Multiproxy Paleosol Evidence for Jurassic Paleoclimate Fluctuations in the Sichuan Basin, SW China
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We thank Wei Zhenkang, Zhang Fangfang (Northwest A&F University), Yin Qingyuan and Wang Zhangwen for their help on sample preparation. We are grateful to Erik Gulbranson (Gustavus Adolphus College) for his aid in determinations of humidity province. We also acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41371225 and 41901066).

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    Abstract:

    Paleoclimate reconstruction of continental environments has been hampered by the limited evidence. A thick sequence of Jurassic continental deposits in the Sichuan Basin, Southwest China yields abundant paleosols that may offer valuable insights regarding Jurassic climate scenarios. A succession of 169 paleosols belonging to Protosols, Calcisols, and Argillisols from 23 detailed stratigraphic sections was recognized and characterized macro- and micromorphologically and assessed for mineral and geochemical compositions. Quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions using bulk geochemical proxies, the depth to and the stable oxygen isotopic composition of paleosol carbonates indicated a predominant alternation of semiarid and arid cool/warm-temperate climatic conditions punctuated by several episodes of subhumid and humid climates that generally prevailed in the Sichuan Basin during the Jurassic. The estimated paleoatmospheric CO2 concentrations (pCO2) from calcic paleosols yielded a low range of ~104 ± 58 to ~610 ± 152 ppmv during the Middle Jurassic. The terrestrial paleotemperature changes in the Sichuan Basin coincided with the pCO2 variations, which probably resulted from global geological events (e.g., volcanic activities, magmatic and oceanic events, and the ephemeral caps development) in the Middle Jurassic. Jurassic climatic fluctuations in the basin were likely attributed to true polar wander due to global plate motion, megamonsoon effect linked to global and regional paleogeography, and regional paleotopography.

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LI Jun, WEN Xingyue, PAN Yuanyuan, HUANG Chengmin.2022. Multiproxy Paleosol Evidence for Jurassic Paleoclimate Fluctuations in the Sichuan Basin, SW China[J]. Acta Geologica Sinica(),96(6):2105-2124

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History
  • Received:January 13,2022
  • Revised:June 09,2022
  • Online: December 28,2022
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