Early Ediacaran Research Articles

Chapter 21 Middle thrust sheets in the Caledonide orogen, Sweden: the outer margin of Baltica, the continent–ocean transition zone and late Cambrian–Ordovician subduction–accretion

Abstract Nappes of continental outer and outermost margin affinities (Middle Allochthon) were transported from locations west of the present Norwegian coast and thrust eastwards onto the Baltoscandian foreland basin and platform. They are of higher metamorphic grade than underlying thrust sheets and most are more penetratively deformed. These allochthons are treated here in three groups. The lower thrust sheets comprise Paleoproterozoic crystalline basement (e.g. Tännäs Augen Gneiss Nappe) and greenschist facies, Neoproterozoic, siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks (e.g. Offerdal Nappe). These are overthrust by a Cryogenian−Ediacaran succession intruded by c. 600 Ma dolerites (Baltoscandian Dyke Swarm) with an affinity to mid-ocean ridge basalt containing normal to enriched incompatible element contents (Särv Nappes). The upper sheets are dominated by higher-grade allochthons (Seve Nappe Complex) with similar, mainly siliciclastic sedimentary protoliths, more mafic magmatism and some solitary ultramafic bodies. Within this early Ediacaran continent−ocean transition zone (COT) assemblage, generally metamorphosed in amphibolite facies, some nappes experienced migmatization, and eclogites are present. Evidence of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism has been obtained from garnet peridotites and eclogites; recently, microdiamonds have been discovered in paragneisses. Subduction of the COT started by the late Cambrian and accretion continued through the Ordovician, prior to the Baltica–Laurentia collision. Thrusting of all these Middle allochthons onto the foreland basin exceeds a distance of 400 km.

Neoproterozoic magmatic evolution of the southern Ouaddaï Massif (Chad)

This paper presents new petrological, geochemical, isotopic (Nd) and geochronological data on magmatic rocks from the poorly known southern Ouaddaï massif, located at the southern edge of the so-called Saharan metacraton. This area is made of greenschist to amphibolite facies metasediments intruded by large pre- to syn-tectonic batholiths of leucogranites and an association of monzonite, granodiorite and biotite granite forming a late tectonic high-K calc-alkaline suite. U-Pb zircon dating yields ages of 635 ± 3 Ma and 613 ± 8 Ma on a peraluminous biotite-leucogranite (containing numerous inherited Archean and Paleoproterozoic zircon cores) and a muscovite-leucogranite, respectively. Geochemical fingerprints are very similar to some evolved Himalayan leucogranites suggesting their parental magmas were formed after muscovite and biotite dehydration melting of metasedimentary rocks. A biotite-granite sample belonging to the late tectonic high-K to shoshonitic suite contains zircon rims that yield an age of 540 ± 5 Ma with concordant inherited cores crystallized around 1050 Ma. Given the high-Mg# (59) andesitic composition of the intermediate pyroxene-monzonite, the very similar trace-element signature between the different rock types and the unradiogenic isotopic signature for Nd, the late-kinematic high-K to shoshonitic rocks formed after melting of the enriched mantle and further differentiation in the crust. These data indicate that the southern Ouaddaï was part of the Pan-African belt. It is proposed that it represents a continental back-arc basin characterized by a high-geothermal gradient during Early Ediacaran leading to anatexis of middle to lower crustal levels. After tectonic inversion during the main Pan-African phase, late kinematic high-K to shoshonitic plutons emplaced during the final post-collisional stage.

Wide but not ubiquitous distribution of glendonite in the Doushantuo Formation, South China: Implications for Ediacaran climate

Glendonites are pseudomorphs of syndepositional or early authigenic ikaite (CaCO3·6H2O) that often forms at near-freezing temperatures. Silicified glendonite has been reported from inner-shelf deposits of the lower Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation at a single stratigraphic section in South China, where they are stratigraphically associated with the positive δ13C excursion EP1 but predate the negative δ13C excursion EN3 (=Shuram excursion), indicating a period of cool climate somewhere between ~609 Ma and ~551 Ma. This interpretation predicts a wider geographic distribution of Ediacaran glendonites in equivalent strata in the Yangtze Block of South China. To test this prediction, we conducted a regional survey of Doushantuo Formation and found that, although glendonites are not universally present, they occur in expected stratigraphic intervals and in association with EP1 at two new sections representing inner-shelf and intrashelf basin facies. The wide but not ubiquitous distribution of Doushantuo glendonites indicates that ikaite precipitation and glendonite formation was controlled by both regional climatic and local geochemical factors. Glendonites at the new localities are stellate clusters pseudomorphed by calcite spar and sometimes are rimmed with silica. The calcite spar is characterized by highly variable and mostly negative δ13C values as low as −37‰, indicating that diagenetic transformation of precursor ikaite to calcitic glendonite may be related to anaerobic oxidation of organic matter or methane in sediment. The new data suggest an early Ediacaran cold period prior to EN3 or the Shuram excursion and facilitation of glendonite/ikaite formation by both climatic and local geochemical conditions such as redox conditions and phosphate concentrations.

The Early Ediacaran Caveasphaera Foreshadows the Evolutionary Origin of Animal-like Embryology.

The Ediacaran Weng'an Biota (Doushantuo Formation, 609 Ma old) is a rich microfossil assemblage that preserves biological structure to a subcellular level of fidelity and encompasses a range of developmental stages [1]. However, the animal embryo interpretation of the main components of the biota has been the subject of controversy [2, 3]. Here, we describe the development of Caveasphaera, which varies in morphology from lensoid to a hollow spheroidal cage [4] to a solid spheroid [5] but has largely evaded description and interpretation. Caveasphaera is demonstrably cellular and develops within an envelope by cell division and migration, first defining the spheroidal perimeter via anastomosing cell masses that thicken and ingress as strands of cells that detach and subsequently aggregate in a polar region. Concomitantly, the overall diameter increases as does the volume of the cell mass, but after an initial phase of reductive palinotomy, the volume of individual cells remains the same through development. The process of cell ingression, detachment, and polar aggregation is analogous to gastrulation; together with evidence of functional cell adhesion and development within an envelope, this is suggestive of a holozoan affinity. Parental investment in the embryonic development of Caveasphaera and co-occurring Tianzhushania and Spiralicellula, as well as delayed onset of later development, may reflect an adaptation to the heterogeneous nature of the early Ediacaran nearshore marine environments in which early animals evolved.

Petrological, geochemical and isotopic data of Neoproterozoic rock units from Uruguay and South Africa: Correlation of basement terranes across the South Atlantic

Felsic to intermediate igneous rocks from the Cuchilla Dionisio (or Punta del Este) Terrane (CDT) in Uruguay and the Várzea do Capivarita Complex (VCC) in southern Brazil were emplaced in the Tonian and experienced high-grade metamorphism towards the end of the Cryogenian. Geological and geochemical data indicate an S-type origin and formation in a continental within-plate setting by recycling of lower crustal material that was initially extracted from the mantle in the Palaeoproterozoic. Similar felsic igneous rocks of Tonian age occur in the Richtersveld Igneous Complex and the Vredefontein and Rosh Pinah formations in westernmost South Africa and southern Namibia and have been correlated with their supposed equivalents in Uruguay and Brazil. Geochemical and isotope data of the largely unmetamorphosed felsic igneous rocks in southwestern Africa imply a within-plate origin and formation by partial melting or fractional crystallization of mafic rocks that were extracted from the mantle in the Proterozoic. The parental melts of all of these Tonian igneous rocks from South America and southwestern Africa formed in an anorogenic continental setting at the western margin of the Kalahari Craton and were emplaced in, and/or contaminated by, Namaqua Province-type basement after separation from their source region. However, the source regions and the time of extractions thereof are different and, moreover, occurred at different palaeogeographical latitudes.New petrological data of CDT high-grade gneiss indicate a geothermal gradient of c. 20–25 °C/km, implying continental collisional tectonics following subduction and ocean basin closure at an active continental margin at the eastern edge of present-day South America in the late Cryogenian to early Ediacaran. The associated suture may be traced by the high-grade gneiss and amphibolite-facies mafic rocks in the CDT and probably continues northwards to the Arroio Grande Complex and the VCC in southern Brazil.

Spatial and temporal evolution of Ediacaran carbon and sulfur cycles in the Lower Yangtze Block, South China

Major radiations of microscopic and macroscopic eukaryotes occurred respectively in the early and middle Ediacaran Period. Various hypotheses have been proposed to attribute these evolutionary events to changes in ocean redox conditions. To date, published models of the Ediacaran ocean in South China have largely been focused on the Upper and Middle Yangtze blocks, as opposed to the slope and basin sections of the Lower Yangtze Block, where the oldest complex macrofossils of the Ediacaran (i.e. the ~600 Ma Lantian Biota) are preserved. To achieve a holistic understanding of the record of ocean chemistry in the entire Yangtze Block, we carried out carbon (δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg) and sulfur (δ34SCAS and δ34Spyr) isotopic investigations of four new sections (i.e., Wujialing, Meishuxia, Wangfu and Zhushuwu) in the Lower Yangtze Block, in addition to one previously reported drill core at Lantian. The Doushantuo and Lantian formations at these sections represent shelf margin, upper slope, lower slope, and deep basin environments. In conjunction with previous work on sections of the Upper and Middle Yangtze blocks, our study reconstructs the redox structure of the entire Ediacaran ocean in South China. The new results show profound δ13Ccarb negative excursions in the slope and deep basinal sections, which can be correlated to the EN3 and Shuram excursions at a global scale. Notably, the δ13Ccarb and δ34Spyr profiles from shelf to basinal sections show distinct spatial and temporal patterns, which can be explained by model of a redox stratified ocean during the early and middle Ediacaran Period. The finding of isotopically light (34S-depleted) pyrite from this time suggests that the oceanic chemocline extended to intermediate depth. Integrating this study with existing ecological and taphonomic data, it is likely that marine redox stratification in the early Ediacaran limited the spatial distribution of early metazoans in the Lower Yangtze Block.

Organically-preserved multicellular eukaryote from the early Ediacaran Nyborg Formation, Arctic Norway

Eukaryotic multicellularity originated in the Mesoproterozoic Era and evolved multiple times since, yet early multicellular fossils are scarce until the terminal Neoproterozoic and often restricted to cases of exceptional preservation. Here we describe unusual organically-preserved fossils from mudrocks, that provide support for the presence of organisms with differentiated cells (potentially an epithelial layer) in the late Neoproterozoic. Cyathinema digermulense gen. et sp. nov. from the Nyborg Formation, Vestertana Group, Digermulen Peninsula in Arctic Norway, is a new carbonaceous organ-taxon which consists of stacked tubes with cup-shaped ends. It represents parts of a larger organism (multicellular eukaryote or a colony), likely with greater preservation potential than its other elements. Arrangement of open-ended tubes invites comparison with cells of an epithelial layer present in a variety of eukaryotic clades. This tissue may have benefitted the organism in: avoiding overgrowth, limiting fouling, reproduction, or water filtration. C. digermulense shares characteristics with extant and fossil groups including red algae and their fossils, demosponge larvae and putative sponge fossils, colonial protists, and nematophytes. Regardless of its precise affinity, C. digermulense was a complex and likely benthic marine eukaryote exhibiting cellular differentiation, and a rare occurrence of early multicellularity outside of Konservat-Lagerstätten.

Rare earth element geochemistry of Australian Neoproterozoic carbonate: Constraints on the Neoproterozoic oxygenation events

Carbonate successions are principal geochemical archives of the extraordinary environmental changes that occurred during the Neoproterozoic Era. In this study, we present a stratigraphic record of carbonate rare earth element (REE) compositions from Neoproterozoic and Cambrian strata in central and southern Australia. The new REE results provide insight into the redox conditions of the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian ocean, the influence of glacial meltwater on carbonate precipitation, and Neoproterozoic-Cambrian paleoenvironmental changes. High Ce/Ce* and low Y/Ho suggest that the major Neoproterozoic and Cambrian carbonate accumulations of central and southern Australia formed in restricted marine environments that were largely dysoxic. Elevated ∑REE of mid-Cryogenian and early Ediacaran carbonate from the Amadeus Basin (central Australia) and King Island (Tasmania), respectively, are interpreted to reflect increased detrital mineral flux following periods of Cryogenian glaciation. REE data from the basal Ediacaran Cumberland Creek Dolostone of King Island suggest a transient episode of ocean oxidation in the wake of the terminal Cryogenian glaciation, but the balance of evidence suggests dominantly low oxygen ocean conditions during carbonate deposition in the remainder of the Neoproterozoic Era. An apparent mismatch in timing between carbonate deposition in central and southern Australia versus previously proposed mid-to-late-Ediacaran oxygenation events based on geochemical results from strata of South China highlights what may be important factors in reconciling varied geochemical records of Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic ocean oxygenation.

Seawater-buffered diagenesis, destruction of carbon isotope excursions, and the composition of DIC in Neoproterozoic oceans

Carbonate sediments of nonglacial Cryogenian (659 to 649 Ma) and early Ediacaran (635 to 590 Ma) age exhibit large positive and negative δ13Ccarb excursions in a shallow-water marine platform in northern Namibia. The same excursions are recorded in fringing deep-sea fans and in carbonate platforms on other paleocontinents. However, coeval carbonates in the upper foreslope of the Namibian platform, and to a lesser extent in the outermost platform, have relatively uniform δ13Ccarb compositions compatible with dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the modern ocean. We attribute the uniform values to fluid-buffered diagenesis that occurred where seawater invaded the sediment in response to geothermal porewater convection. This attribution, which is testable with paired Ca and Mg isotopes, implies that large δ13Ccarb excursions observed in Neoproterozoic platforms, while sedimentary in origin, do not reflect the composition of ancient open-ocean DIC.

Cellular preservation of excysting developmental stages of new eukaryotes from the early Ediacaran Weng’an Biota

The Ediacaran Weng’an Biota provides a unique window on marine diversity during the interval in which the fundamental animal body plans were being established. Here we describe a previously unreported component of the assemblage, millimeter-scale encysted spheres that exhibit a characteristic but simple slit-shaped excystment mechanism (Sporosphaera guizhouensis n. gen. n. sp.), reminiscent of acritarchs. The cysts contain a large inner body or numerous small discrete membrane-bounded bodies. It is possible that the inner bodies represent disaggregated cells of a multicellular body, like an embryo, but there is no evidence to support this interpretation and the occurrence of the excystment structure is not readily compatible with an embryo interpretation. Rather, we interpret the encysted organisms as multicellular stages within the lifecycle of otherwise probably unicellular eukaryotes. The developmental mode exhibited by Sporosphaera, incorporating a resting stage, implies an adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. This parallels the appearance of Large Ornamented Ediacaran Microfossils (LOEMs) which have been interpreted as diapause stages in the embryology of early animals. Sporosphaera is distinct from LOEMs by ornamentation instead of size, which may implicate that not all LOEMs are animal embryos, if any.

Coupled evolution of nitrogen cycling and redoxcline dynamics on the Yangtze Block across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition

The Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is characterized by the evolution of complex eukaryotes and rapid diversification of metazoans. However, linkages between environmental triggers and evolutionary patterns remain unclear. Here, we present high-resolution records of carbon and nitrogen isotopic data (δ13C, δ15N) for a drill core extending from the early Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation to the early Cambrian Jiumenchong Formation, located on the slope of the Yangtze Block. Our data show that sedimentary bulk nitrogen isotope values (δ15Nbulk) decrease progressively from the early Ediacaran to the early Cambrian, broadly concurrent with nitrogen isotope data from other sections throughout the Yangtze Block. During the early Ediacaran, however, δ15Nbulk values from our study are higher (maximum 11.2‰) compared to those from more restricted coeval sections, suggesting a higher degree of denitrification in our slope section. The early Ediacaran δ15Nbulk data from the Yangtze Block may thus provide indirect evidence for an upwelling system that led to a shallower redoxcline in slope environments of the Upper Yangtze region. Widespread light δ15Nbulk values from the early Cambrian (minimum −7.5‰) paired with excess silicate-bound nitrogen throughout much of the Yangtze Block are most parsimoniously interpreted as non-quantitative assimilation of ammonium (NH4+) with relatively high concentrations of NH4+ accumulating in the deep basin. Overall, the spatial and temporal trends in nitrogen cycling across the Yangtze Block suggest that fixed nitrogen was more bioavailable in the Ediacaran-Cambrian Yangtze Basin compared to previously studied Mesoproterozoic sections, although nitrogen speciation in the photic zone may have varied with time. Environmental factors such as oxygen levels and nitrogen bioavailability may have shaped the evolutionary trajectory of life on the Yangtze Block and potentially elsewhere across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition.

Tubular microfossils from the Ediacaran Weng’an Biota (Doushantuo Formation, South China) are not early animals

The early Ediacaran Weng’an Biota (ca. 609 Ma) of the Doushantuo Formation (Guizhou Province, China) encompasses an abundant and exquisitely preserved assemblage of phosphatic microfossils that have provided unique insight into the origin and early evolution of multicellular eukaryotes. However, the affinities of these early organisms are far from certain, including the tubular microfossils Crassitubulus, Quadratitubus, Ramitubulus, and Sinocyclocylcicus. These taxa have been widely accepted as stem-cnidarians or, alternatively, interpreted as filamentous cyanobacteria, or multicellular algae. We use high-resolution X-ray tomographic microscopy to analyse the structure and development of the four taxa. Our data and analysis allow us to conclude that these four taxa were not biomineralized. Crassitubulus, Quadratitubus, and Sinocyclocylcicus, may be grouped on the basis that they exhibit alternating complete and incomplete cross walls, and bipolar growth; which makes them favourably comparable to filamentous cyanobacteria. In contrast, Ramitubulus exhibits only complete cross walls, unipolar growth and dichotomous branching. These features are difficult to reconcile with a cyanobacterial interpretation. They are, instead, more indicative of multicellular algae-like Cambrian Epiphyton. Thus, the Weng’an tubular microfossils constitute a disparate assemblage of cyanobacteria and algae, but none represents early Ediacaran animals.

Neoproterozoic marine dolomite hardgrounds and their relationship to cap dolomites

Neoproterozoic cap dolomites are unusual and distinctive marker units that occur after large Cryogenian glaciations. Several thin dolomite units that have features resembling cap dolomites occur within the Cryogenian-Ediacaran succession of the Adelaide Geosyncline. While each of these dolomite units has distinctive features, they also share many similarities with cap dolomites including: stratigraphic thickness ranging from several centimetres to several metres; impure dolomicrite composition; graded beds with a sharp top that become more dolomite-rich upwards; and evidence of volume expansion in the form of sheet cracks, tepees or other soft- sediment deformation structures. The carbon isotopic compositions for these thin dolomite horizons have values ranging from ∼−5 to +2 per mil VPDB, which overlap those commonly found in both Sturtian and Marinoan cap dolomites. The generally negative carbon isotope compositions of these dolomites and cap dolomites is most easily explained by mixing of marine and authigenic carbonate.Sedimentological evidence indicates the graded beds within cap dolomites and other dolomite units are a form of submarine hardground or firmground, where dolomicrite is precipitated authigenically at or near the seafloor during periods of little or no sedimentation. Dolomite replacement of clay and other silicates is an important process in the formation of these dolomicrite firmgrounds. Volume expansion structures are a product of this near-surface dolomicrite precipitation, brought about by the high degrees of dolomite supersaturation with a consequent large force of crystallization and unlimited (marine) carbonate source for the precipitating dolomite.We suggest that this deepwater authigenic dolomicrite precipitation is a result of the dominantly anoxic nature of Cryogenian- early Ediacaran oceans and caused by alkalinity-producing anoxic bacterial reactions. When sedimentation rates slow sufficiently (e.g. during transgressions), thin dolomicrite horizons are produced. In this hypothesis, cap dolomites may largely be the result of sediment starvation, combined with a possible increase in carbonate saturation during and following the post-glacial transgressions associated with the Sturtian and Marinoan glacial events. This scenario explains most of the sedimentological features of these unusual carbonates. The widespread development of such authigenic carbonate would have profound implications for the interpretation of Precambrian marine carbon isotopic compositions.

Late Cryogenian glaciation in South Australia: Fluctuating ice margin and no extreme or rapid post-glacial sea-level rise

Postulated extreme sea-level rise of up to 1–1.5 km with the late Cryogenian Ghaub deglaciation in Namibia is contentious, as is the great rapidity (<104 yr) of the sea-level rise. Such extreme glacioeustatic events, if real, would have been global and affected all continents. In South Australia, up to six glacial advances and retreats during the late Cryogenian Elatina glaciation indicate a fluctuating ice margin. The latter stage of the Elatina glaciation and the immediate post-glacial environment are examined here for evidence of extreme and rapid sea-level rise. In the central Adelaide Rift Complex, diamictite with faceted and striated clasts occurs at the top of the Elatina Formation <1–2 m beneath the early Ediacaran Nuccaleena Formation ‘cap carbonate’. One hundred kilometres to the south, ∼30 m of siltstone and sandstone followed by ∼6 m of clast-poor diamictite with clasts 10 + cm long occur between tidal rhythmites and the cap carbonate. Three hundred kilometres further south, ∼70 m of siltstone, dolomitic siltstone and minor dolomite separate tidal rhythmites and early Ediacaran strata. Hence the rhythmites were deposited during a high stand (interstadial or interglacial), not during post-glacial sea-level rise. Storm-generated erosional surfaces within tidal rhythmites at Warren Gorge indicate intermittent rhythmite deposition, and water depth and other palaeoenvironmental factors are uncertain, casting doubt on a published estimate of rapid sea-level rise during rhythmite deposition. The lack of late Cryogenian deeply incised valleys and thick valley-fill deposits in South Australia and central Australia argues against extreme sea-level variations. A hiatus occurred between Elatina deglaciation and deposition of the Nuccaleena cap carbonate, and three palaeomagnetic polarity chrons identified in the cap carbonate imply slow deposition spanning 105–106 yr. This is supported by independent evidence from magnetic chronostratigraphy for Ediacaran strata in South Australia and California, and by stratigraphic and sedimentological arguments for condensed deposition of cap carbonates. It is concluded that neither extreme nor rapid sea-level rise was associated with late Cryogenian deglaciation in South Australia.

Geochronological and geochemical constraints on Late Cryogenian to Early Ediacaran magmatic rocks on the northern Tarim Craton: implications for tectonic setting and affinity with Gondwana

ABSTRACTThe Tarim Craton provides a geologic record of both the fragmentation of the Rodinian supercontinent and the subsequent assembly of Gondwana. However, the timing and interactions of these radically different tectonic processes remain contested. A critical part of this debate revolves around the Late Cryogenian-Ediacaran igneous rocks along the Craton’s northern margin, specifically, whether they record super-plume related Rodinian breakup or Gondwanan orogeny. To address this issue, we present zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic data and whole rock geochemistry from Late Cryogenian to Early Ediacaran granitoids of the northern Tarim Craton. U-Pb zircon ages reveal three magmatic periods along the northern Tarim margin: ca. 660–640 Ma, 635–625 Ma and 620–600 Ma, associated with small scale felsic and mafic magmas. These granitoids have an A2-type affinity and are enriched in alkalines, but are depleted in Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti. Elemental data and generally negative εHf(t) values (−13.96 to 1.65) suggest that they were mainly derived from partial melting of enriched, subduction-modified lithospheric mantle triggered by upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle along the active continental margin of northern Tarim. We suggest that the Tarim Craton travelled as an isolated plate for much of the Late Neoproterozoic, near the outer part of Rodinia and subsequently Gondwana. During this time it was affected by localized and periodic subduction-related intrusion and eruption. However, within the samples of this study, there is no U-Pb-Hf isotopic and whole-rock geochemical evidence to support either super-plume-related rifting (i.e. Rodinian breakup) or Pan-African orogeny (i.e. Gondwanan assembly).

Coeval Early Ediacaran Breakup of Amazonia, Baltica, and Laurentia: Evidence From Micro‐Baddeleyite Dating of Dykes From the Novillo Canyon, Mexico

AbstractFinal Rodinia supercontinent breakup during the early Ediacaran is recorded by mafic dyke swarms in Baltica and Laurentia, but corresponding dykes have been elusive for Amazonia, the third craton involved. We report ages and compositions for plume‐related dykes intruded into Rodinia‐type basement of the Novillo Gneiss, part of a microcontinent placed between Amazonia and Baltica in Rodinia reconstructions. In situ U‐Pb micro‐baddeleyite dating with secondary ion mass spectrometry yielded dyke intrusion ages of 619 ± 9 Ma (95% c.i.), coeval with ages of similar dykes from Baltica and Laurentia. A younger age group is consistent with an earlier 40Ar‐39Ar age at ~545 Ma, reflecting Pb loss and recrystallization during hydrothermal alteration. The results indicate an Amazonia‐Baltica‐Laurentia connection prior to opening of the Iapetus Ocean and suggest a previously unrecognized superplume‐related large igneous province extending over all sides of the former triple point. Weathering of these large igneous province basalts may have contributed to Ediacaran Gaskiers glaciation.

Zn isotopic evolution in early Ediacaran ocean: A global signature

The Zn isotope composition of sedimentary archives reveals key biosphere–lithosphere interactions throughout geologic history. A recent Zn isotope study of Ediacaran cap carbonates from South Australia revealed that the local isotopic profile reflects global changes in oceanic chemistry. To examine this critical assumption, this study investigates a high-resolution zinc isotope profile of Marinoan post-glacial cap carbonates from the Yangtze Platform, South China. Stratigraphic variations in Zn isotope data from this study are similar to previously reported sections in South Australia and South China. The remarkable isotopic similarity between the two sections that were deposited on distant, geographically separated continental blocks demonstrates that the Zn isotopic variations reflect changing global signatures of the early Ediacaran ocean. This study highlights the value of Zn isotopes in sediments as a global proxy for paleoceanographic studies.We interpret the systematic stratigraphic changes in the Zn isotope composition of the studied post-glacial Marinoan carbonates as a global oceanic trend controlled mainly by varying inputs and outputs of Zn to the ocean. Decreasing δ66Zn values in the lowermost part of the section are attributed to the global precipitation of carbonate enriched in the heavier Zn isotope. A positive shift in the middle part of the section is explained by the non-quantitative removal of isotopically lighter Zn by sulfide minerals. Lower δ66Zn values in the uppermost part likely reflect the changing contributions of continental weathering and sulfide precipitation. Our data suggest that non-quantitative removal of Zn by sulfides is a previously unrecognized sink for zinc in the oceans.

Neoproterozoic magmatic and metamorphic events in the Cuchilla Dionisio Terrane, Uruguay, and possible correlations across the South Atlantic

The Cuchilla Dionisio (or Punta del Este) Terrane of the southern Dom Feliciano Belt, eastern Uruguay, experienced a prolonged Neoproterozoic to Cambrian tectonothermal evolution. Zircon and monazite age data from orthogneisses of the basement of the terrane (Cerro Olivo Complex) provide evidence of widespread magmatism at c. 780 Ma and high-grade, up to granulite-facies metamorphism between 655 and 632 Ma. Isotope data imply that the orthogneiss protolithic melts formed in a within-plate, rift-related setting by Neoproterozoic (re-) melting of lower crustal material that was extracted from the mantle during the Palaeoproterozoic. We show that the terrane extends further north than previously thought. The presence of inherited Meso- and Palaeoproterozoic zircon grains indicates the existence of older crustal components in the terrane. The ages of the detrital zircon grains and their Hf isotope signatures cannot be explained by a Río de la Plata Craton provenance but are consistent with a southern African Kalahari Craton origin. Ar-Ar ages of 628 and 625 Ma were obtained on magnesiohornblende in amphibolite from the northern Cuchilla Dionisio Terrane, whose protolith formed in an Ediacaran back-arc basin. These ages are interpreted as the time of amphibolite-facies metamorphism. Thus, crustal convergence between the Kalahari (or Congo?) and the Río de la Plata Craton and subduction of the intervening oceanic basin must have been underway between 655 and 625 Ma.The early Neoproterozoic basement of the Cuchilla Dionisio Terrane is part of the southern African Namaqua Province that was separated from the Kalahari Craton during Rodinia break-up and opening of the southern Adamastor Ocean in the Tonian. Closure of this ocean in the late Cryogenian to early Ediacaran was associated with arc magmatism and high-temperature metamorphism of the Cuchilla Dionisio Terrane basement. A back-arc basin formed and was closed between this arc and the western African margin. Relics of this basin were obducted onto the Cuchilla Dionisio Terrane at c. 625 Ma. Late Neoproterozoic intrusive igneous rocks from the Cuchilla Dionisio and the Coastal terranes were emplaced in a supra-subduction setting (at least in Uruguay) and have the same Hf isotope signature.

Positive cerium anomaly in the Doushantuo cap carbonates from the Yangtze platform, South China: Implications for intermediate water column manganous conditions in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation

Oxygenation exerted an important control on the emergence and diversification of metazoans in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation. However, the relationship between the oceanic dissolved O2 (DO) levels and early metazoan evolution remains equivocal. To provide a temporal and spatial reconstruction of the redox conditions for this critical interval, this study investigates the early Ediacaran cap carbonate deposits within intra shelf facies at three localities in the Three Gorges area, the Yangtze platform, South China. Trace and rare earth elements are sequentially extracted from the carbonate fraction for pristine temporal seawater signals. The Member II dolostones of the Duoshantuo Formation, which overlies the cap carbonates, show a negative Ce anomaly. No Ce anomaly is observed in the lower units of the cap carbonates. In contrast, positive Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce* > 1.3) in the uppermost part of the cap carbonates are observed in all studied sections. These positive Ce anomalies are accompanied by high Mn/Fe ratios (ranging from 5.04 to 14.96) and slightly positive MREE anomalies, suggesting that a Fe-Mn-(oxyhydro) oxide coparticipation occurred during the cap carbonate deposition. The positive Ce anomalies may result from the reductive dissolution of the Ce-enriched Mn-(oxyhydro) oxides across a Mn(IV)/Mn(II) redoxcline, in a distinct manganous water wedge that was sandwiched between well-oxygenated and anoxic ferruginous deep water layers. This wedge may have exhibited low oxygen conditions, with approximately 10 µM DO (dissolved oxygen), in comparison to the >90 µM DO expected in an oxic setting and 0 µM DO in an anoxic setting. Therefore, the presence of a positive Ce anomaly in the uppermost part of the cap carbonates indicates a new intermediate manganous condition and further elucidates the water column redox structure that existed following the end of the Marinoan glaciation. Early Ediacaran metazoans were possibly restricted to fully oxygenated conditions and were absent in the manganous or ferruginous-rich environments.

Astronomical time scale for the lower Doushantuo Formation of early Ediacaran, South China

Nearly 90% of the Ediacaran Period (635–541 Ma) of the Neoproterozoic is represented by the Doushantuo Formation (DST Fm) in South China. Its lowest Member I is a 3.7 m-thick cap carbonate deposited at the termination of the Cryogenian Marinoan glaciation. The DST Fm consists of alternating organic-rich black shale and thinly bedded dolostone, and it contains some of the oldest records of multi-cellular life and three pronounced negative carbon isotope excursions. The Jiulongwan (JLW) section is a well-studied reference section for these Ediacaran events. Spectral analysis of geochemical data through the lower DST Fm (22.3 m) shows 27 predominant ∼90 cm sedimentary cycles that correspond to 405-ka long eccentricity cycles. The power spectra of the 405-ka tuned Ca and Fe/Ti series show significant peaks at ∼1.2-Ma, 405-ka, 133-ka, 128-ka, 100-ka, 82-ka, ∼31-ka and 29-ka periods, respectively. A 11.16 Ma-long astronomical time scale has been constructed for the lower DST Fm and provide a duration of 1.6 Ma for the cap carbonate (Member I) based on the 405-ka long eccentricity cycle tuning. Using the U-Pb age of 635.2 ± 0.6 Ma for the volcanic ash bed at the Member I/II boundary, we proposed a 636.8 Ma age for the base of the DST Fm. These ages and astronomical timescale provide important new constraints on the subdivision of Ediacaran strata, and have implications for understanding the character of the first negative δ13C excursion (EN1). Orbital forcing may have been played an important role for the climate changes and the evolution of Ediacaran multi-cellular life and the carbon cycle variations.