中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所机构知识库

The Carnian Humid Episode (CHE) represents a dramatic dry to wet climate transition in the Late Triassic. Manifestations of this climate shift and its associated biological and environmental responses are not fully understood. Here, we carried out carbonate carbon isotope, trace metal, and pyrite framboid analyses at Wolonggang in southwest China to trace palaeoenvironmental changes during this critical interval. The CHE at Wolonggang is marked by the development of fine laminated carbonaceous siltstones and black shales overlying the intensely bioturbated Zhuganpo limestone deposited in the latest Julian 1. This lithological change is accompanied by two negative delta C-13(carb) excursions, a strong enrichment of redox-sensitive trace metals U and Mo, and the development of abundant small pyrite framboids with an average diameter < 5 mu m. The sedimentary and geochemical evidence collectively suggest a sharp decrease in carbonate production and a major carbon cycle disturbance, coinciding with the onset of intense ocean anoxia and the mass mortality of burrowing faunas. Unlike other areas in the western Tethys, the aftermath of the CHE at Wolonggang is characterized by longlasting ocean anoxia, with weak carbonate production persisting at least to the late Tuvalian. This is evidenced by the deposition of finely laminated silty carbonates, marls, and carbonaceous siltstones with rare benthic fossils in the Wayao Formation. Our study suggests that anoxic-euxinic environments widely developed along the southwest margins of the Yangtze Platform and in the Nanpanjiang Basin, probably contributing to the loss of marine faunas during the CHE.