a restricted sedimentary marine environment. Bulk-rock shale samples retain the positively fractionated Cr isotope pattern. The dramatic change from oxic to anoxic conditions aligns with the fossil record, which shows a proliferation of small shelly fossils in the phosphorite and their extinction in the overlying black shales, likely by hydrogen sulfide poisoning. We infer that nutrient-rich, oxidized upwelling seawater transported phosphorus and other nutrients to the photic zone, from where organic matter settled down to the seafloor and formed thick phosphorite beds at the oxic-anoxic boundary at and below the seafloor. Our study highlights that atmospheric and seawater oxygenation accelerated the Early Cambrian bio-diversification, and the subsequent restricted basin situation is responsible for the extinction at the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian boundary.

Berthierine/Chamosite ooids and associated phases in Devonian deposits of the Parnaíba Basin, Brazil: Genesis and diagenetic evolution

The Parnaíba Basin Devonian deposits comprise ironstones and organic-rich sediments deposited in an epeiric sea margin under greenhouse conditions, enhanced weathering, reduction of oceanic circulation, and black shale deposition. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the interrelation between depositional and shallow diagenetic processes of the Devonian units of the Parnaíba Basin, specifically regarding the genesis of iron minerals that constitute the ooidal ironstones of the Itaim and Pimenteiras formations. These units comprise bioturbated heterolites, ooidal ironstones, intraclastic conglomerates, and shales, deposited in a deltaic to neritic, storm-dominated platform. This research investigates drill cores from two wells in the southern part of the Parnaiba Basin, focusing on depositional and diagenetic processes. The proposed model suggests deposition of sediments originally rich in organic matter, under low siliciclastic input, and initially anoxic, transgressive conditions. Under these conditions, ferroan precursor clays were deposited, alternating with periods of reworking by storm currents, generating concentric ooids of berthierine. Bioturbation processes resulted in the concentration of previously formed berthierine ooids during intervals of low sedimentation rates. Eodiagenetic microcrystalline siderite formed along the redox boundary between oxic/bioturbated and anoxic zones. Chamosite formed by partial transformation of berthierine, upon incipient mesodiagenetic evolution of the ooidal ironstones. This study contributes to the understanding of depositional and diagenetic conditions in the Devonian section of the Parnaíba Basin, and of similar deposits, offering insights into the formation and development of berthierine ooids under the influence of sea level fluctuations, oxic/anoxic conditions, sedimentation rate, and bioturbation in sedimentary environments, providing key insights into the paleoenvironmental conditions along the northern Gondwana margin during this period.

Controls on Early Cretaceous South Atlantic Ocean circulation and carbon burial – a climate model–proxy synthesis

Abstract. Black shale sediments from the Barremian to Aptian South Atlantic document the intense and widespread burial of marine organic carbon during the initial stages of seafloor spreading between Africa and South America. The enhanced sequestration of atmospheric CO2 makes these young ocean basins potential drivers of the Early Cretaceous carbon cycle and climate perturbations. The opening of marine gateways between initially restricted basins and related circulation and ventilation changes are a commonly invoked explanation for the transient formation and disappearance of these regional carbon sinks. However, large uncertainties in palaeogeographic reconstructions limit the interpretation of available palaeoceanographic data and prevent any robust model-based quantifications of the proposed circulation and carbon burial changes. Here, we present a new approach to assess the principal controls on the Early Cretaceous South Atlantic and Southern Ocean circulation changes under full consideration of the uncertainties in available boundary conditions. Specifically, we use a large ensemble of 36 climate model experiments to simulate the Barremian to Albian progressive opening of the Falkland Plateau and Georgia Basin gateways with different configurations of the proto-Drake Passage, the Walvis Ridge, and atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The experiments are designed to complement available geochemical data across the regions and to test circulation scenarios derived from them. All simulations show increased evaporation and intermediate water formation at subtropical latitudes that drive a meridional overturning circulation whose vertical extent is determined by the sill depth of the Falkland Plateau. The densest water masses formed in the southern Angola Basin and potentially reached the deep Cape Basin as Walvis Ridge Overflow Water. Palaeogeographic uncertainties are as important as the lack of precise knowledge of atmospheric CO2 levels for the simulated temperature and salinity spread in large parts of the South Atlantic. Overall temperature uncertainties reach up to 15 °C and increase significantly with water depth. The ensemble approach reveals temporal changes in the relative importance of geographic and radiative forcings for the simulated oceanographic conditions and, importantly, nonlinear interactions between them. The progressive northward opening of the highly restricted Angola Basin increased the sensitivity of local overturning and upper-ocean stratification to atmospheric CO2 concentrations due to large-scale changes in the hydrological cycle, while the chosen proto-Drake Passage depth is critical for the ocean dynamics and CO2 response in the southern South Atlantic. Finally, the simulated processes are integrated into a recent carbon burial framework to document the principal control of the regional gateway evolution on the progressive shift from the prevailing saline and oxygen-depleted subtropical water masses to the dominance of ventilated high-latitude deep waters.

STRUCTURAL POSITION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE LOWER CRETACEOUS BLACK SHALE DEPOSITS WITHIN THE SILESIAN NAPPE OF THE UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS

The article presents the results of studying the structural position and distribution of potentially oil-generating, organic-enriched Lower Cretaceous black shale deposits of the Shypot Formation, developed within the Silesian Nappe, using the methods of geological mapping and structural analysis. We concluded, that these deposits, which are exposed in the Vicha River basin near the town of Volovets among a continuous field of Oligocene flysch, are the part of the stratigraphic succession of the Silesian Nappe, and they are not a large olistolith or an allochthonous tectonic remnant of another, more internal nappe. Shypot Formation fills a large (1 × 3 km) subvertical tectonic lens. The rocks of the Shypot Formation are represented here by medium-rhythmic flysch: sandstone beds alternating with dark gray and black foliated mudstone (black shale) layers. They are lithified products of both medium-density turbidite flows and hemipelagic deposition of clayey material with a significant amount of organic matter. In the contact zone of the tectonic lens with the surrounding rocks, the deposits are intensively deformed, almost isoclinal folds with subvetrical hinges are observed, which suggest the strike-slip movements. A tectonic mélange is recorded here, which is represented by small blocks (clastolites) of brittle sandstones, sometimes similar to Shypot sandstones, placed in a silt-pelitic ductile matrix. Foliation of the mélange matrix is also subvertical and close to the meridional and/or subcarpathian direction. The structural studies carried out show that in the zone of this contact there were compressive stresses perpendicular to the Carpathian orogen, and stress fields that caused strike-slip movements, most likely right-lateral along the Carpathian thrusts. The tectonic lens is located within the broad Latorytsa-Stryi shear zone, and probably extruded out from deep horizons by transpressive movements (compression and strike-slip) and forms a “positive flower structure”. The vertical foliation in the mélange suggests that small blocks of Shypot sandstones were extruded up together with the ductile mélange matrix during diapirism. Similar processes probably led to the rise of a large lens of Shypot sandstones as the positive flower structure. The studies suggests that the black shale deposits of the Shypot Formation, enriched with organic matter, are widespread at some depth within the Silesian Nappe, and in some places are pushed up to the level of the Oligocene flysch. As a result, the Shypot Formation and Oligocene flysch are now in direct contact along faults/mélange zones. The presence of Lower Cretaceous potentially oil- and gas-generating black shale deposits within the Silesian Nappe significantly increases the prospects for oil and gas exploration in this area.

Element geochemical differences in lower Cambrian black shales with hydrothermal sedimentation in the Yangtze block, South China

Abstract Hydrothermal activities occurred in the Yangtze block, South China, and affected the process of black shale sedimentation in the early Cambrian. Their specific influences, such as the sources, sedimentary environment, and mineralization, have not yet been revealed. Fortunately, the influences are explained through the geochemistry comparison of different wells FY1, XJ1, HY1, and XA1 in northwestern Hunan. The outcomes of the tectonic setting, distinguishable by element indicators, are disorganized. This is caused by the variable element composition, sedimentary recirculation of material source, and hydrothermal materials. FY1, the closest well to Zhangjiajie where Ni–Mo ores were formed by hydrothermal sedimentation, has more different features on the elemental geochemistry, but many indexes still indicate that it is normal sediments. XA1, which is far from the other wells and deposited in the deep-water basin, has significantly more differences in geochemical properties and shows more about normal marine deposition. XJ1 and HY1 are intermediate between them. Based on these wells, the hydrothermal contribution to the black shale sedimentation is not significant. However, some contents of trace and rare earth elements change widely because hydrothermal materials can diffuse and deposit over long distances. The concentration of Ag, As, Ba, Mo, Ba, U, and V generally has dozens of times higher than that of Upper Continental Crust. The early Cambrian environment was primarily anoxic/euxinic with enough sulfur, which is beneficial for enriching metal elements and organic matter. The sequence FY1, XJ1, HY1, and XA1 in turn has the same performance on the distance with Zhangjiajie, different intervals of suboxic environment and element enrichment, and hydrothermal-fluid-addition Ni abundance. Therefore, hydrothermal processes indeed provide materials for element enrichment and support the reducing environment, but the impact of hydrothermal activity decreases on the plane.

Features of determining organometallic compounds in organic matters of black shale using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy

Relevance. The problem of studying organometallic compounds in carbonized and carbonaceous substances is part of the global problem of the structure of natural materials from plant remains and manifestation of ore genesis in organic sedimentary deposits. This problem covers a number of issues. The most pressing one among them is the form of occurrence of finely dispersed gold in the form of organometallic compounds in metal-bearing coals and shales. This is especially true for large gold deposits of black shale strata. Aim. To study the relationship between sedimentation of organic formations and ore genesis in black shale deposits using the example of the Verninskoe deposit (Patom Highlands, Yakutia). Using the SKAUFV hardware and software complex together with ICP-MS and INAA methods, which allow one to assess the degree of Au concentration in organic matter, to substantiate the possibility of determining organometallic compounds of gold that are significant in the processes of sedimentogenesis, lithogenesis and epigenesis. Methods. IR spectroscopy, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results. The authors have determined that the SKAUFV hardware and software complex, together with the ICP-MS and INAA methods, makes it possible to establish the role of organic matter in metasomatism and to identify temperature zonality and the associated gold concentration in the ore zone. To determine the organometallic compounds of Au, structural and genetic indicators (Pm, Ko, PVt+L, PI) were selected. These indicators reflect the significance of sedimentation, diagenesis, catagenesis and epigenesis on Au concentration of in organic matter. These indicators made it possible to assess the level of temperature impact on sedimentary deposits of regional metamorphism and near-ore metasomatism. In this regard, subzones of Au concentration were established in the ore zone, determined by temperature zoning in the form of a manifestation of local metasomatism. The latter was influenced by the protein-fat composition of plants that form organic matter.

The record of marine ingression in western Gondwana from Devonian conodonts in the Amazonas and Solimões basins, Brazil

During the Devonian, the Gondwana supercontinent was in a paleogeographic position in high-latitudes, close to the South Pole. The arrangement of continents, tectonic activity, climate fluctuations, and the evolution of marine life played an important role in the marine ecosystems during this period. Conodont occurrences in high-latitudes are scarce. In the Upper Devonian (Frasnian/Famenian) of western Gondwana, conodonts have been found in anoxic black-shale deposits associated with maximum flooding surface (MFS) of a distal platform, in the Barreirinha Formation of the Amazonas Basin and Jandiatuba Formation of the Solimões Basin, in northern Brazil. The fauna is characterized by low diversity and well-preserved platform and ramiform elements of Mehlina gradata, Ozarkodina sp. aff. O. sannemanni, Cryptotaxis sp. and Polygnathus sp. in the Amazonas Basin and Cryptotaxis sp., Parapolygnathus sp., Pandorinellina sp., and Hibbardella sp. in the Solimões Basin. The conodont faunal association and sedimentary succession suggest a marine ingression in cool water conditions to the Devonian sea of the Amazonian region.

Organic Matter Accumulation in the Upper Permian Dalong Formation from the Lower Yangtze Region, South China

AbstractThe Late Permian was marked by a series of important geological events and widespread organic‐rich black shale depositions, acting as important unconventional hydrocarbon source rocks. However, the mechanism of organic matter (OM) enrichment throughout this period is still controversial. Based on geochemical data, the marine redox conditions, paleogeographic and hydrographic environment, primary productivity, volcanism, and terrigenous input during the Late Permian in the Lower Yangtze region have been studied from the Putaoling section, Chaohu, to provide new insights into OM accumulation. Five Phases are distinguished based on the TOC and environmental variations. In Phase I, anoxic conditions driven by water restriction enhanced OM preservation. In Phase II, euxinic and cycling hydrological environments were the two most substantial controlling factors for the massive OM deposition. During Phase III, intensified terrestrial input potentially diluted the OM in sediment and the presence of oxygen in bottom water weakened the preservation condition. Phase IV was characterized by a relatively higher abundance of mercury (Hg) and TOC (peak at 16.98 wt%), indicating that enhanced volcanism potentially stimulated higher productivity and a euxinic environment. In Phase V, extremely lean OM was preserved as a result of terrestrial dilutions and decreasing primary productivity. Phases I, II and IV are characterized as the most prominent OM‐rich zones due to the effective interactions of the controlling factors, namely paleogeographic, hydrographic environment, volcanism, and redox conditions.

Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian–Toarcian) marine paleoenvironment in Western Europe: sedimentology, geochemistry and organic petrology of the wells Mainzholzen and Wickensen, Hils Syncline, Lower Saxony Basin

AbstractOver the past few decades, Toarcian (Early Jurassic) black shale deposits of NW Europe have been extensively studied, and the possible global and regional mechanisms for their regional variation have been discussed. In this context, the black shales of the Northwest German Basin are still sparsely studied with regard to their palaeo-depositional history. This study aims to understand the connection between regional and global influences on the widespread Early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event by examining two wells covering the Upper Pliensbachian to Upper Toarcian sediments in the Northwestern German Basin. The core intervals were analysed using a multidisciplinary approach, including geochemistry, biostratigraphy and organic petrography. Marine palaeoenvironmental changes were reconstructed, and sediment sequences were stratigraphically classified to allow a supra-regional stratigraphic correlation. The results reveal complex interactions between sea level changes, climate warming, basin confinement, and Tethys–Arctic connectivity resulting in the Toarcian black shale deposition. Upper Pliensbachian sediments were deposited under terrigenous influence, shallow water depths, and predominantly oxic bottom water conditions. The deposition of black shale is characterized by algal organic material input and anoxic bottom water conditions. Strong correlations between water stratification, anoxia, and bioproductivity suggest that global warming and intensification of monsoonal rainfall, continental weathering, and increasing freshwater and nutrient inputs were the main factors controlling the formation of black shales. Prolonged deposition of OM-rich sediments in the NWGB may be related to intensified monsoonal precipitation in northern Europe and enhanced Tethys–Arctic connectivity at the serpentinum–bifrons transition. Graphical Abstract

Coupling data-driven geochemical analysis and ensemble machine learning for automatic identification of oceanic anoxic events

Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) have been recorded across the Phanerozoic and linked with catastrophic events in geological records, including the massive release of CO2 into the atmosphere and mass extinctions of marine animals, particularly during the Cretaceous period (e.g., OAE-2). Overall, the occurrence of OAEs were typically identified based on the deposition of organic-rich black shales, carbon isotopic excursions, and enrichment of redox-sensitive elements. While various OAE intervals have been extensively studied across the Tethys using multiproxy geochemical records, recognizing the expression, and understanding the duration of these events are rather challenging and a subject of active debate. This is further compounded by the time-consuming and expert-demanding analysis to interpret complex geochemical records associated with OAEs. To address these issues, we propose a novel approach by coupling data-driven geochemical analysis and ensemble machine learning to recognize and predict the occurrence of OAE-2 in the Upper Cretaceous based on key geochemical records (δ13Corg, TOC, Mo, V, U) collected from different areas geographically. Considering variation in data availability and completeness, we performed machine learning-based data imputation to fill the gaps in geochemical records without perturbing the overall trends and patterns. With this, our prediction of OAE in various locations using ensemble machine learning, achieving an accuracy of up to 90% in the validation and 78% in the blind test predictions. The model could also match the interpreted OAE-2 intervals from different locations with higher resolution prediction based on the δ13Corg and the TOC as the most important parameters followed by the sensitive redox elements. This suggests that the model utilized similar parameters used by geologists in identifying OAEs, increasing the model interpretability. Application of machine learning and data-driven geochemical analysis could help in providing a robust and time-efficient identification of OAE and find new unexplored OAEs along the stratigraphic records.

Deformation and recrystallization of sulfide interlayers at the Golets Vysochaishii Gold-Ore Black-Shale Deposit

Research subject. The relationship of sulfide interlayers in silt-pelitic rocks with the cleavage of the axial surface at the Golets Vysochaishii gold-ore black-shale deposit (Bodaibo ore district). Methods. The structure of rocks was studied in out-crops, borehole cores, sanded samples, transparent and polished sections. The chemical composition of minerals was determined. Results. It was established that sulfide and sulfide-containing interlayers undergo deformation and recrystallization together with the host silt-pelitic rocks during plastic dynamometamorphic transformations of rocks. Conclusions. Metamorphic transformations of rocks took place in two stages. During the folding-thrust deformations of the first stage, a cleavage of rocks is formed, which leads to the splintering of sulfide interlayers with the orientation of the lenses along the cleavage. Metamorphic transformations of the second stage are manifested in sulfide and sulfide-containing interlayers in the collective recrystallization of their composing minerals with the replacement of surrounding rocks deformed at the previous stage. The second stage is characterized by changes in the mineral composition of rocks, manifested in the substitution of pyrrhotite with pyrite, increase in the iron content of chlorites and carbonates.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ЗОЛОТОРУДНОЙ МИНЕРАЛИЗАЦИИ В УСЛОВИЯХ АМФИБОЛИТОВОЙ ФАЦИИ МЕТАМОРФИЗМА: МЕСТОРОЖДЕНИЕ ЫКАН (БАЙКАЛО-ПАТОМСКИЙ ПОЯС)

Black shale deposits whose metamorphic grade exceeds greenschist-facies of regional metamorphosed rocks are considered by most researchers exclusively from the point of view of the potential to mine alluvial gold. The article presents the results of the study on the Ykan deposit located within the epidote-amphibolite facies zone and its comparison with previously studied deposits localized in the greenschist facies alteration zone. It was found that the Ykan gold deposit is lithologically and stratigraphically confined to the contact between carbonaceous phyllite shales and sandstones of the Aunakit Formation in the anticlinal limb, which is one of the main factors controlling ore localization. The ore mineralization of the deposit is represented by the change of the early diathagenetic pyrite (py-I, py-II) → metamorphogenic pyrrhotite (po, cpy, asp) → metamorphogenic-metasomatic pyrite-polymetallic (cpy, asp, py-III, gln, sph, pn, mrc) → post-ore pyrite (py-IV) associations. The ore stage is characterized by the highest possible TP parameters in the early ore metamorphic phase and their decrease in the ore-productive phase. Data on variations in the isotopic composition of sulfur and lead indicate that they were transported into the ore fluid from the host meta-sedimentary strata of the Aunakit Formation. Comparison of the obtained parameters of the Ykan deposit with the previously studied deposits of Sukhoi Log, Golets the Highest, Ugakhan and Krasnyi made it possible to conclude that we are correct in assigning the Ykan deposit to the group of deposits of the Sukholozhsky genetic type.

Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous of eastern Wollaston Forland, North-East Greenland: a distal marine record of an evolving rift

Two drill cores covering the Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous succession in Wollaston Forland, NE Greenland, offer an exceptional insight into mud-accumulation in an evolving distal fault block. Previous studies have revealed the presence of long-lasting black mudstone accumulation extending through the oxygen-restricted early rift and rift climax phases (Bernbjerg and Lindemans Bugt Formations). Here, we revisit the depositional evolution recorded in these cores to present a detailed description of the sedimentary succession extending into the late syn-rift settings (Palnatokes Bjerg and Stratumbjerg Formations). The results indicate that the Kimmeridgian – lower Volgian early rift-phase was characterized by suspension settling, laminae-scale event deposition in a tectonically-affected, prodeltaic offshore setting. The event-related depositional processes are expressed by starved wave-ripples, scour-and-fill structures, putative mud floccule ripples, and mud-dominated gravity-flow deposits. During the middle Volgian – Ryazanian rift climax phase, the depositional environment evolved into a narrow half-graben that was detached from the proximal depocentre flanking the coarse sediment fueled deltaic coastline. The correlative sedimentary facies in the detached half-graben are bioclastic and pyrite-rich black mudstones documenting suspension settling and gravity flow/mass wasting deposition in sub-storm wave-base slope and basin-floor environments. Black shale sedimentation ended abruptly in the late Ryazanian when the accumulation of condensed, bioturbated deep sea marls was initiated linked to broader oceanographic reorganization concomitant with waning rift activity in the west. Deposition of red bioclastic mudstones with a common gravity-flow component characterized the Hauterivian, potentially representing final draping of the submerged fault block crest. The top of the cored succession is demarcated by the appearance of dark grey bioturbated mudstones of Barremian age, reflecting the onset of regionally continuous deep-sea mud accumulation in thermally subsidizing basins. Although superficially monotonous, the mudstone-dominated succession reveals a highly dynamic depositional system that reflects shifting marine processes during almost a full rift cycle.

Spatial distribution of molybdenum in catchment sediments in the Sino-Mongolian border region

The Sino-Mongolian border region is an important exploration hotspot in the Asia-Pacific margin and hosts one of the three major porphyry Cu-Au-Mo mineralization belts in the world. Variations in the concentration and spatial distribution of Mo in the region can indirectly reflect the distribution of other minerals, such as copper; therefore, Mo has been widely used as a pathfinder element for geochemical prospecting for porphyry Cu deposits. However, comprehensive and integrated analytical studies of single elements (e.g., Mo) in the Sino-Mongolian border region are lacking. Therefore, this study collected 10,453 catchment sediment samples from the study region and analyzed 69 elements. The concentration of Mo in these samples ranged from 0.10 to 84.96 mg/kg, with a median and mean of 0.84 mg/kg (considered the geochemical background value) and 0.97 mg/kg, respectively. The factors influencing the Mo concentration and spatial distribution along the Sino-Mongolian border region were investigated in terms of geological background, climate, precipitation, mineral distribution, and exploitation history. Influenced by climate and precipitation, Mo in catchment sediments is solubilized and easily transported under the oxidizing effect of hypergenesis. Mo concentrations were low in forested areas along the Altai Mountains in the west and Da Hinggan Ling Mountains in the east. Sixteen high-concentration Mo areas (geochemical province/domain, > 1.07 mg/kg, > Q75%) that contained 46 Mo geochemical anomalies (> 1.24 mg/kg, > Q85%) were circumscribed in this study. These anomalous areas were mainly related to the widespread distribution of minerals, coal-forming strata, and black shale deposits in the region. Compared to previous studies, this study identified more concentrated geochemical anomaly areas with a wider distribution in the Sino-Mongolian border region and provided higher quality geochemical data to promote further mineral exploration and support environmental change studies in this area.

Biostratigraphy, Lithology and Geochemistry of the Lower and Middle Cambrian Rocks in the Kyulenke River Basin: First Results of Borehole Core Study

Abstract —We have studied biostratigraphy, lithology and geochemistry of drill cores from the Kyulenke River basin. The study of fossil remains and rock compositions, the analysis of trilobite distributions and changes in the lithological and geochemical characteristics of the sediments made it possible to identify structural features of the marker horizons, to correlate borehole sections and outcrops, to compare individual Cambrian intervals and the regional zones of the Yudoma–Olenek facies region of the Siberian Platform. The study has shown rocks of the Kuonamka Fomation to be enriched in uranium (U) and revealed a direct relationship between the contents of U and organic carbon (Corg) in the analyzed rocks, typical for the lower and middle Cambrian black shale deposits sampled from the outcrops in the eastern parts of the Siberian Platform. For the first time, a relationship of rock radioactivity by gamma-ray logging with the contents of U and Corg in Cambrian rocks was established.