The wider context of the Lower Jurassic Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in Yorkshire coastal outcrops, UK

Nicolas Thibault; Micha Ruhl; Clemens V. Ullmann; Christoph Korte; David B. Kemp; Darren R. Gröcke; Stephen P. Hesselbo

doi:10.1016/j.pgeola.2017.10.007

The wider context of the Lower Jurassic Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in Yorkshire coastal outcrops, UK

Nicolas Thibault (Corresponding Author), Micha Ruhl, Clemens V. Ullmann, Christoph Korte, David B. Kemp, Darren R. Gröcke, Stephen P. Hesselbo

Geology and Geophysics

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Abstract

The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ∼183 Ma) was characterized by enhanced carbon burial, a prominent negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in marine carbonate and organic matter, and numerous geochemical anomalies. A precursor excursion has also been documented at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary, but its possible causes are less constrained. The T-OAE is intensively studied in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK, whose sedimentary deposits have been litho-, bio- and chemostratigraphically characterised. Here, we present new elemental data produced by hand-held X-ray fluorescence analysis to test the expression of redox-sensitive trace metals and detrital elements across the upper Pliensbachian to mid-Toarcian of the Cleveland Basin. Detrital elemental concentrations (Al, Si, Ti, Zr) are used as proxies for siliciclastic grain content and thus, sea-level change, which match previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations from the Cleveland Basin. The timescale of the event is debated, though our new elemental proxies of relative sea level change show evidence for a cyclicity of 350 cm that may be indicative of ∼405 kyr eccentricity cycles in Yorkshire. Trends in total organic carbon and redox-sensitive elements (S, Fe, Mo, As) confirm scenarios of widespread ocean deoxygenation across the T-OAE. The correlation of comparable trends in Mo across the T-OAE in Yorkshire and the Paris Basin suggests a similar oceanic drawdown of this element accompanying widespread anoxia in the two basins. Data from Yorkshire point to a transgressive trend at the time of the Mo drawdown, which contradicts the “basin restriction” model for the euxinic conditions that characterise the CIE interval.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	372-391
Number of pages	20
Journal	Proceedings of the Geologists' Association
Volume	129
Issue number	3
Early online date	13 Dec 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2017.10.007
Publication status	Published - Jun 2018

Bibliographical note

The authors warmly thank Mads E. Jelby and Anders L. Ebbesen for help in collecting samples in the field. NT is thankful to Christian Bjerrum for use of the HH-XRF gun and fruitful discussions on calibration of the device, to Samer Bou Daher for fruitful discussions on organic geochemistry and to Michaël Hermoso for fruitful discussion on the Sancerre-Couy data and geochemistry of the Toarcian event. The Carlsberg Foundation (project 2011-01-0737 to CK) and the Danish Council for Independent Research-Natural Sciences (project 09-072715 to CK) are acknowledged for contributions to financing this project. This manuscript strongly benefited from high-quality reviews and many constructive comments of Mathieu Martinez and an anonymous reviewer. Many thanks to Raven Hall for a fantastic view and for their food of a high standard that contradicted the French opinion on English cuisine.

Keywords

Euxinia
Mo drawdown
Cyclostratigraphy
Sea level

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

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title = "The wider context of the Lower Jurassic Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in Yorkshire coastal outcrops, UK",

abstract = "The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ∼183 Ma) was characterized by enhanced carbon burial, a prominent negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in marine carbonate and organic matter, and numerous geochemical anomalies. A precursor excursion has also been documented at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary, but its possible causes are less constrained. The T-OAE is intensively studied in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK, whose sedimentary deposits have been litho-, bio- and chemostratigraphically characterised. Here, we present new elemental data produced by hand-held X-ray fluorescence analysis to test the expression of redox-sensitive trace metals and detrital elements across the upper Pliensbachian to mid-Toarcian of the Cleveland Basin. Detrital elemental concentrations (Al, Si, Ti, Zr) are used as proxies for siliciclastic grain content and thus, sea-level change, which match previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations from the Cleveland Basin. The timescale of the event is debated, though our new elemental proxies of relative sea level change show evidence for a cyclicity of 350 cm that may be indicative of ∼405 kyr eccentricity cycles in Yorkshire. Trends in total organic carbon and redox-sensitive elements (S, Fe, Mo, As) confirm scenarios of widespread ocean deoxygenation across the T-OAE. The correlation of comparable trends in Mo across the T-OAE in Yorkshire and the Paris Basin suggests a similar oceanic drawdown of this element accompanying widespread anoxia in the two basins. Data from Yorkshire point to a transgressive trend at the time of the Mo drawdown, which contradicts the “basin restriction” model for the euxinic conditions that characterise the CIE interval.",

keywords = "Euxinia, Mo drawdown, Cyclostratigraphy, Sea level",

author = "Nicolas Thibault and Micha Ruhl and Ullmann, {Clemens V.} and Christoph Korte and Kemp, {David B.} and Gr{\"o}cke, {Darren R.} and Hesselbo, {Stephen P.}",

note = "The authors warmly thank Mads E. Jelby and Anders L. Ebbesen for help in collecting samples in the field. NT is thankful to Christian Bjerrum for use of the HH-XRF gun and fruitful discussions on calibration of the device, to Samer Bou Daher for fruitful discussions on organic geochemistry and to Micha{\"e}l Hermoso for fruitful discussion on the Sancerre-Couy data and geochemistry of the Toarcian event. The Carlsberg Foundation (project 2011-01-0737 to CK) and the Danish Council for Independent Research-Natural Sciences (project 09-072715 to CK) are acknowledged for contributions to financing this project. This manuscript strongly benefited from high-quality reviews and many constructive comments of Mathieu Martinez and an anonymous reviewer. Many thanks to Raven Hall for a fantastic view and for their food of a high standard that contradicted the French opinion on English cuisine.",

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T1 - The wider context of the Lower Jurassic Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in Yorkshire coastal outcrops, UK

AU - Thibault, Nicolas

AU - Ruhl, Micha

AU - Ullmann, Clemens V.

AU - Korte, Christoph

AU - Kemp, David B.

AU - Gröcke, Darren R.

AU - Hesselbo, Stephen P.

N1 - The authors warmly thank Mads E. Jelby and Anders L. Ebbesen for help in collecting samples in the field. NT is thankful to Christian Bjerrum for use of the HH-XRF gun and fruitful discussions on calibration of the device, to Samer Bou Daher for fruitful discussions on organic geochemistry and to Michaël Hermoso for fruitful discussion on the Sancerre-Couy data and geochemistry of the Toarcian event. The Carlsberg Foundation (project 2011-01-0737 to CK) and the Danish Council for Independent Research-Natural Sciences (project 09-072715 to CK) are acknowledged for contributions to financing this project. This manuscript strongly benefited from high-quality reviews and many constructive comments of Mathieu Martinez and an anonymous reviewer. Many thanks to Raven Hall for a fantastic view and for their food of a high standard that contradicted the French opinion on English cuisine.

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N2 - The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ∼183 Ma) was characterized by enhanced carbon burial, a prominent negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in marine carbonate and organic matter, and numerous geochemical anomalies. A precursor excursion has also been documented at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary, but its possible causes are less constrained. The T-OAE is intensively studied in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK, whose sedimentary deposits have been litho-, bio- and chemostratigraphically characterised. Here, we present new elemental data produced by hand-held X-ray fluorescence analysis to test the expression of redox-sensitive trace metals and detrital elements across the upper Pliensbachian to mid-Toarcian of the Cleveland Basin. Detrital elemental concentrations (Al, Si, Ti, Zr) are used as proxies for siliciclastic grain content and thus, sea-level change, which match previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations from the Cleveland Basin. The timescale of the event is debated, though our new elemental proxies of relative sea level change show evidence for a cyclicity of 350 cm that may be indicative of ∼405 kyr eccentricity cycles in Yorkshire. Trends in total organic carbon and redox-sensitive elements (S, Fe, Mo, As) confirm scenarios of widespread ocean deoxygenation across the T-OAE. The correlation of comparable trends in Mo across the T-OAE in Yorkshire and the Paris Basin suggests a similar oceanic drawdown of this element accompanying widespread anoxia in the two basins. Data from Yorkshire point to a transgressive trend at the time of the Mo drawdown, which contradicts the “basin restriction” model for the euxinic conditions that characterise the CIE interval.

AB - The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE, ∼183 Ma) was characterized by enhanced carbon burial, a prominent negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in marine carbonate and organic matter, and numerous geochemical anomalies. A precursor excursion has also been documented at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary, but its possible causes are less constrained. The T-OAE is intensively studied in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK, whose sedimentary deposits have been litho-, bio- and chemostratigraphically characterised. Here, we present new elemental data produced by hand-held X-ray fluorescence analysis to test the expression of redox-sensitive trace metals and detrital elements across the upper Pliensbachian to mid-Toarcian of the Cleveland Basin. Detrital elemental concentrations (Al, Si, Ti, Zr) are used as proxies for siliciclastic grain content and thus, sea-level change, which match previous sequence stratigraphic interpretations from the Cleveland Basin. The timescale of the event is debated, though our new elemental proxies of relative sea level change show evidence for a cyclicity of 350 cm that may be indicative of ∼405 kyr eccentricity cycles in Yorkshire. Trends in total organic carbon and redox-sensitive elements (S, Fe, Mo, As) confirm scenarios of widespread ocean deoxygenation across the T-OAE. The correlation of comparable trends in Mo across the T-OAE in Yorkshire and the Paris Basin suggests a similar oceanic drawdown of this element accompanying widespread anoxia in the two basins. Data from Yorkshire point to a transgressive trend at the time of the Mo drawdown, which contradicts the “basin restriction” model for the euxinic conditions that characterise the CIE interval.

KW - Euxinia

KW - Mo drawdown

KW - Cyclostratigraphy

KW - Sea level

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DO - 10.1016/j.pgeola.2017.10.007

M3 - Article

SN - 0016-7878

VL - 129

SP - 372

EP - 391

JO - Proceedings of the Geologists' Association

JF - Proceedings of the Geologists' Association

IS - 3

ER -

The wider context of the Lower Jurassic Toarcian oceanic anoxic event in Yorkshire coastal outcrops, UK

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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