中国叠层石研究的历史和现状

中国前寒武纪地层分布广泛。在20世纪70-80年代,中国学者对晚前寒武纪的叠层石进行了系统的研究,描述了类型众多的叠层石属种,并把叠层石组合应用于地层的划分和对比。近年来,为了揭示叠层石的形态发生,中国学者正在探讨硅质叠层石的生物组构模式和叠层石微层理的成因,以及叠层石中微生物生长、运动和造席过程。     

华北高于庄组硅化微体化石组合的古环境

华北中元古代高于庄组 ( 1 4- 1 5亿年 )的硅质叠层石中保存了完好的多种微生物化石。从这些叠层石的微细构造分析 ,成岩早期硅质矿物的交代作用为微体化石的原位保存起了很重要的作用。除部分居住者和浮游的分子外 ,两种丝状蓝藻 ( Siphonophycus inornatum和Eoschizothric composita)和两种球状蓝藻 ( Coccostratusdispergens和 Eoentophysalisbelcherensis)是这些藻席的主要建造者。以球状蓝藻 Eoentophysalis为主的藻席可能发育于潮下高能环境中 ;而以多种丝状蓝藻为主的藻席可能反映了当时的沉积环境为中—高潮间带的局部静止小水体     

辽宁大连复州湾寒武系芙蓉统微生物岩特征研究

辽宁复州湾剖面寒武系地层出露连续且沉积现象较为丰富,芙蓉统长山组、凤山组微生物岩发育。研究区寒武系芙蓉统微生物岩多为小型柱状,与围岩有明显界限,纹层较为模糊,与华北其他地区寒武系芙蓉统大型柱状叠层石有明显差异。芙蓉统微生物岩主要由暗色致密泥晶和微亮晶颗粒组成,内部发育有生物碎屑、白云石、方解石和黄铁矿颗粒等,显示出微生物岩内部复杂的显微组构,同时柱状微生物岩中保存多种类型的微体生物,如葛万菌(Girvanella)、肾形菌(Renalcis)等钙化蓝细菌,以及海绵骨针集合体等。致密泥晶组构中粘结着大量的生物碎屑,包括三叶虫和腕足类等。因此,复州湾剖面芙蓉统微生物岩中发育的钙化微生物和多样性颗粒的存在,为探索生物丘形成过程中复杂的微生物沉积作用的研究提供了基本素材,也为寒武系叠层石的研究提供了重要的实例。     

浮游植物稳定碳同位素分馏机制及环境应用

浮游植物驱动水体碳循环,是解释全球碳生物地球化学过程的关键因素。相对于陆地植物,浮游植物碳在合成过程中的分馏机制较为复杂。为了系统了解藻类碳同位素分馏过程及其同位素在环境中的应用,本文调研了国内外的相关研究进展,并以蓝藻、绿藻和硅藻为代表,阐述了浮游植物碳浓缩及其同位素分馏的机制。此外,本文还总结了目前藻类碳同位素信号的变化范围及其影响因素,并探讨了藻类碳同位素在古海洋、水生食物网与水体碳循环研究中的应用。     

华南黔中震旦纪陡山沱组磷质叠层石礁和与其相关的微生物化石

黔中震旦纪陡山沱组磷质叠层石礁主要分布在温泉、沙南方土和马路坪３个矿区,其中的磷质叠层石多半是柱状的,可分为３种类型,即Ｇｙｍｎｏｓｏｌｅｎ ｓｐ．,Ｉｎｚｅｒｉａ ｓｐ．和未定名形。这３类叠层石均含丰富的微化石,分别包含３个叠层石微群落。民礁期间黔中不同矿区似乎存在不同的微环境带,每个微环境带以某些独特的蓝藻菌微群落为特色,而微群落的变化又对叠层石的外形产生深奥的影响。叠层石形态学的变化可能是微     

叠层石衰减事件

“叠层石”这一术语是1908年Kalkowsky首先定义的,用来描述具有多少近似平面状、生物成因细纹层构造的灰岩体。叠层石这个词的使用和定义经历了逐渐的变化,现在大家一致认为叠层石是蓝细菌等微生物群体形成的一种层状的生物沉积构造,如下图所示。近代叠层石主要形成于清水环境、海边缘、潮间带的浅水环境。叠层石并不一定是碳酸盐岩,也可以是硅质岩、蒸发岩或磷酸盐。许多金属矿沉积都与叠层石有密切联系,尤其是叠层石礁。在叠层石形成过程中,微生物对于各种自生矿物的沉淀起到了重要作用,包括碳酸盐、磷酸盐、氧化物、硫化物和硒酸盐。微…     

冀北早元古宙叠层石内的穿石蓝藻化石

河北省庞家堡长城系大红峪组下部的局部硅化的层状叠层石的基本层内原位保存着宽球藻目的一种真穿石蓝藻化石群体,化石的估计年龄为距今1700Ma。新发现的微化石被命名为Eohyella campbellii gen.et sp.nov.,与相邻的基本层中建造叠层石的球状蓝藻化石比较,穿石蓝藻细胞保存得极好,细胞结构只显出轻微的收缩变形。细胞群集沿着硅化的叠层石基本层的边缘分布以及群集基部向下伸出的假丝体表明新种具有穿石习性。它与向上生长的建造叠层石的Coniunctiophycus-Siphonophycus藻席化石群共生并互层,这表明两者是原地、同时的微生物化石群。这是迄今所知最早的真穿石微生物的化石纪录。     

皖南震旦系蓝田组沉积岩有机碳同位素记录

皖南地区震旦系蓝田组是新元古代冰期后形成的岩石地层,它的中下段以黑色页岩沉积为主,上段为白云质灰岩。黑色页岩段的分析结果表明：底部有机碳同位素数值较低(8^13Corg平均值为-31．9‰),总有机碳(TOC)和总有机氮(TON)含量处于较低值;在底部之上,有机碳同位素数值缓慢升高(从靠近底部的-32．6‰升至顶部的-28．3‰),而TOC和TON含量分别可达17．7％和2．7‰。这一分析结果应归于冰后期在缺氧条件下大量有机质埋藏所致。可以推测,这种变化从一个侧面反映了新元古代全球性大冰期结束后气候变化和生物演化规律：冰期结束之后,海洋中的低等浮游藻类的底栖藻类在温暖气候条件下得以繁盛,伴随着这些还原性有机碳的沉积并大量进入岩石圈中,藻类光合作用产生的氧气进入大气圈,可能正是由于有机碳的沉积导致的氧气含量升高促使了真核多细胞生物在此之后得到了大发展。蓝田组上段白云质灰岩分析结果表明：有机碳同位素和无机碳同位素分别呈现出较强的负漂移(8^13Corg：-26．8‰— -35．3‰;8^13Ccarb：-8．5‰— -10．2‰),而总有机碳(TOC)含量呈现明显降低趋势。这一变化趋势可能主要归之于沉积有机质的氧化作用。可以推测,随着新元古代全球性大冰期结束后气候变暖,海洋藻类大量繁殖,藻类的光合作用产生大量的O2,海水中O2／CO2比值上升,海洋沉积环境由缺氧逐渐向富氧条件转化。     

塔里木盆地晚泥盆世东河塘组河口湾相遗迹化石

河口湾具有特定的环境条件和沉积组成,其遗迹化石具有半咸水沉积的遗迹群落特征。描述和分析塔里木盆地塔中4井区上泥盆统东河塘组河口湾沉积中的遗迹化石和生物扰动构造后,发现3类遗迹组构,其中Ophiomorpha遗迹组构发育在纯净砂岩中,与河口湾潮汐砂坝有关;Skolithos遗迹组构发育在薄层砂岩中,与河口湾砂坪有关;Palaeophycus遗迹组构发育在泥岩中,与河口湾泥坪、砂泥坪有关。     

长江三峡地区上震旦统稳定同位素异常及地层意义

三峡地区广泛发育的上震旦统,及下伏的南沱组和古城组冰碛层,有良好的生物地层控制及全球对比意义。新秭归城附近的雾河剖面,自南沱组顶部到水井沱组下部出露有利于化学地层学研究的一系列碳酸盐岩沉积,对这一剖面的碳,氧,锶同位素研究发现：1）碳,锶和氧同位素在陡山沱组顶部到灯影组底部存在明显异常;2）碳同位素在寒武系-前寒武系界线附近有负异常;3）碳同位素和锶同位素在剖面上的演化具有全球对比意义;4）陡山沱组顶部到灯影组底部的碳,锶同位素异常,与可能存在末远古纪的冰期,即所谓的“后Marinoan冰期”有关。     

Paleogene stable isotope events

The oxygen isotope record in Paleogene benthic Foraminifera shows that at the base of the Paleogene the ocean deep waters had a temperature of about 10°C, rising to about 12°C at the base of the Eocene and cooling between 51 Ma and 49 Ma to about 9°C. The most dramatic event occurred just after the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, at about 35.8 Ma, when ocean deep waters cooled by several degrees within 10⁴–10⁵ yr, probably in association with temporary glaciation in the Antarctic region. Another more intense glacial event in Antarctica may have occurred later in the Oligocene, at about 31 Ma and a third near the top of the Oligocene at 24 Ma.In the marine carbon isotope record a very rapid negative excursion occurred precisely at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. A recovery to unusually positive values in the Late Paleocene was followed by a second negative excursion close to the Paleocene/Eocene boundary that was even more extreme in magnitude although it was not as rapid. These major carbon isotope events permit very accurate stratigraphic correlation; there are many other smaller features in the carbon isotope record that will also prove useful for this purpose.     

Carbon isotopic record of terrestrial ecosystems spanning the Late Miocene extinction of Oreopithecus bambolii, Baccinello Basin (Tuscany, Italy)

Oreopithecus bambolii is a Late Miocene hominoid with an extensive fossil record in the Baccinello Basin (Tuscany, Italy), and was the only western European hominoid to survive a major extinction event ca. 9.6 Ma (millions of years ago). Oreopithecus lived in the insular Tusco-Sardinian paleobioprovince, where it evolved many unique anatomical specializations that make it important for understanding the mechanisms and history of Late Miocene hominoid evolution. The eventual extinction of Oreopithecus and its associated fauna ca. 6.5 Ma has generally been attributed to interaction with species that arrived from continental Europe following tectonic collision of the Tusco-Sardinian province with mainland Italy, but palynological, paleontological, and sedimentological records indicate an environmental shift toward more variable climate across the extinction event.To explore the possibility of environmental change as a contributing factor in the extinction of Oreopithecus, we developed a stable carbon and oxygen isotope record from organic matter in paleosols from the Baccinello Basin. These data show very low temporal and spatial variability (indicating plant ecosystem stability through time and space) and provide no evidence for ecologically significant changes in floral composition spanning the extinction event, suggesting that environmental change was not an underlying cause for the extinction of Oreopithecus and its associated fauna. The carbon isotope values fall entirely within the range of isotopic variability for modern plants following the C₃ photosynthetic pathway (trees, shrubs, cool-season grasses), indicating that C₄ vegetation (warm-season grasses) was not an important component of biomass. When corrected for temporal variation in the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the paleosol carbon isotope values are consistent with predicted values based on modern plants and the Baccinello palynoflora, supporting the reliability of paleosol isotopic records as paleoecological proxies.     

Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolites of the Arnstadt Formation (“Steinmergelkeuper”, Upper Triassic, N-Germany)

Lacustrine stromatolites of the Norian Arnstadt Formation (“Steinmergelkeuper”) occur on top of asymmetric flooding–evaporation cycles of a closed lake basin. They have been investigated with regard to associated lithofacies and biota, microfabric and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes. The stromatolites of the “Middle Grey Series” are brecciated and reworked by a flooding event of a subsequent lake cycle. They comprise agglutinated stromatolites rich in fish scales as well as skeletal stromatolites composed of a rhythmically grown dendroid micropeloidal framework. The latter are characterized by a shift towards positive δ¹³C values relative to the associated lake carbonates. This points to an effective photosynthesis in biofilm calcification at low concentrations in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in a perennial fresh to brackish water lake. The stromatolites of the “Upper Red Series” occur on top of perennial lake cycles intercalated between playa lake deposits. The fine-grained stromatolites are poor in microfabric characteristics but show a significant covariation of δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C. This points to evaporation/degassing acting as driving mechanism in biofilm calcification. The lack of biotic effects on carbon isotope fractionation may reflect high concentrations in dissolved inorganic carbon. Skeletal oncoids, which occur as allochthonous components within an intraformational lag deposit of the “Upper Red Series”, are composed of cyanobacterial tubes and probably represent lowest saline lakes with only poor DIC buffering. Stable isotope signatures in conjunction with stromatolite microfabric analyses may be used as a proxy of DIC concentrations in ancient closed lakes.     

Carbon isotopes and lipid biomarkers from organic‐rich facies of the Shuram Formation,Sultanate of Oman

The largest recorded carbon isotopic excursion in Earth history is observed globally in carbonate rocks of middle Ediacaran age. Known from the Sultanate of Oman as the ‘Shuram excursion’, this event records a dramatic, systematic shift in δ¹³C_carbonate values to ca. ?12‰. Attempts to explain the nature, magnitude and origin of this excursion include (i) a primary signal resulting from the protracted oxidation of a large dissolved organic carbon reservoir in seawater, release of methane from sediment‐hosted clathrates, or water column stratification; and (ii) a secondary signal from diagenetic processes. The compositions and isotope ratios of organic carbon phases during the excursion are critical to evaluating these ideas; however, previous work has focused on localities that are low in organic carbon, hindering straightforward interpretation of the observed time‐series trends. We report carbon isotope data from bulk organic carbon, extracted bitumen and kerogen, in addition to lipid biomarker data, from a subsurface well drilled on the eastern flank of the South Oman Salt Basin, Sultanate of Oman. This section captures Nafun Group strata through the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary in the Ara Group and includes an organic‐rich, deeper‐water facies of the Shuram Formation. Despite the high organic matter contents, the carbon isotopic compositions of carbonates – which record a negative δ¹³C isotope excursion similar in shape and magnitude to sections elsewhere in Oman – do not covary with those of organic phases (bulk TOC, bitumen and kerogen). Paired inorganic and organic δ¹³C data only display coupled behaviour during the latter part of the excursion's recovery. Furthermore, lipid biomarker data reveal that organic matter composition and source inputs varied stratigraphically, reflecting biological community shifts in non‐migrated, syngenetic organic matter deposited during this interval.     

Trends in tuna carbon isotopes suggest global changes in pelagic phytoplankton communities

Considerable uncertainty remains over how increasing atmospheric CO₂ and anthropogenic climate changes are affecting open‐ocean marine ecosystems from phytoplankton to top predators. Biological time series data are thus urgently needed for the world's oceans. Here, we use the carbon stable isotope composition of tuna to provide a first insight into the existence of global trends in complex ecosystem dynamics and changes in the oceanic carbon cycle. From 2000 to 2015, considerable declines in δ¹³C values of 0.8‰–2.5‰ were observed across three tuna species sampled globally, with more substantial changes in the Pacific Ocean compared to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Tuna recorded not only the Suess effect, that is, fossil fuel‐derived and isotopically light carbon being incorporated into marine ecosystems, but also recorded profound changes at the base of marine food webs. We suggest a global shift in phytoplankton community structure, for example, a reduction in ¹³C‐rich phytoplankton such as diatoms, and/or a change in phytoplankton physiology during this period, although this does not rule out other concomitant changes at higher levels in the food webs. Our study establishes tuna δ¹³C values as a candidate essential ocean variable to assess complex ecosystem responses to climate change at regional to global scales and over decadal timescales. Finally, this time series will be invaluable in calibrating and validating global earth system models to project changes in marine biota.     

Late Ordovician carbon isotope trend in Estonia, its significance in stratigraphy and environmental analysis

Carbon isotope changes during most of Late Ordovician time (from the mid-Caradoc Kinnekulle K-bentonite until the beginning of the Silurian) were investigated. As the corresponding sequence of rocks is stratigraphically nearly complete in Estonia, an attempt was made to use it to elaborate the general pattern of carbon isotope changes in the Late Ordovician. Complications were caused by several local or regional hiatuses in the middle and late Caradoc and Hirnantian. A total of 385 whole rock samples were studied from eight drill cores in northern and central Estonia. The following positive carbon isotope events were observed: (1) the mid-Caradoc excursion (peak δ¹³C value 2.2‰) in the uppermost part of the Keila Stage, also known in Sweden; (2) the first late Caradoc excursion (1.9‰) in the lower part of the Rakvere Stage; (3) the second late Caradoc excursion (2.4‰) in the upper part of the Nabala Stage; (4) the early Ashgill excursion (2.5‰) in the lowermost part of the Pirgu Stage; (5) the widely known large Hirnantian excursion (in Estonia the peak value reaches 6.7‰) in the Porkuni Stage. The study interval comprises a long (10 Ma) period characterized by low-magnitude carbon isotope changes and a following brief (2 Ma) interval with large changes. No obvious lithological preference for hosting the positive shifts was recorded. In principle, the δ¹³C values exceeding the background values may occur in all types of rocks present in a sedimentary basin. Several δ¹³C positive excursions (values 1.5‰ to 3‰) in the Mohawkian of North America are evidence that the minor Caradoc and early Ashgill δ¹³C positive shifts in Baltoscandia may have counterparts in Laurentia. If correctly correlated, these shifts may have global significance. The Hirnantian excursion is usually linked to a major glacial event, even if some carbon cycling mechanisms are not completely understood. The environmental causes suggested for the earlier minor shifts range from global climatic and glacial events to very local changes in basin regime and sea level. Our study supports the primary role of climatic or climatically triggered oceanic processes.     

Fossil Mice and Rats Show Isotopic Evidence of Niche Partitioning and Change in Dental Ecomorphology Related to Dietary Shift in Late Miocene of Pakistan

Stable carbon isotope analysis in tooth enamel is a well-established approach to infer C₃ and C₄ dietary composition in fossil mammals. The bulk of past work has been conducted on large herbivorous mammals. One important finding is that their dietary habits of fossil large mammals track the late Miocene ecological shift from C₃ forest and woodland to C₄ savannah. However, few studies on carbon isotopes of fossil small mammals exist due to limitations imposed by the size of rodent teeth, and the isotopic ecological and dietary behaviors of small mammals to climate change remain unknown. Here we evaluate the impact of ecological change on small mammals by fine-scale comparisons of carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) with dental morphology of murine rodents, spanning 13.8 to ∼2.0 Ma, across the C₃ to C₄ vegetation shift in the Miocene Siwalik sequence of Pakistan. We applied in-situ laser ablation GC-IRMS to lower first molars and measured two grazing indices on upper first molars. Murine rodents yield a distinct, but related, record of past ecological conditions from large herbivorous mammals, reflecting available foods in their much smaller home ranges. In general, larger murine species show more positive δ¹³C values and have higher grazing indices than smaller species inhabiting the same area at any given age. Two clades of murine rodents experienced different rates of morphological change. In the faster-evolving clade, the timing and trend of morphological innovations are closely tied to consumption of C₄ diet during the vegetation shift. This study provides quantitative evidence of linkages among diet, niche partitioning, and dental morphology at a more detailed level than previously possible.     

Blue carbon gains from glacial retreat along Antarctic fjords: What should we expect?

Rising atmospheric CO₂ is intensifying climate change but it is also driving global and particularly polar greening. However, most blue carbon sinks (that held by marine organisms) are shrinking, which is important as these are hotspots of genuine carbon sequestration. Polar blue carbon increases with losses of marine ice over high latitude continental shelf areas. Marine ice (sea ice, ice shelf and glacier retreat) losses generate a valuable negative feedback on climate change. Blue carbon change with sea ice and ice shelf losses has been estimated, but not how blue carbon responds to glacier retreat along fjords. We derive a testable estimate of glacier retreat driven blue carbon gains by investigating three fjords in the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). We started by multiplying ~40 year mean glacier retreat rates by the number of retreating WAP fjords and their time of exposure. We multiplied this area by regional zoobenthic carbon means from existing datasets to suggest that WAP fjords generate 3,130 tonnes of new zoobenthic carbon per year (t zC/year) and sequester >780 t zC/year. We tested this by capture and analysis of 204 high resolution seabed images along emerging WAP fjords. Biota within these images were identified to density per 13 functional groups. Mean stored carbon per individual was assigned from literature values to give a stored zoobenthic Carbon per area, which was multiplied up by area of fjord exposed over time, which increased the estimate to 4,536 t zC/year. The purpose of this study was to establish a testable estimate of blue carbon change caused by glacier retreat along Antarctic fjords and thus to establish its relative importance compared to polar and other carbon sinks.     

Microbes,mud and methane: cause and consequence of recurrent Early Jurassic anoxia following the end‐Triassic mass extinction

The end‐Triassic mass extinction (c. 201.6 Ma) was one of the five largest mass‐extinction events in the history of animal life. It was also associated with a dramatic, long‐lasting change in sedimentation style along the margins of the Tethys Ocean, from generally organic‐matter‐poor sediments during the Triassic to generally organic‐matter‐rich black shales during the Jurassic. New core material from Germany provides biomarker evidence of persistent photic‐zone euxinia during the Hettangian, the onset of which is associated with a series of both negative and positive carbon isotope excursions. Combined inorganic and organic geochemical and micropalaeontological analyses reveal strong similarities between the Hettangian and the better‐known Toarcian anoxic event. These events appear to be the most clearly expressed events within a series of anoxic episodes that also include poorly studied black shale intervals during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian. Both the Hettangian and Toarcian events are marked by important changes in phytoplankton assemblages from chromophyte‐ to chlorophyte‐dominated assemblages within the European Epicontinental Seaway. Phytoplankton changes occurred in association with the establishment of photic‐zone euxinia, driven by a general increase in salinity stratification and warming of surface waters. For both events, the causes of large negative carbon isotope excursions remain incompletely understood; evidence exists for both variation in the δ¹³C of atmospheric CO₂ and variation in the sources of organic carbon. Regardless of the causes of δ¹³C variability, long‐term ocean anoxia during the Early Jurassic can be attributed to greenhouse warming and increased nutrient delivery to the oceans triggered by flood basalt volcanism.     

Paleogeographic variations of pedogenic carbonate delta13C values from Koobi Fora, Kenya: implications for floral compositions of Plio-Pleistocene hominin environments

Plio-Pleistocene East African grassland expansion and faunal macroevolution, including that of our own lineage, are attributed to global climate change. To further understand environmental factors of early hominin evolution, we reconstruct the paleogeographic distribution of vegetation (C(3)-C(4) pathways) by stable carbon isotope (delta(13)C) analysis of pedogenic carbonates from the Plio-Pleistocene Koobi Fora region, northeast Lake Turkana Basin, Kenya. We analyzed 202 nodules (530 measurements) from ten paleontological/archaeological collecting areas spanning environments over a 50-km(2) area. We compared results across subregions in evolving fluviolacustrine depositional environments in the Koobi Fora Formation from 2.0-1.5 Ma, a stratigraphic interval that temporally brackets grassland ascendancy in East Africa. Significant differences in delta(13)C values between subregions are explained by paleogeographic controls on floral composition and distribution. Our results indicate grassland expansion between 2.0 and 1.75 Ma, coincident with major shifts in basin-wide sedimentation and hydrology. Hypotheses may be correct in linking Plio-Pleistocene hominin evolution to environmental changes from global climate; however, based on our results, we interpret complexity from proximate forces that mitigated basin evolution. An approximately 2.5 Ma tectonic event in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya exerted strong effects on paleography in the Turkana Basin from 2.0-1.5 Ma, contributing to the shift from a closed, lacustrine basin to one dominated by open, fluvial conditions. We propose basin transformation decreased residence time for Omo River water and expanded subaerial floodplain landscapes, ultimately leading to reduced proportions of wooded floras and the establishment of habitats suitable for grassland communities.