Marinoan Cap Dolostones Research Articles

Moderate greenhouse climate and rapid carbonate formation after Marinoan snowball Earth

When the Marinoan snowball Earth deglaciated in response to high atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, the planet warmed rapidly. It is commonly hypothesized that the ensuing supergreenhouse climate then declined slowly over hundreds of thousands of years through continental weathering. However, how the ocean affected atmospheric CO2 in the snowball Earth aftermath has never been quantified. Here we show that the ocean’s carbon cycle drives the supergreenhouse climate evolution via a set of different mechanisms, triggering scenarios ranging from a rapid decline to an intensification of the supergreenhouse climate. We further identify the rapid formation of carbonate sediments from pre-existing ocean alkalinity as a possible explanation for the enigmatic origin of Marinoan cap dolostones. This work demonstrates that a moderate and relatively short-lived supergreenhouse climate following the Marinoan snowball Earth is a plausible scenario that is in accordance with geological data, challenging the previous hypothesis.

Paleomagnetic investigation of the basal Maieberg Formation (Namibia) cap carbonate sequence (635 Ma): Implications for Snowball Earth postglacial dynamics

In this study, we investigate the paleomagnetism of the basal Maieberg Formation (Namibia) cap carbonate sequence to elucidate its magnetic properties and paleolatitude of deposition, establish global correlations, and contribute to the understanding of Snowball Earth postglacial dynamics. Two distinct magnetization components, C1 and C2, were identified. C1 is interpreted as a depositional or post-depositional remanent magnetization carried by detrital pseudo-single domain (PSD) magnetite, while the C2 component is a thermochemical remanent magnetization carried by fine authigenic single domain (SD)−PSD magnetite. The deposition paleolatitude provided by C1 is 33.3° ± 3.2°, which gives an initial quantitative approximation of the paleolatitude for the underlying Marinoan Ghaub diamictites. The thickness of the Keilberg Member cap dolostone is anomalously high for the paleolatitude calculated with C1, which suggests that other factors besides the influence of the paleolatitude on carbonate oversaturation may have influenced the sedimentary production of cap dolostones and the overall thickness of the flooding cap carbonate sequence. Possible explanations could include the influence of alkalinity input combined with local tectonic subsidence during a long glacial period with unusually low sedimentation rates, which appear to be in a favorable configuration for the substantial thickness of the Keilberg Member. Paleomagnetic field reversals at the Keilberg cap dolostone and analogous units globally suggest a longer duration of marine transgression than energy-balance deglaciation models and sedimentological-geochemical observations have constrained. Factors such as ocean warming, thermal expansion, and local glacio-isostatic adjustments imply extended marine transgressions beyond the deglaciation period. Still, magnetostratigraphic estimates for postglacial transgressive sequences require longer time scales by a factor of five or more. Thus, the conflict arising between estimates derived from paleomagnetic data and the constraints imposed by climate physics underscores uncertainties regarding an unconventional field state or a remanence acquisition mechanism within these cap carbonates that is not fully understood. Importantly, if such a phenomenon proves to be primary and global, the widespread occurrence of these stratigraphically compressed reversals would support the precise temporal correlation between Marinoan cap dolostones. The C2 pole correlates with Cambrian remagnetization poles observed in carbonates from West Gondwana, which now extend to the Congo craton. The remanence acquisition of C2 likely stems from diagenesis-related low-temperature authigenic magnetite formation after the conversion of iron-rich smectite to iron-poor illite. Cooling associated with the Kaoko orogen’s exhumation and tectonic uplift possibly locked the magnetic system at ca. 520 Ma, supported by the C2 pole position on the West Gondwana apparent polar wander path, although other explanations remain valid.

Palaeo-environmental significance of fibrous carbonate cement in Marinoan cap carbonates

Marinoan cap carbonates are the first sedimentary rocks deposited after the Marinoan Snowball Earth glaciation and likely record the marine geochemical signals across the Cryogenian-Ediacaran boundary. The nature of the parent fluids, the possible precursor mineralogies and the dolomitisation models of these carbonates are debated to the present day. Cap carbonates and their fibrous dolomite cement samples from the Jiulongwan and Huajipo sections in South China were analysed for their petrography and geochemistry. Data obtained shed light on the deposition and alteration history of cap carbonates. Two types of fibrous dolomite cement precipitated penecontemporaneously with platform carbonate sediment deposition: (i) isopachous fascicular-optic dolomite fabrics with a characteristic botryoidal habit and mottled cathodoluminescence colour; they likely formed via an aragonitic precursor; and (ii) radial-slow dolomite cement, representing a direct marine precipitate. Growth zones are recognised under the SEM and visible in alternating dull- and bright-red zones under the cathodoluminescence microscope. Basal cap carbonates (Ce anomalies: 0.85 ± 0.11; Mn: 3324.3 ± 558.2 ppm) and the base (Ce anomalies: 0.83 ± 0.22; Mn: 2349.2 ± 1276.4 ppm) of fascicular-optic dolomite cement from platform facies indicate anoxic marine seawater with high Mn concentrations. Based on the geochemical data of fibrous dolomite and blocky calcite cement, the marine porewater evolved from the Mn reduction zone (Ce anomalies: 1.04 ± 0.26) to the sulphate reduction zone (Ce anomalies: 1.00 ± 0.48) and the Fe reduction zone (Ce anomaly: 1.40). In situ trace and rare earth elemental contents and the transition from a dull to bright fluorescence colour along the fibrous dolomite transects point to the former activity of microbial sulphate reduction and the degradation of organic matter. These two factors likely facilitated the formation of cap dolostone and multiphase dolomite cement crusts in a marine seawater (porewater) environment. Data shown here are significant for those concerned with the palaeoenvironmental archive and the dolomitisation process of Marinoan cap dolostones.

Climate and ocean circulation in the aftermath of a Marinoan snowball Earth

Abstract. When a snowball Earth deglaciates through a very high atmospheric CO2 concentration, the resulting inflow of freshwater leads to a stably stratified ocean, and the strong greenhouse conditions drive the climate into a very warm state. Here, we use a coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation model, applying different scenarios for the evolution of atmospheric CO2, to conduct the first simulation of the climate and the three-dimensional ocean circulation in the aftermath of the Marinoan snowball Earth. The simulations show that the strong freshwater stratification breaks up on a timescale of the order of 103 years, mostly independent of the applied CO2 scenario. This is driven by the upwelling of salty waters in high latitudes, mainly the Northern Hemisphere, where a strong circumpolar current dominates the circulation. In the warmest CO2 scenario, the simulated Marinoan supergreenhouse climate reaches a global mean surface temperature of about 30 ∘C under an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 15×103 parts per million by volume, which is a moderate temperature compared to previous estimates. Consequently, the thermal expansion of seawater causes a sea-level rise of only 8 m, with most of it occurring during the first 3000 years. Our results imply that the surface temperatures of that time were potentially not as threatening for early metazoa as previously assumed. Furthermore, the short destratification timescale found in this study implies that Marinoan cap dolostones accumulated during the deglacial period, given that they were deposited under the influence of a freshwater environment.

Origin of K-bentonites in the Doushantuo cap dolostones from South China and its potential link with the sedimentary model of the Marinoan cap dolostones

A study of the K-bentonites in the Doushantuo cap dolostones on the Yangtze Platform in South China would facilitate understanding the origin of the Marinoan cap dolostones and testing the snowball Earth hypothesis. To date, sporadic work has been conducted on the whole-rock geochemistry of the K-bentonites from the platform and slope of the Yangtze Platform, to preliminarily understand the genesis of the K-bentonites. However, a study of the whole-rock geochemistry of the K-bentonites from the basin and on zircon geochemistry of the K-bentonites from the entire Yangtze Platform has not been carried out. Therefore, the nature of the primary magmas, source and tectonic setting of the source volcanoes, and the episodes of source volcanic eruptions of the K-bentonites are unknown, which hinders unraveling the possible link between the sedimentary model of the Marinoan cap dolostone and the K-bentonites. Here, we perform a systematic study of the whole-rock and zircon geochemistry of the K-bentonites. The major and trace element concentrations of the K-bentonites and trace element contents in their volcanic zircons suggest that the primary magmas of the K-bentonites from the Jiuqunao and Heyu sections are different in nature. The same geochemical results indicate that the source volcanoes of all the K-bentonites may occur in the extensional setting on the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. Hf isotopic compositions of the volcanic zircons in the K-bentonites imply that the source magmas of the K-bentonites are mainly mantle-derived, and may have mixed with the crustal materials from the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. Based on the difference in whole-rock and zircon geochemistry of the K-bentonites from Heyu and Jiuqunao, two episodes of the source volcanic eruptions of the K-bentonites could be identified. The K-bentonite at Heyu most probably represents the record of the old episode, while that at Jiuqunao represents the record of the young one. The here proposed dual episodic deposition of K-bentonites within the Doushantuo cap carbonates holds potential significance to constrain 1) the duration of the cap carbonate deposition and 2) their genesis in potential slushball or snowball Earth environments.

Waxing and waning of microbial laminites in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation at the margin of the Amazon Craton (Brazil)

At the margin of the Amazon Craton (west-central Brazil), the Mirassol D’Oeste Formation comprises an emblematic, 16 m-thick Marinoan cap dolostone deposited directly upon diamictites of the Puga Formation. Laterally continuous and morphologically simple microbialites, a common component of Marinoan cap carbonates, begin two meters above the base of the formation and continue upwards as stratiform, domical and irregular wavy microbial laminate boundstones for approximately 10 m. These microbialites consist of alternating thin and thick laminae of peloids (micritized remains of microbial colonies) and subordinate micrite with spar-filled fenestrae that differ in the greater relative abundance of fenestrae in the thicker laminae. The microbialites developed profusely in a calm platformal environment below storm-wave base level, but within the photoic zone, without any contribution of siliciclastics, the Waxing phase of growth. Vertical dolomicrite-filled tubestone structures up to 10 m, occupy the apical portion of the broad domical microbial laminites, Confined percolation of fluids seems the most plausible hypothesis for their origin. The wanning phase began in the final meter of the boundstone consists of irregularly wavy microbial laminites indicating prolonged oscillatory wave-action, followed by dolomitic peloidal grainstone-packstone with megaripple and millimetric macropeloids generated by oscillatory wave action during tradewinds. The hydrodynamic change and a rising sea level put an end to microbialite deposition in the Mirassol D’Oeste cap carbonate.

Ca and Sr isotope constraints on the formation of the Marinoan cap dolostones

Neoproterozoic cap dolostones, which ubiquitously overlie Marinoan glacial diamictites, may record marine and climatic paleo-environmental conditions at the termination of the largest glacial epoch in Earth's history. Many geochemical indices have been used to interpret cap dolostone formation in the context of extreme climate change in the aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation. However, there are significant debates about whether these geochemical data represent global signals or regional sedimentary and/or diagenetic processes. Here we analyzed cap dolostones from three different continental cratons for their Ca-isotope, Sr-isotope and trace element compositions in order to obtain new insights into formation of the Marinoan cap dolostone and post-Marinoan paleo-environmental conditions (<∼635 Ma). In three globally separated sections from South China (Yangtze Gorges area), North China (Northwest Tarim) and northwest Namibia, a similarly large negative δ44Ca excursion (∼0.6‰), coupled to a positive 87Sr/86Sr excursion, is recorded in the lower part of these cap dolostone successions. In the context of a relatively short duration for Marinoan cap dolostone (∼104 year timescale), we propose that the preservation of both the large negative δ44Ca excursion and the positive 87Sr/86Sr excursion in three widely-separated stratigraphic sections was not caused by globally uniform changes in isotopic compositions of the whole marine Ca and Sr reservoir. Instead, these excursions may have been caused by the addition of terrestrial meltwater and later deglacial runoff, carrying large amounts of Ca and Sr sourced from continental weathering into shallow seawater. A combined diagenetic-mixing model is used to track the coupled δ44Ca and 87Sr/86Sr variations in the cap dolostones. Large inputs of terrestrial meltwater and deglacial runoff under high CO2 atmospheric conditions in the aftermath of Marinoan glaciation is likely to have supplied abundant Ca, Mg and bicarbonate to shallow shelf seawater, helping facilitate cap dolostone deposition and contributing to the recorded negative Ca isotope excursion.

An early diagenetic deglacial origin for basal Ediacaran “cap dolostones”

The beginning of the Ediacaran Period (∼635 Ma) is marked by conspicuous dolostone units that cap Marinoan glacial deposits worldwide. The extent and sedimentary characteristics of the cap dolostones indicate that anomalous carbonate over-saturation coincided with deglacial sea-level rise and ocean warming. However, the geochemical variability within cap dolostones, both between continents, across single continental margins, and within individual stratigraphic sections has been difficult to reconcile with depositional models. Using a compilation of new calcium and magnesium isotope measurements in Marinoan cap dolostone successions worldwide, we show that the geochemical variability can be explained by early diagenetic dolomitization of aragonite along a spectrum of fluid- and sediment-buffered conditions. Dolostones from the outer platform formed under fluid-buffered conditions, whereas dolostones on the inner platform and foreslope environment formed under sediment-buffered conditions. This spatial pattern of dolomitizing conditions is consistent with buoyant recirculation of glacial seawater within carbonate platforms driven by the deglacial sea-level rise and development of a meltwater surface ocean. Using a numerical diagenetic model to evaluate the geochemical differences between sediment- and fluid-buffered cap dolostone units, we constrain the chemical and isotopic composition of both the dolomitizing fluid (glacial seawater [δ13C ∼ 0–2‰]), the meltwater lens (δ13C ∼−11‰), and the primary aragonite sediment (δ13C ∼−6 to −3‰). These model end-members do not imply that primary geochemical variability did not exist but demonstrates that it is not necessary to change the chemistry of seawater to explain the global stratigraphic variability in the geochemistry of basal Ediacaran cap dolostones. Our results provide a novel framework for understanding the geochemical variability of cap dolostone units, including large excursions in carbon isotopes, and how this variability is the product of local diagenetic processes expressed globally in continental margin environments following the last Snowball Earth.

Neoproterozoic carbon isotope stratigraphy of the Amadeus Basin, central Australia

Neoproterozoic shallow-marine and carbonate- rich strata of the northern Amadeus Basin, central Australia, comprise a geochemical record of Neoproterozoic seawater that facilitates correlation with other basins in Australia and worldwide. This study includes new carbon and oxygen isotope measurements of Cryogenian and Ediacaran carbonate in the northern Amadeus Basin that, in combination with previous data from Tonian strata of the Bitter Springs Formation, form a composite Amadeus Basin Neoproterozoic δC record. Key features of the Cryogenian-Ediacaran portion of this record include (1) negative δC excursions in cap carbonates overlying Cryogenian glacigenic deposits of the Areyonga and Olympic Formations (i.e., the Rasthof and Maieberg excursions, respectively); (2) a mid-Cryogenian negative excursion in the Ringwood Member of the Aralka Formation (seemingly correlative with the Taishir excursion of SW Mongolia); (3) a subsequent mid-Cryogenian positive excursion (the Keele Peak excursion) in the Limbla Member of the Aralka Formation; and (4) relatively low-magnitude excursions in the Ediacaran Julie Formation. In comparison with other Neoproterozoic stratigraphic successions, key portions of the overall Neoproterozoic δC record that appear to be absent from the Amadeus Basin based on existing data include large-magnitude negative excursions (Islay and Trezona excursions) that immediately preceded basaland terminal-Cryogenian (i.e., Sturtian and Marinoan, respectively) glaciations. These missing δC excursions are associated with significant unconformities in the Amadeus Basin. δC and δO from carbonate clasts in diamictite of the Areyonga and Olympic Formations suggest that deposition of Islay- and Trezona-equivalent strata was limited or nonexistent in the Amadeus Basin, as opposed to the possibility that these strata were deposited but subsequently removed by glacial erosion. Our new Amadeus Basin results refine Cryogenian and early Ediacaran correlations among the Amadeus Basin, Adelaide rift complex, and Namibia. The lower part of the Ringwood Member, which was deposited during early stages of the Cryogenian nonglacial interlude, includes two negative δC excursions that are also evident in previous results from the Tapley Hill Formation of the Adelaide rift complex. The upper part of the Ringwood Member contains abundant stromatolites and seems to correlate with Cryogenian stromatolite reefs of the Balcanoona Formation in the Adelaide rift complex. The overlying Limbla Member in the Amadeus Basin correlates with the Yankaninna, Etina, Amberoona, and Enorama Formations of the Adelaide rift complex, as well as carbonate from other continents that record the Keele Peak excursion. δC from the early Ediacaran Olympic cap of the Amadeus Basin is (1) comparable to previous results from the Maieberg and Elandshoek Formations in Namibia; and (2) consistent with diachronous deposition of Marinoan cap dolostone in the Amadeus Basin. Additionally, new δC from the Julie Formation of the Amadeus Basin is similar to previous results from the late Ediacaran Kuibis Subgroup in southern Namibia. These correlations underscore that Ediacaran strata of Namibia, as well as the Cryogenian nonglacial interlude strata of the Adelaide rift complex, are roughly an order of magnitude thicker than stratigraphic counterparts in the Amadeus Basin. The wide disparity in sedimentation rates implied by this finding is likely attributable to fundamental differences in the Neoproterozoic tectonic settings of the three locations.

A ubiquitous hydrothermal episode recorded in the sheet-crack cements of a Marinoan cap dolostone of South China: Implication for the origin of the extremely 13C-depleted calcite cement

Sheet-crack – primarily filled with chalcedony, quartz and calcite – is a type of significant sedimentary structure in almost all documented cap carbonates in platform-to-slope settings, which sharply overlie the global Marinoan (∼635Ma) glacial tillite. The Jiulongwan section, located in the Yangtze Gorges areas, South China, is significant for the first discovery of extremely 13C-depleted (δ13C down to −41‰) calcite cements in sheet-crack structure (Jiang et al., 2003a), which provides direct evidence for the methane seep hypothesis (Kennedy et al., 2001). Focusing on the calcite cements in the same section, Bristow et al. (2011) proposed a hydrothermal origin based on high temperatures (378°C) determined by carbonate clumped isotope thermometry (CCIT). In this study, we provide evidence for the hydrothermal model using fluid inclusion technology (FIT) to quartz cements in the Jiulongwan section. The widespread sheet-crack structures in South China have uniformmineralparageneticassemblages, which apparently reflect three stages of a hydrothermal fluid activity, including dolomitization at the early stage, silicification comprising chalcedony and quartz at the middle stage, and calcitization characterized by carbonaceous calcite filling preexisting voids at the late stage. Primary aqueous fluid inclusions from quartz crystals have homogenization temperatures of approximately 160–220°C (mean, 192°C, n=31), while the salinity histogram contains two peaks at low salinity (6.3–8.3wt.% NaCl equiv.) and high salinity (18.0–20.8wt.% NaCl equiv.), reflecting precipitation caused by mixing of high- and low-salinity fluids. A modified and detailed hydrothermal model is proposed indicating that the sheet-crack structure resulted from successive thermal fluid activity after karstic dissolution due to postglacial isostatic rebound. This model is compatible with the unified sequence of glacio-eustatic events after the termination of Marinoan glaciation (Zhou et al., 2010) and the temperature results determined by CCIT (Bristow et al., 2011).

Geochemical constraints on the origin of Marinoan cap dolostones from Nuccaleena Formation, South Australia

The geochemistry (including Sr isotope and trace element ratios) of “Snowball Earth” terminal deglacial cap-dolostone from the Nuccaleena Formation, South Australia, is studied. An incremental leaching approach was applied in order to extract the nearest-to-primary chemical composition. Based on the relationship between 87Sr/86Sr and Rb/Sr ratios of the leachates, the samples can be categorized into two groups: 1) Group-I dolostones are located 9cm below to 1.1m above, and again 4–6m above a lithologic contact within Nuccaleena Formation marking the end of diamictite (dominantly siliciclastic sediments) and the onset of solid dolostone deposition (“meters above solid dolostones”, MASD). In each of these intervals, 87Sr/86Sr and Rb/Sr ratios of leachates mostly define a binary mixing relationship and the leaching-sequence-minimum, Rb-corrected 87Sr/86Sr ratio is ~0.7077 on average (±0.0003, 1σ, with a minimum value of 0.7073 among all samples); 2) Group-II dolostones define an interval between 1.7 and 4.0MASD, in which the leaching-sequence-minimum, Rb-corrected 87Sr/86Sr ratio is ~0.7092 on average (±0.0004, 1σ). We interpret these minimum 87Sr/86Sr ratios in Group-I dolostones to represent Sr isotope compositions of penecontemporaneous seawater, similar to values previously reported for high-Sr limestones under- and over-lying “Marinoan” cap dolostones around the world and permitting an interpretation of no significant long-term seawater 87Sr/86Sr variation during Marinoan deglaciation. In contrast, elevated 87Sr/86Sr ratios of Group-II cap dolostones indicate later alteration events or formation of samples in a non-marine environment (e.g., the ‘glacial lake Harland’, Hoffman, 2011). Negative correlation between 87Sr/86Sr ratios and δ18O values can be explained by fluid–rock interaction, either with brine/saline groundwater, ice melt seeps, or hydrothermal fluids as possible alteration fluids, leading to the elevated 87Sr/86Sr ratios. Alternatively, the elevated 87Sr/86Sr ratios may record the values of ‘glacial lake Harland’.

17O-depleted barite from two Marinoan cap dolostone sections, South China

Distinct, non-mass-dependent 17O depletion was reported in barite from Marinoan cap dolostones (~ 635 Ma) in South China, and has been interpreted as an indication of an extremely high- pCO 2 atmosphere (Bao et al., 2008). There is a significant variation in the magnitude of the 17O anomaly even among samples from the same outcrops. Understanding the origins of this barite and particularly the source of sulfate is critical to interpreting the anomalous 17O signature and its implication on sulfur and oxygen cycles at the aftermath of Marinoan glacial meltdown. In this study, we analyzed 160 micro-sampled barite samples from 20 hand specimens collected from two cap dolostone sections in South China. Together with field, petrographic, and Sr isotope data, the expanded dataset 1) confirms the large variability in ∆ 17O (from − 0.09‰ to − 0.87‰, VSMOW), δ 18O (+ 13.3‰ to + 23.5‰, VSMOW), and δ 34S (+ 20.0‰ to + 45.5‰, VCDT) of barite; 2) demonstrates a hyperbolic relationship between the ∆ 17O and δ 34S of various barite samples with more negative Δ 17O values generally corresponding to lower δ 34S values; 3) reveals that individual barite crystal fans and fans of the same layer possess a well-clustered set of δ 18O, Δ 17O, and δ 34S values; and 4) shows, correspondingly, that barite crystal fans of different layers bear different sets of Δ 17O, δ 18O, and δ 34S values. The study suggests that 17O-depleted barite crystals were formed under supersaturation when Ba 2+ from sulfate-free deepwater came to mix with sulfate-bearing shallow water. There were multiple upwelling episodes which resulted in multiple barite layers. The large variability in sulfur and triple-oxygen isotope composition and the high 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios indicate that the two sites from South China were sufficiently close to the continent so that the isotopic composition of sulfate was easily influenced by changes in riverine flux when seawater sulfate concentration at that time was exceedingly low. Our depositional model for the barite is consistent with the proposed sequence of events after the meltdown of Marinoan glaciation in South China by Zhou et al. (2010), and is also consistent with the proposed atmospheric origin of sulfate 17O depletion by Bao et al. (2008).

Chapter 5 Chemical sediments associated with Neoproterozoic glaciation: iron formation, cap carbonate, barite and phosphorite

Abstract Orthochemical sediments associated with Neoproterozoic glaciation have prominence beyond their volumetric proportions because of the insights they provide on the nature of glaciation and the records they hold of the environment in which they were precipitated. Synglacial Fe formations are mineralogically simple (haematite jaspilite), and their trace element spectra resemble modern seawater, with a weaker hydrothermal signature than Archaean–Palaeoproterozoic Fe formations. Lithofacies associations implicate subglacial meltwater plumes as the agents of Fe(II) oxidation, and temporal oscillations in the plume flux as the cause of alternating Fe- and Mn-oxide deposits. Most if not all Neoproterozoic examples belong to the older Cryogenian (Sturtian) glaciation. Older and younger Cryogenian (Marinoan) cap carbonates are distinct. Only the younger have well-developed transgressive cap dolostones, which were laid down during the rise in global mean sea level resulting from ice-sheet meltdown. Marinoan cap dolostones have a suite of unusual sedimentary structures, indicating abnormal palaeoenvironmental conditions during their deposition. Assuming the meltdown of ice-sheets was rapid, cap dolostones were deposited from surface waters dominated by buoyant glacial meltwater, within and beneath which microbial activity probably catalysed dolomite nucleation. Former aragonite seafloor cement (crystal fans) found in deeper water limestone above Marinoan cap dolostones indicates carbonate oversaturation at depth, implying extreme concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon. Barite is associated with a number of Marinoan cap dolostones, either as digitate seafloor cement associated with Fe-dolomite at the top of the cap dolostone, or as early diagenetic void-filling cement associated with tepee or tepee-like breccias. Seafloor barite marks a redoxcline in the water column across which euxinic Ba-rich waters upwelled, causing simultaneous barite titration and Fe(III) reduction. Phosphatic stromatolites, shrub-like structures and coated grains are associated with a glacioisostatically induced exposure surface on a cap dolostone in the NE of the West African craton, but this appears to be a singular occurrence of phosphorite formed during a Neoproterozoic deglaciation.

Sheet-crack cements and early regression in Marinoan (635 Ma) cap dolostones: Regional benchmarks of vanishing ice-sheets?

Sheet-crack cements and coextensive intrastratal folds and breccias occur in a stratigraphically controlled, meter-thick zone, near the base of Marinoan (635 Ma) cap dolostones in slope settings. We demonstrate that sheet-crack cements on the margins of the Congo and Kalahari cratons are localized at a turbidite-to-grainstone transition, which records a transient fall in relative sea-level, preceding the larger glacioeustatic transgression. Sheet-cracks opened vertically, implying that pore-fluid pressure exceeded lithostatic pressure. When the margin of an ice-sheet retreats from a coast, a net fall in sea-level occurs in the vicinity, because of the weakened gravitational attraction between the ice-sheet and the nearby ocean. Augmented by glacioisostatic adjustment (postglacial rebound), the early regional fall in relative sea-level can mask the simultaneous rise in global mean sea-level caused by the addition of meltwater. We propose that sheet-cracks and related structures in Marinoan cap dolostones manifest pore-fluid overpressures resulting from rapid sea-level falls in the vicinity of vanishing ice-sheets.

Fast or slow melting of the Marinoan snowball Earth? The cap dolostone record

The end of the Neoproterozoic era is punctuated by two global glacial events marked by the presence of glacial deposits overlaid by cap carbonates. Duration of glacial intervals is now consistently constrained to 3–12 million years but the duration of the post-glacial transition is more controversial due to the uncertainty in cap dolostone sedimentation rates. Indeed, the presence of several stratabound magnetic reversals in Brazilian cap dolostones recently questioned the short sedimentation duration (a few thousand years at most) that was initially suggested for these rocks. Here, we present new detailed magnetostratigraphic data of the Mirassol d'Oeste cap dolostones (Mato Grosso, Brazil) and “bomb-spike” calibrated AMS 14C data of microbial mats from the Lagoa Vermelha (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). We also compile sedimentary, isotopic and microbiological data from post-Marinoan outcrops and/or recent depositional analogues in order to discuss the deposition rate of Marinoan cap dolostones and to infer an estimation of the deglaciation duration in the snowball Earth aftermath. Taken together, the various data point to a sedimentation duration in the range of a few 10 5 years.

A palaeogeographic context for Neoproterozoic glaciation

The distributions of 77 Neoproterozoic glacigenic formations are shown on global palaeogeographic maps for 715 Ma (Sturtian), 635 Ma (Marinoan) and 580 Ma (Ediacaran), constructed on grounds independent of palaeoclimatic indicators. The meridional distribution of Sturtian and Marinoan deposits is biased in favour of low palaeolatitudes, whereas Ediacaran deposits are biased in favour of high palaeolatitudes. All carbonate-hosted glacigenic formations ( n = 22) fall within 35° of the palaeoequator. Most (6 of 8) examples of periglacial polygonal sand-wedges occur at palaeolatitudes greater than 30°, whereas most (8 of 9) occurrences of large syn-glacial Fe and Fe–Mn deposits lie within 30° of the palaeoequator. Marinoan syn-deglacial cap dolostones ( n = 24) decline in maximum thickness with palaeolatitude, consistent with poleward ice retreat, normal meridional temperature gradients and a small-obliquity orbit. Meridional (N–S) mean orientations of giant wave ripples in Marinoan cap dolostones from different regions ( n = 10) and absence of zonal (W–E) orientations are consistent with zonal wind-driven waves and not with hurricanes. In general, the results support the validity of the palaeogeographic reconstructions and the pan-glacial character of Sturtian and Marinoan ice ages.

The Marinoan glaciation (Neoproterozoic) in northeast Svalbard

AbstractTwo separate and distinct diamictite‐rich units occur in the mixed carbonate‐siliciclastic Polarisbreen Group, which comprises the top kilometer of &gt;7 km of Neoproterozoic strata in the northeast of the Svalbard archipelago. The platformal succession accumulated on the windward, tropical to subtropical margin of Laurentia. The older Petrovbreen Member is a thin glacimarine diamictite that lacks a cap carbonate. It contains locally derived clasts and overlies a regional karstic disconformity that was directly preceded by a large (&gt;10‰) negativeδ13C anomaly in the underlying shallow‐marine carbonates. This anomaly is homologous to anomalies in Australia, Canada and Namibia that precede the Marinoan glaciation. The younger and thicker Wilsonbreen Formation comprises terrestrial ice‐contact deposits. It contains abundant extrabasinal clasts and is draped by a transgressive cap dolostone 3–18 m thick. The cap dolostone is replete with sedimentary features strongly associated with post‐Marinoan caps globally, and its isotopic profile is virtually identical to that of other Marinoan cap dolostones. From the inter‐regional perspective, the two diamictite‐rich units in the Polarisbreen Group should represent the first and final phases of the Marinoan glaciation. Above the Petrovbreen diamictite are ∼200 m of finely laminated, dark olive‐coloured rhythmites (MacDonaldryggen Member) interpreted here to represent suspension deposits beneath shorefast, multi‐annual sea ice (sikussak). Above the suspension deposits and below the Wilsonbreen diamictites is a &lt;30‐m‐thick regressive sequence (Slangen Member) composed of dolomite grainstone and evaporitic supratidal microbialaminite. We interpret this sabkha‐like lagoonal sequence as an oasis deposit that precipitated when local marine ice melted away under greenhouse forcing, but while the tropical ocean remained covered due to inflow of sea glaciers from higher latitudes. It appears that the Polarisbreen Group presents an unusually complete record of the Marinoan snowball glaciation.