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Evidence for marine redox control on spatial colonization of early animals during Cambrian Age 3 (c. 521–514 Ma) in South China

Part of: From Snowball Earth to the Cambrian Explosion: Evidence from China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2016

CHENGSHENG JIN ,
CHAO LI ,
THOMAS J. ALGEO ,
MENG CHENG ,
LIDAN LEI ,
ZIHU ZHANG  and
WEI SHI
CHENGSHENG JIN
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
CHAO LI*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
THOMAS J. ALGEO
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0013, USA
MENG CHENG
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
LIDAN LEI
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
ZIHU ZHANG
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
WEI SHI
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
*
†Author for correspondence: chaoli@cug.edu.cn
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Abstract

The early Cambrian Period was a key interval in Earth history with regard to changes in both ocean chemistry and animal evolution. Although increasing ocean ventilation has been widely assumed to have played a key role in the rapid appearance, diversification and spatial colonization of early animals, this relationship is in fact not firmly established. Here, we report a high-resolution Fe-C-S-Al-Ti geochemical study of the lower Cambrian Wangjiaping section from an outer-shelf setting of the Yangtze Sea of South China. Iron speciation data document a redox transition from dominantly euxinic to ferruginous conditions during Cambrian Age 3 (c. 521–514 Ma). Interpretation of coexisting pyrite sulphur isotope (δ34Spy) records from Wangjiaping reveals relatively high marine sulphate availability at Wangjiaping. Furthermore, Wangjiaping section shows lower δ34Spy (‒2.1±5.3‰) and lower TOC (2.4±1.1%) values but higher positive correlation (R2 = 0.66, p < 0.01) between TOC and Fepy/FeHR relative to deeper sections reported previously, suggesting that euxinia developed at Wangjiaping in response to increasing marine productivity and organic matter-sinking fluxes. Our reconstructed redox conditions and fossils at Wangjiaping in comparison with previously well-studied strata in the inner-shelf Xiaotan and Shatan sections suggest that planktonic and benthic planktonic trilobites with bioturbation appeared in the oxic water columns, whereas only planktonic trilobites without bioturbation occurred within the anoxic (even euxinic) water columns during Cambrian Age 3. This finding indicates that spatial heterogeneity of redox conditions in the shelves had an important effect on early animal distribution in the Yangtze Block.

Keywords

early Cambrianearly animalSouth Chinaredoxeuxinia
Type
Original Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 154 , Issue 6: THEMATIC ISSUE: From Snowball Earth to the Cambrian Explosion: Evidence from China , November 2017 , pp. 1360 - 1370
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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