Composite sand-ice wedge pseudomorphs suggestive of a frosty Ediacaran–Cambrian transition

Autor(en)
Yuchong Wang, Hongwei Kuang, Yongqing Liu, Xiaoshuai Chen, Fenghua Zhao, Daniel Paul Le Heron, Thomas Matthew Vandyk, Nan Peng, Zhenrui Yang, Huaqing Bai
Abstrakt

The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition (approx. 580–520 million years ago), one of the most critical intervals in Earth's history, witnessed physical environment change and climate fluctuations coupled with extraordinary radiations of metazoan life. Up to now, there are insufficient data to evaluate the true nature of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition climate. This research reports the newly discovered wedge structures on the Luoquan glacial diamictites in western Henan, North China Craton, to discuss and try to prove the nature of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition climate fluctuation. The results show that the Luoquan wedges show downward V-shaped pinching in two dimensions, with heights of 20–400 cm and widths of 3–25 cm. A cryogenic origin of composite sand-ice wedge pseudomorphs is the most likely interpretation based on observations of their morphological, textural, and sedimentological characteristics. The observed evidence is ambiguous but could indicate an extremely cold climate resulting in periglacial environments during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of extreme fluctuations in the global climate that probably affected ocean chemistry and biological evolution during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Geologie
Externe Organisation(en)
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, University of London, Hubei Deshihong Geological Technology Service Co., Ltd.
Journal
Precambrian Research
Band
382
ISSN
0301-9268
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106873
Publikationsdatum
11-2022
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
105101 Allgemeine Geologie
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Geology, Geochemistry and Petrology
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 13 – Maßnahmen zum Klimaschutz
Link zum Portal
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/composite-sandice-wedge-pseudomorphs-suggestive-of-a-frosty-ediacarancambrian-transition(314f2f2a-c37a-4f94-b940-4dd5314bffc4).html