Hirnantian Glaciation Research Articles

Ordovician strata of the Indian subcontinent

Abstract Ordovician rocks of the Indian Tethyan Himalaya contain a conspicuous angular unconformity between mostly marine Cambrian and overlying terrestrial Ordovician strata, which is a record of the Kurgiakh Orogeny. This tectonic event is traceable across the Tethyan Himalaya from Pakistan to Bhutan. The Pin Formation in the Spiti Valley provides a high-resolution account of the marine depositional history, palaeontology and isotope geochemistry of Late Ordovician events. The middle (Takche) member is late Katian and the upper Mikkim Member is lower Silurian (Llandovery), based on an ozarkodinid conodont fauna. The Pin Formation records the Boda event, the last warming interval prior to Hirnantian glaciation. The δ 13 C carb chemostratigraphic data allow precise global correlation, and recognition of the Paroveja positive excursion, the last major excursion of the Katian. The Mikkim Member records a ‘lower HICE’ (Hirnantian isotopic carbon excursion) of the Katian–Hirnantian boundary interval. Palaeontological data indicate that there are no known fossils diagnostic of any Ordovician ages older than the Katian Stage in India. Evidence of Ordovician sedimentary rocks in the Lesser Himalaya is intriguing, but presently equivocal. The widespread absence of pre-Katian strata on the Indian subcontinent is due to erosion associated with the Kurghiak orogeny and delayed onlap onto topographically high areas.

Changes in shelf phosphorus burial during the Hirnantian glaciation and its implications

Changes in shelf phosphorus burial during the Hirnantian glaciation and its implications

THE AGE, ORIGIN AND CONTEXT OF RESERVOIR SANDSTONES UNDERLYING THE LOWERMOST SILURIAN “HOT” SHALES IN THE WEST OF THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

The age and origin of reservoir sandstones which underlie the lowermost Silurian “hot” shales of the Sahmah Formation in the west of Oman is controversial. Here we describe one such sandstone which was cored and interpreted based on geological well evidence, and which then had to be re‐interpreted when definitive palynological results became available. The findings are enhanced when interpreted along with other deep wells in the area which have consistent palynological data.The western part of the Sultanate of Oman is a tectonically stable intra‐basinal high with low regional dips. In this area, the relief on the base‐Silurian unconformity of >250 m appears to be greater than that beneath the Permo‐Carboniferous unconformity which is well known for being highly erosive. The sandstones preserved beneath the base‐Silurian unconformity vary in depositional environment and reservoir quality from well to well, depending on their age, degree of erosion and differences in regional subsidence.There has been little evidence for the presence of Hirnantian‐aged deposits in Oman to date. However, some of the erosion and deep incisions which affect deposits of the Upper Ordovician Hasirah Formation are almost certainly related to falling sea levels accompanying the Hirnantian glaciation, just as the presence of the “hot shale” source rocks in the overlying Sahmah Formation are likely to be related to rising sea‐levels and anoxic conditions during the later deglaciation. Deformed strata in the Upper Ordovician deposits may reflect the instability of valley‐sides cut into weakly‐consolidated strata exposed during changes in sea‐level.The Sahmah oil play underlying the basal Silurian “hot” shales in Oman carries significant risks relating to the presence or absence of closures and reservoir, and the character, continuity and cementation of reservoir sandstones.

Katian volcanism in Central Armorican Domain (France) and Central Iberian Zone (Portugal): a single monogenetic basaltic field?

The Crozon peninsula and Buçaco syncline belong respectively to the Central Armorican Domain and the Central Iberian Zone, located to either side of the Variscan ‘Ibero-Armorican Arc’ structure at present. The Ordovician sedimentary successions at both sites are known to display identical lithofacies. The paired Upper Katian formations also exhibit comparable volcanic successions of anorogenic affinity, including volcaniclastic beds and pillow lavas. The tephra deposits are inferred to have resulted from the activity of subaqueous monogenetic basaltic tuff cones above a <100 m deep calcareous soft substrate, in the context of a passive margin. The Surtseyan-style hydrovolcanic eruptions were followed by effusion of pillow lavas. Both sites also display a large range of similar peperite facies, sometimes related to magmatic segregation structures likely to derive from vapour differentiation. The deeper doleritic dykes and sills, comparable in terms of mineralogy and geochemistry, contain identical metasedimentary xenoliths, whose high-temperature phyllosilicates display a very restricted range of compositions. In the Late Ordovician, Crozon and Buçaco were probably nearby volcanic edifices belonging to a single monogenetic field inside the Armorica microplate. The sudden appearance of high-latitude Katian carbonates, associated with volcanism only at these two peri-Gondwanan sites, just preceded the Gondwanan Hirnantian glaciation. Supplementary material: Analytical data for minerals and whole-rock samples and an M + –4Si–R 2+ diagram are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6096737

Dynamic sulfur and carbon cycles related to microbial sulfate reduction and volcanic activity during the Hirnantian glaciation in the Upper Yangtze Basin, South China

Parallel positive excursions of organic carbon (δ13Corg) and pyrite sulfur (δ34Spy) isotopes occurred globally during the Hirnantian glacial period. However, the reasons for these isotope excursions and their relationship with paleoenvironmental dynamics are not fully understood. This study presents a high-resolution geochemical investigation of the Tianlin section of the Upper Yangtze Basin, South China. The total organic carbon (TOC), iron speciation, trace elements, δ13Corg, and δ34Spy were analyzed and compared with published results from the other four sections in the same basin. A negative relationship was observed for the sulfate reduction index (SRI) with TOC and organic carbon accumulation rate. This suggests that the abundance of sedimentary organic matter was not the main factor inhibiting microbial sulfate reduction (MSR). The significant positive correlations of SRI with pyrite and δ34Spy showed that MSR promoted the formation of pyrite and that the availability of sulfate was the main limiting factor for the δ34Spy change. The negative excursions of δ13Corg and δ34Spy during the pre-glacial and post-glacial periods were coupled with dense segments of bentonite, indicating that volcanism was the main driving force for the negative excursions of C and S isotopes. Moreover, the sulfate input of rivers, restored at the post-glacial period, was the main reason for the continued negative excursion of S isotopes. Our results emphasize the key role of MSR and volcanic activity in C and S isotope excursions and their corresponding environmental changes in semi-restricted basins during the Hirnantian glaciation.

Nearshore warm-water biota development in the aftermath of the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction in South China

The Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME) occurred between two significant biotic diversifications: the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event and the Silurian–Devonian Nekton Revolution. Upper Hirnantian carbonate deposits therefore are critical archives for understanding warm-water biotas, biodiversity resurgence and trophic chain development in the immediate aftermath of the LOME. In this study, we use microfacies analysis to investigate composition and biodiversity of the upper Hirnantian carbonates developed in northeastern Guizhou Province of China. These carbonates lay along the northern margins of the Dianqiangui landmass and are composed of intraclastic pack- to grainstone, mud- to wackestone, and bioclastic wacke- to packstone. Depositional age of the carbonates is estimated to be late Hirnantian, chiefly indicated by their coincidence with the Hirnantian Carbon Isotope Excursion and the brachiopods Cathaysiorthis and Eospirigerina. The development of carbonates containing diverse warm-water fossils at this transitional time reflects glacio-eustatic changes in the aftermath of the maximum Hirnantian glaciation and LOME, and the consequence of regional Kwangsian Orogeny in South China. Supposed autotrophic organisms in the carbonates are represented by calcimicrobes Allonema and Girvanella, and calcareous algae Amsassia, Dasyporella and Dimorphosiphon. Heterotrophic organisms are also abundant, including bryozoans (Atactoporella, Dekayia, Eridotrypa, Hallopora, Moorephylloporina and Ptilodictya?), trilobites (Dicranopeltis, Eoleonaspis, Mucronaspis (Songxites), Niuchangella and an aulacopleurid-like trilobite), rugose corals (Axiphoria, Eurogrewingkia, Meitanolasma and Grewingkia), tabulate corals (auloporid coral, Catenipora, Halysites, Paleofavosites and Propora), stromatoporoids (Camptodictyon, Ecclimadictyon and Cystostroma), conodonts (Ozarkodina and Walliserodus), benthic graptolites (Desmograptus), gastropods (at least two genera), and ostracods. Such a high biodiversity is evidence of a complex trophic web after the extinction pulses in South China. The biotic development of the warm-water benthic community might have been triggered by a short-lived localized favourable environment that facilitated the survival of warm-water biota during the Hirnantian, which is postulated to have pioneered further Silurian reef recovery in South China.

Seawater sources of Hg enrichment in Ordovician-Silurian boundary strata, South China

The Late Ordovician mass extinction (LOME), the second-largest biodiversity crisis of the Phanerozoic, occurred in two discrete pulses, the causation of both of which has been linked to environmental stresses induced by the onset and termination of the Hirnantian Glaciation. Recent studies have inferred significant mercury (Hg) anomalies, mainly from the South China region, during the Ordovician-Silurian transition (OST) that links the LOME to massive volcanism–a hypothetical late Ordovician large igneous province (LIP). However, volcanism in South China during the OST was a dominantly regional phenomenon, even though coeval eruptions in Laurentia and Baltica were major events controlled by Caledonian tectonism. The potential linkage between regional arc or LIP volcanism and the LOME needs further investigation. Here, we examine Hg concentrations, Hg isotopes, and redox-sensitive elements in two deep-water successions (the YY2 and JY11 drillcores) of South China straddling the OST. Our analysis revealed no volcanic Hg anomalies and showed significant discordance between bentonite-bed distribution and the overall pattern of the OST redox evolution in South China. Also, Hg isotope data show relatively constant mass-independent fractionation (Δ199Hg = +0.13‰ ± 0.03‰), which implicates seawater sources of Hg enrichment during the OST. Hence, we propose that the LOME was caused not by massive volcanism, but rather by the expansion of anoxia triggered by long-term cooling and weathering P-induced marine eutrophication.

Role of seafloor production versus continental basalt weathering in Middle to Late Ordovician seawater 87Sr/86Sr and climate

The global climate of the Ordovician Period (486.9 to 443.1 Ma) is characterized by cooling that culminated in the Hirnantian glaciation. Chemical weathering of Ca- and Mg-bearing silicate minerals and the subsequent trapping of carbon in marine carbonates act as a sink for atmospheric CO2 on multi-million-year time scales, with basaltic rocks consuming CO2 at a greater rate than rocks of granitic composition. The oceanic Sr isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) can act as a geochemical proxy for the relative proportion of basaltic versus granitic weathering. Oxygen isotopes (δ18O) act as a proxy for paleotemperature and ice volume, providing a useful complement to 87Sr/86Sr in studies of ancient climate. Previous studies have reported stepwise cooling (increasing δ18O) during the Middle to Late Ordovician. Combined with Sr and C cycle models, this has led to the hypothesis that continental silicate weathering of mafic material drove Ordovician cooling (e.g., the Taconic Orogeny). However, Sr and C cycle models have not accounted for an apparent rise in sea level and seafloor production in the Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian), which would increase the hydrothermal Sr flux as well as degassing along continental volcanic arcs. Furthermore, some Ordovician studies contain temporal uncertainty between 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O curves if they are not based on paired analyses, which can obscure the relationship between silicate weathering and cooling. Here, we present new paired 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O data from conodont apatite and integrate this with both a deterministic (forward) and stochastic (reverse) modeling approach to argue that increased hydrothermal weathering played a role in driving marine 87Sr/86Sr, specifically an inflection occurring in the Pygoda serra conodont zone of the mid-Darriwilian Stage (∼ 460.9 Ma ± 1 My). This 87Sr/86Sr inflection is accompanied by an increase in δ18O, consistent with climate cooling. Clarifying the role of seafloor production for marine 87Sr/86Sr and the implications for Ordovician cooling allows for a more nuanced understanding of the factors that drive multi-million-year shifts in climate.

Late Ordovician microphytoplankton in Southwest China: recording paleogeographic variations across the Hirnantian glaciation

Paleogeographically, South China was located near the equator during Late Ordovician–early Silurian. Well developed graptolite zones and shelly fauna of upper Ordovician successions in South China correlate well with those from Katian and Hirnantian successions elsewhere in the world. We report here acritarch assemblages from the Katian black shales of the Wufeng Formation in the Lingfeng coal section, southeastern Sichuan, and from the Hirnantian carbonate rocks of the Kuanyinchiao Formation in the Yanzikou section of northwestern Guizhou and the Huanggexi section of northeastern Yunnan. This study provides the first description and biostratigraphic data of the acritarch assemblage of the Hirnantian Kuanyinchiao Formation in South China, and enables the interpretation of paleogeographic and paleoenvironmental changes during the major glaciation of the latest Ordovician in South China. These acritarch assemblages represent the microphytoplanktonic communities of preglacial, Hirnantian glacial and postglacial in South China. Two new species, Multiplicisphaeridium pugnusum n. sp., and Perissolagonella irregular n. sp., are described.

Controls on marine primary productivity variation and organic matter accumulation during the Late Ordovician－Early Silurian transition

The Late Ordovician−Early Silurian is a convergence period of multiple events in geological history, including dramatic variations of biology, environment, and geology. Extensive research has demonstrated remarkable fluctuations in ocean chemistry, microbial ecosystems, and biogeochemical elemental cycles experienced. However, the spatial-temporal evaluation of marine primary productivity and its links to organic matter accumulation during this key period remain elusive. Here, we present high-resolution marine primary productivity proxy (organic carbon accumulation rates: OCAR) and geochemical data from the Fengtonggang and Qiliao sections deposited in South China and adopted numerous other coeval sections of geochemical data globally, to improve the understanding of these fundamental scientific questions. The results show that all statistical profiles presented broadly high marine primary productivity before and after the Hirnantian glaciation maximum and low values during the glaciation, and a maximum marine primary productivity typically recorded at the uppermost part of the P.pacificus Zone. The Corg/Ptotal ratios indicate that oceanic anoxia was ubiquitous during the Late Katian to Early Rhuddanian, but strong spatial heterogeneous during the Hirnantian glaciation maximum. The volcanism and nitrogen availability may have played an important role in regulating the variations of marine primary productivity globally. Besides, redox-controlled phosphorus cycling may have also exerted a remarkable influence on marine primary productivity. The high Corg/Ptotal ratios (exceed the Redfield ratio of 106/1) observed in the Wufeng and Longmaxi formations indicate that phosphorus was recycled effectively back to the water column, promoting a positive productivity feedback. By contrast, the low Corg/Ptotal ratios found in the Guanyinqiao Bed reflect phosphorus retention in the sediment, limiting phosphorus recycling back to the water column, consequently restricting the primary production. The enhanced marine primary productivity resulted from nutrient regeneration, ocean anoxia, and high sea level may have led to high organic carbon export and preservation. The consistency between the highest marine primary productivity and the first pulse of mass extinction suggests that eutrophication-induced marine anoxia may have played an essential killing mechanism during the first Late Ordovician mass extinction.

Different controls on the Hg spikes linked the two pulses of the Late Ordovician mass extinction in South China

The Late Ordovician mass extinction (LOME, ca. 445 Ma; Hirnantian stage) is the second most severe biological crisis of the entire Phanerozoic. The LOME has been subdivided into two pulses (intervals), at the beginning and the ending of the Hirnantian glaciation, the LOMEI-1 and LOMEI-2, respectively. Although most studies suggest a rapid cooling and/or oceanic euxinia as major causes for this mass extinction, the driver of these environmental changes is still debated. As other Phanerozoic’s mass extinctions, extensive volcanism may have been the potential trigger of the Hirnantian glaciation. Indirect evidence of intense volcanism comes from Hg geochemistry: peaks of Hg concentrations have been found before and during the LOME, and have all been attributed to global volcanism in origin. Here, we present high-resolution mercury (Hg) profiles in three study sections, from a shelf to slope transect, on the Yangtze Shelf Sea (South China) to address the origin of Hg anomalies across the Ordovician–Silurian (O–S) boundary. The results show Hg anomaly enrichments in the middle Katian, late Katian, the LOMEI-1 at the beginning of the Hirnantian glaciation, the LOMEI-2 in the late Hirnantian glaciation, and late Rhuddanian. The Hg anomaly enrichments during the middle–late Katian and late Rhuddanian would probably reflect a volcanic origin. We find two different controls on the recorded Hg anomalies during the extinction time: i.e., primarily volcanism for the Hg anomaly at the LOMEI-1 and euxinia for the Hg anomaly at the LOMEI-2. Expansion of euxinia at the LOMEI-1 would have been probably enhanced by volcanic fertilization via weathering of volcanic deposits during the Middle and late Katian, and combined with euxinia at the LOMEI-2 to finally be responsible for the two pulses of the LOME.

Reassessment of ocean paleotemperatures during the Late Ordovician

Abstract The Late Ordovician is a paradox, with a greenhouse climate shifting to an icehouse climate during a time of presumably high CO2 levels. We used clumped isotope (Δ47) microanalysis of fossil brachiopod shells to determine paleotemperatures of North America (Cincinnati Arch) during the Katian (453–443 Ma). Microanalyses of fossil brachiopods yielded a right-skewed distribution of clumped isotope temperatures [T(Δ47)] ranging from 25 °C to 55 °C with a mode of 32 °C and a mean of 36 °C. To test the impact of Δ47 reordering (reequilibration of 13C-18O bonding) at burial temperatures on T(Δ47), we applied a Monte Carlo simulation to a Δ47 reordering model based on the burial history. Because the reordering simulation indicated partial reordering, we used the simulation results to back-calculate T(Δ47) and correct the reordering effect. Correcting for reordering decreased the mean T(Δ47) by only ~1 °C, to 35 °C, and did not change the mode (32 °C). These temperatures are lower than those of previous studies, but still suggest that the Late Ordovician climate of the Cincinnati Arch was warmer than the modern subtropical seas. However, carbonate facies in these strata argue for upwelling of cool water; thus, typical subtropical surface waters may have been as warm as 35 °C approaching the Hirnantian glaciation. Seawater δ18O values derived from back-calculated T(Δ47) and brachiopod δ18O values average −0.3‰ ± 0.6‰ relative to Vienna standard mean ocean water (VSMOW), consistent with the value expected for subtropical surface waters in a greenhouse Earth, assuming a constant seawater-δ18O model.

Ordovician stratigraphy and benthic community replacements in the eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco

Abstract The Anti-Atlas contains a thick, volcanic-free Ordovician succession that originally deposited in a passive-margin basin. Three main sedimentary packages are bounded by major unconformities: (i) the Tremadocian–Floian Lower Fezouata and Upper Fezouata formations, which unconformably overlie a palaeorelief of Cambrian rifting volcanosedimentary complexes, and are subsequently topped by a Dapingian paraconformable gap; (ii) the Darriwilian–Katian Tachilla Formation and First Bani and Ktaoua groups, the latter unconformably overlain by a Hirnantian glaciogenic succession; and (iii) the Second Bani Group, which subsequently infilled the former glaciogenic palaeorelief. Due to the scarcity of carbonate interbeds for etching analyses, leading to rare references of conodonts, the global Ordovician chart is interpolated on the basis of microphytoplancton (acritarchs and chitinozoans), regional graptolites and brachiopods. The Ordovician counter-clockwise rotation of Gondwana led its Moroccan margin from mid- to high-latitude positions, leading to the onset of a siliciclastic, wave- and storm-dominated platform. Flooding surfaces are marked by shelly silty carbonate interbeds that reflect the episodic development of echinoderm–bryozoan meadows during Katian times; in areas protected from siliciclastic input, they reached massive and bedded bioaccumulations (Khabt-el-Hajar Formation). The Hirnantian glaciation controlled the incision of numerous tunnel channels, infilled with both alluvial to fluvial sediments and glaciomarine diamictites. The Hirnantian palaeorelief was definitively sealed during Silurian times.

Reviewing the correlation potential of Spectral Gamma Ray: a case study in Ordovician glacial environments in the Murzuq basin, SW Libya

The deposits of the Late Ordovician glaciation have been the focus of several studies in recent years reflecting significant hydrocarbon reservoir potential in different areas of the world, most notably in Libya and Algeria but also in Saudi Arabia and Bolivia. The study area for this paper is located within the Murzuq Basin of SW Libya. This study aims to evaluate the potential of Spectral Gamma Ray, integrated with other datasets (geochemical data, core descriptions and Micro-resistivity Images) to enhance correlation in glacial reservoirs where biostratigraphy cannot be applied and conventional logs lack resolution or consistency. The methodology chosen correlates the SGR logs and elemental ratios in wells with geochemical and sedimentological data to understand possible relationships between Th, U, K and depositional environments. Subsequently, this tool is used to analyse wells for which no detailed sedimentological data is available to understand the spatial configuration of depositional environments, correlation and thus, reservoir potential across the study area. The study demonstrates how the use of the SGR ratios can be useful as a correlation tool, how Th/U varies with distance from the sediment source area; but also highlights that whilst SGR ratios are not able to consistently discriminate between individual facies associations, given the large standard deviations, they are nonetheless very useful as general predictors of broad depositional. Additionally, a review of possible sources for the Th and U is provided together with some conclusions aimed at improving the understanding of the architecture of the glacial sediments.

Geochemical Records Reveal Protracted and Differential Marine Redox Change Associated With Late Ordovician Climate and Mass Extinctions

AbstractThe Ordovician (Hirnantian; 445 Ma) hosts the second most severe mass extinction in Earth history, coinciding with Gondwanan glaciation and increased geochemical evidence for marine anoxia. It remains unclear whether cooling, expanded oxygen deficiency, or a combination drove the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME). Here, we present combined iodine and sulfur isotope geochemical data from three globally distributed carbonate successions to constrain changes in local and global marine redox conditions. Iodine records suggest locally anoxic conditions were potentially pervasive on shallow carbonate shelves, while sulfur isotopes suggest a reduction in global euxinic (anoxic and sulfidic) conditions. Late Katian sulfate‐sulfur isotope data show a large negative excursion that initiated during elevated sea level and continued through peak Hirnantian glaciation. Geochemical box modeling suggests a combination of decreasing pyrite burial and increasing weathering are required to drive the observed negative excursion suggesting a ∼3% decrease of global seafloor euxinia during the Late Ordovician. The sulfur datasets provide further evidence that this trend was followed by increases in euxinia which coincided with eustatic sea‐level rise during subsequent deglaciation in the late Hirnantian. A persistence of shelf anoxia against a backdrop of waning then waxing global euxinia was linked to the two LOME pulses. These results place important constraints on local and global marine redox conditions throughout the Late Ordovician and suggest that non‐sulfidic shelfal anoxia—along with glacioeustatic sea level and climatic cooling—were important environmental stressors that worsened conditions for marine fauna, resulting in the second‐largest mass extinction in Earth history and the only example during an icehouse climate.

A low-diversity, silicified Hirnantia Fauna from Butuo, southwestern Sichuan, on the western margin of Yangtze Platform

The latest Ordovician Hirnantia Fauna is distributed worldwide including South China, but with very few records from the western margin of the Yangtze Platform. A silicified Hirnantia Fauna from the uppermost Tiezufeike Formation in the Laoga section, Butuo County, southwestern Sichuan, enriches the fauna’s record and warrants the recognition of the upper part of the Tiezufeike Formation as the Kuanyinchiao Bed. Etching bulk limestone samples from this level with acetic acid yielded 275 specimens of Dalmanella testudinaria, Plectothyrella crassicosta, and Hindella crassa. The population dynamics are analyzed for three successive populations in the section. Size-frequency histograms and survivorship curves indicate gradual improvement of the palaeoenvironments during the end of the Late Ordovician glaciation. The low-diversity brachiopod assemblages recognized in our study are assigned to the Dalmanella-Plectothyrella Community (DP Community) according to their dominant species. It is comparable with two other examples of DP communities, one from the neighboring Guizhou Province of Southwest China, and the other from the Baltica Region.

Cyclic variations in paleoenvironment and organic matter accumulation of the Upper Ordovician–Lower Silurian black shale in the Middle Yangtze Region, South China: Implications for tectonic setting, paleoclimate, and sea-level change

During the Ordovician–Silurian transition, the Yangtze Block in South China experienced intense tectonic movements and climate change and was covered by the widely distributed black shales of the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation and the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation, which recorded key information about these major geological events. By geochemical and petrological analyses of three profiles located in the Middle Yangtze Region, at least four long-term sedimentary cycles can be identified in the Upper Ordovician–Lower Silurian black shale. These cycles are mainly controlled by paleoclimate changes and tectonic activity. The Late Ordovician tectonic subsidence related to the Kwangsian Orogeny promoted a gradual sea-level rise and the deposition of the Wufeng black shale in the Middle Yangtze Region, while a significant sea-level fall related to the Hirnantian intensifying glaciation terminated this process. Subsequently, post-Hirnantian warming climate and glacier ablation triggered a significant sea-level rise, reduced the water restriction, increased the productivity, and intensified the anoxic environment, promoting the deposition of black shale in the second sedimentary cycle. However, after the short period of climate warming, global climate cooling occurred again with a regional tectonic uplift in the study area. This led to a gradual sea-level fall, reduced anoxic environment, and increased water restriction during the Rhuddanian, as well as the deposition of black shale with a decreased amount of organic matter. Moreover, intensified glaciation occurred during the Rhuddanian–Aeronian transition significantly accelerated the falling speed of the relative sea level, resulting in a stratigraphic gap and a small thickness of the Silurian black shale in the Middle Yangtze Region. Afterward, the study area experienced a significant climate warming event during the Early Aeronian, which led to a large-scale glacier ablation and a short period of sea-level rise. This promoted the deposition of the Aeronian black shale in the third sedimentary cycle. Nevertheless, the intensified weathering condition related to a continuously warming climate and tectonic uplift led to sufficient supply of terrigenous deposits, sustained sea-level fall, and finally terminated the development of Ordovician–Silurian black shale in the Yangtze region. Thus, these cyclic variations of the black shale not only recorded the shift of the Ordovician–Silurian tectonic movement (from Ordovician subsidence to Silurian uplift) in the Middle Yangtze area and the Hirnantian glaciation, but also provide strong evidence for the global intensified glaciation during the Rhuddanian–Aeronian transition and the subsequent climate-warming event. In addition, this study also provides new perspectives for the understanding of global sea-level change during the Ordovician–Silurian transition.

Multiple glacio-eustatic cycles and associated environmental changes through the Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) in South China

The Hirnantian glaciation, which was the first in the Phanerozoic to occur with elevated CO 2 levels, caused severe mass extinctions and disrupted biogeochemical cycling in the latest Ordovician. Previous research that aimed at exploring the triggers and consequences (both abiotic and biotic) of this glacial event have largely been based on condensed or incomplete sections. However, there is much debate over the detailed glacio-eustatic processes, and especially over the possible existence and characterization of multiple glacial cycles. Herein we conduct high-resolution geochemical analyses (via XRF core scanning and ICP-OES/MS) and a sedimentological study of three continuous upper Katian – lower Rhuddanian drill cores (Well Huangge-1, Well Shuanghe-1 and Well Yiwan-1), which represent a combination of nearshore and offshore facies in South China. The geochemical and sedimentological evidences reveal for the first time three glacio-eustatic cycles encompassed within a major sea level cycle through the upper Katian and Hirnantian. Each glacio-eustatic cycle comprises a combination of regressive and transgressive systems tracts, with the third one denoting the largest sea level fall and the glacial maximum. This pattern of sea level changes can be correlated with both the glacial sedimentary records and geochemical signals in North Gondwana, Laurentia and Baltica. These glacio-eustatic changes likely led to perturbations in regional marine nutrient cycling and formed a redox landscape that is depicted herein as somewhat different from previous models. We also present the glacio-eustatic effects at a basin scale, and a refined constraint for the tempo of polar ice sheet advances and retreats. It also calls for a re-evaluation of the mechanisms whereby a multi-cycle glaciation led to the Hirnantian biotic crisis, a relationship that may be much more complicated than the simplified cause-and-effect relationship proposed before. • Core scanning data revealed three glacio-eustatic cycles for the Hirnantian glaciation. • New pattern of glacial cycles correlates well with other records among different blocks. • Glacio-eustatic changes formed the redox landscape both temporally and spatially.

Nitrogen isotope evidence for a redox-stratified ocean and eustasy-driven environmental evolution during the Ordovician–Silurian transition

The Ordovician-Silurian (O/S) transition was a critical geological interval, during which significant biological events and dramatic environmental changes occurred. Extensive research has proven that changes in the ocean environment are one of the main causes of events that affect the biosphere. However, the redox structure and related geochemical evolution of the ocean during the O/S transition remain under debate. N isotopes are thought to have significant potential for further elucidating the oceanic redox structure and related geochemical evolution during the O/S transition, and are an effective supplement to the former environmental proxies of bottom sediments. This study presents high-resolution N isotope data from a well-sequenced drill core across the O/S transition from the Lower Yangtze Platform, South China, showing an interesting isotopic variation with high δ 15 N values (+1‰ to +4‰) during the Late Katian to Hirnantian ages of the Ordovician and much lower values (−1‰ to +1‰) during the Rhuddanian Age of the earliest Silurian. This δ 15 N variation is mostly controlled by ocean redox conditions and the corresponding changes in the nitrate reservoir. Combined with previously reported δ 15 N data, a redox-stratified ocean with a relatively deep redox transition zone was reconstructed according to the distribution of δ 15 N profiles across different palaeogeographic locations. The lower δ 15 N values and more reducing conditions in deep water sections demonstrate that glacio–eustatic fall, rather than increased upwelling, was likely the main driver of the global redox change during the Late Ordovician. Furthermore, a global δ 15 N decrease during the Late Katian may be associated with the debated Boda warm event, and the up to six positive δ 15 N excursions observed during the Hirnantian might suggest the cyclicity of the glaciation process. • δ 15 N can be correlated globally during the Ordovician-Silurian (O/S) transition. • Oceanic δ 15 N was controlled by water redox conditions during the O/S transition. • Positive δ 15 N excursions with a low δ 15 N baseline support a redox-stratified ocean. • δ 15 N records indicate Hirnantian redox evolution driven by eustatic sea-level fall. • Global δ 15 N variations correspond with a Boda warm event and multistage Hirnantian glaciation.

Osmium and lithium isotope evidence for weathering feedbacks linked to orbitally paced organic carbon burial and Silurian glaciations

The Ordovician (∼487 to 443 Ma) ended with the formation of extensive Southern Hemisphere ice sheets, known as the Hirnantian glaciation, and the second largest mass extinction in Earth History. It was followed by the Silurian (∼443 to 419 Ma), one of the most climatically unstable periods of the Phanerozoic as evidenced by several large scale (>5‰) carbon isotope (δ13C) perturbations associated with further extinction events. Despite several decades of research, the cause of these environmental instabilities remains enigmatic. Here, we provide osmium (187Os/188Os) and lithium (δ7Li) isotope measurements of marine sedimentary rocks that cover four Silurian δ13C excursions. Osmium and Li isotope records resemble those previously recorded for the Hirnantian glaciation suggesting a similar causal mechanism. When combined with a new dynamic carbon-osmium-lithium biogeochemical model we suggest that astronomical forcing of the marine organic carbon cycle, as opposed to a decline in volcanic arc degassing or the rise of early land plants, resulted in drawdown of atmospheric CO2, triggering continental scale glaciation, intense global cooling and eustatic sea-level lows recognised in the geological record. Lower atmospheric pCO2 and temperatures during the Hirnantian and Silurian glaciations suppressed CO2 removal by silicate weathering, driving 187Os/188Os and δ7Li variability, supporting the existence of climate-regulating feedbacks.