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The Yudomski event and subsequent decline: new evidence from δ34S data of lower and middle Cambrian evaporites in the Tarim Basin, western China

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Abstract

Marine evaporitic sulfates (gypsum and anhydrite) can record ancient seawater sulfur isotopic data; however, these records are scarce and widely dispersed owing to both restricted environments in which they form and their propensity to be eroded. The late Neoproterozoic–early Cambrian transition was a pivotal timeframe in Earth’s history, witnessing the early evolution of animal life and major environmental changes. Seawater chemistry changed abruptly during this interval, including significant changes to the sulfur cycle as evidenced by unusually high sulfur isotopic values. This positive sulfur excursion, termed the Yudomski Event, has been reported previously from early and middle Cambrian units in Siberia, Iran, Australia, and India. In this study, we provide the first report of the Yudomski Event in early and middle Cambrian evaporites from the Tarim Basin, northwestern China. Our data support this event having been of global significance. We additionally report early and middle Ordovician sulfur data from China, which constrain the decline of the Yudomski Event to the late Cambrian.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos: 41473039 and 4151101015) and Bureau of International Co-operation, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China

    Fan-wei Meng

  2. Petroleum Exploration and Development Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing, 100083, China

    Zhi-li Zhang

  3. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    James D. Schiffbauer

  4. Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing, China

    Qin-gong Zhuo & Meng-jun Zhao

  5. State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposit Research, Institute of Geo-Fluids, School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Pei Ni

  6. Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

    Wen-hang Liu

  7. Institute of Geology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

    Naveed Ahsan

  8. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

    Saif Ur Rehman

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  1. Fan-wei Meng
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Meng, Fw., Zhang, Zl., Schiffbauer, J.D. et al. The Yudomski event and subsequent decline: new evidence from δ34S data of lower and middle Cambrian evaporites in the Tarim Basin, western China. Carbonates Evaporites 34, 1117–1129 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-017-0407-9

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