| Title | Mercury record of intense hydrothermal activity during the early Cambrian, South China |
| |
| Author | Zhu, G; Wang, P; Li, T; Zhao, K; Zheng, W; Feng, X; Shen, J; Grasby, S E ; Sun, G; Tang, S; Yan, H |
| Source | Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology vol. 568, 110294, 2021 p. 1-10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110294 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2021 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20210155 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | pdf; html |
| Area | Guizhou Province; Tongren; China |
| Lat/Long WENS | 99.0000 123.0000 34.0000 22.0000 |
| Subjects | environmental geology; tectonics; geochemistry; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; Lower Cambrian; paleogeography; mercury geochemistry; isotopic studies; mercury; carbon isotopes; organic
carbon; trace element geochemistry; major element geochemistry; tectonic history; hydrothermal systems; volcanism; paleoenvironment; paleoecology; bedrock geology; lithology; sedimentary rocks; black shales; sea water geochemistry; metals; evolution;
depositional environment; facies; Niutitang Formation; Phanerozoic; Paleozoic; Cambrian |
| Illustrations | geoscientific sketch maps; photographs; geochemical profiles; geochemical plots; lithologic sections; schematic models |
| Program | GEM2: Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals Western Arctic, Pearya Terrane, North Ellesmere |
| Released | 2021 02 23 |
| Abstract | The early Cambrian was an important interval in Earth history, marked by significant evolution of both life and the marine environments it inhabited. While enhanced hydrothermal activity has been
proposed as a trigger for ecosystem perturbations in the early Cambrian, it remains unclear how intense and how long such perturbations may have been. To address this, we examined mercury (Hg) concentrations and mercury isotopes, as well as major and
trace elements, of organic-rich black shales of the lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation, in the Tongren area of Guizhou Province, South China. Our data show that Hg in these sediments is hosted dominantly by organic matter. Elevated raw and normalized
Hg contents provide direct evidence of intense hydrothermal activity during the early Cambrian in South China. We suggest that high metal flux (e.g., Mo, U, and Ba) into the seawater occurred through this intense submarine volcanism, altering
seawater compositions. Intense hydrothermal activity was likely a significant trigger of environmental and biological evolution during the early Cambrian in South China. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
This paper examines the impact of release of nutrients and metals by volcanism on seawater and how that may have influenced the evolution of life in the
early Cambrian. Results show that volcanism lead to increased marine productivity and is tied to a large diversification at that time. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 328582 |
|
|