Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China

Late Pennsylvanian cyclothems are documented from the carbonate platform margin in Guizhou, South China, providing a unique opportunity to study glacio-eustatic fluctuations and their impact on reef development. This paper focuses on a shallow-water, reef-bearing succession and a deep-water successi...

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Main Authors: Junjie Wang, Enpu Gong, Yongli Zhang, Xiao Li, Lifu Wang, Guanming Lai, Depeng Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Life
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/11/1495
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author Junjie Wang
Enpu Gong
Yongli Zhang
Xiao Li
Lifu Wang
Guanming Lai
Depeng Li
author_facet Junjie Wang
Enpu Gong
Yongli Zhang
Xiao Li
Lifu Wang
Guanming Lai
Depeng Li
author_sort Junjie Wang
collection DOAJ
description Late Pennsylvanian cyclothems are documented from the carbonate platform margin in Guizhou, South China, providing a unique opportunity to study glacio-eustatic fluctuations and their impact on reef development. This paper focuses on a shallow-water, reef-bearing succession and a deep-water succession in the Houchang area of Guizhou. Fourteen microfacies, grouped into seven associations, represent distinct depositional environments. These microfacies associations exhibit vertical cyclicity, interpreted as cyclothems, similar to those observed globally, which are attributed to the waxing and waning of the Gondwana ice sheet. The cyclothems are primarily composed of sediments below the wave base within a shallow-water platform margin and deep-water settings. Those cyclothems show strong correlations with those observed in South China, Ukraine, and the North American Midcontinent, suggesting a potential connection to global glacio-eustatic processes. A brief and rapid sea-level rise during the late Kasimovian may correspond to a recently recognized global warming event. A microfacies analysis indicates that these cyclothems reflect glacial-type sea-level fluctuations ranging from 15 to 35 m. Notably, the reef-bearing cyclothems correspond to intermediate, major cyclothems identified in South China and the Midcontinent from the late Moscovian to early Kasimovian stages. The global cyclothem correlations and reef development patterns in South China suggest that intermediate, major cycles were the primary controls on reef growth and demise, while minor cycles influenced biostromes and community succession within the reefs. These findings underscore the pivotal role of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) in shaping reef development in far-field regions during the Late Pennsylvanian.
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spelling doaj-art-321a6d2e6dea4ccfabad161aaccd40ed2025-08-20T02:04:58ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292024-11-011411149510.3390/life14111495Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South ChinaJunjie Wang0Enpu Gong1Yongli Zhang2Xiao Li3Lifu Wang4Guanming Lai5Depeng Li6College of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, No. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110819, ChinaCollege of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, No. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110819, ChinaCollege of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, No. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110819, ChinaCollege of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, No. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110819, ChinaSchool of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Petrochemical University, Fushun 113001, ChinaCollege of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, No. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110819, ChinaCollege of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, No. 3-11, Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110819, ChinaLate Pennsylvanian cyclothems are documented from the carbonate platform margin in Guizhou, South China, providing a unique opportunity to study glacio-eustatic fluctuations and their impact on reef development. This paper focuses on a shallow-water, reef-bearing succession and a deep-water succession in the Houchang area of Guizhou. Fourteen microfacies, grouped into seven associations, represent distinct depositional environments. These microfacies associations exhibit vertical cyclicity, interpreted as cyclothems, similar to those observed globally, which are attributed to the waxing and waning of the Gondwana ice sheet. The cyclothems are primarily composed of sediments below the wave base within a shallow-water platform margin and deep-water settings. Those cyclothems show strong correlations with those observed in South China, Ukraine, and the North American Midcontinent, suggesting a potential connection to global glacio-eustatic processes. A brief and rapid sea-level rise during the late Kasimovian may correspond to a recently recognized global warming event. A microfacies analysis indicates that these cyclothems reflect glacial-type sea-level fluctuations ranging from 15 to 35 m. Notably, the reef-bearing cyclothems correspond to intermediate, major cyclothems identified in South China and the Midcontinent from the late Moscovian to early Kasimovian stages. The global cyclothem correlations and reef development patterns in South China suggest that intermediate, major cycles were the primary controls on reef growth and demise, while minor cycles influenced biostromes and community succession within the reefs. These findings underscore the pivotal role of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) in shaping reef development in far-field regions during the Late Pennsylvanian.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/11/1495cyclothemsmicrofaciesreefslate Paleozoic ice ageSouth China
spellingShingle Junjie Wang
Enpu Gong
Yongli Zhang
Xiao Li
Lifu Wang
Guanming Lai
Depeng Li
Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China
Life
cyclothems
microfacies
reefs
late Paleozoic ice age
South China
title Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China
title_full Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China
title_fullStr Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China
title_full_unstemmed Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China
title_short Microfacies Characteristics of Late Pennsylvanian Cyclothems on the Carbonate Platform Margin in Guizhou, South China
title_sort microfacies characteristics of late pennsylvanian cyclothems on the carbonate platform margin in guizhou south china
topic cyclothems
microfacies
reefs
late Paleozoic ice age
South China
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/11/1495
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