paleolatitude distribution of phanerozoic marine ooids and cements opdyke b n and wilkinson b h 1990 paleolatitude distribution of phanerozoic marine ooids and cements palaeogeogr palaeoclimatol palaeoecol 78 135 148 data on 493 phanerozoic marine ooid and cement occurrences indicate that the dominance of calcite versus aragonite in tropical marine settings has changed in response to variation in atmospheric co2 and or oceanic temperature gradient holocene ooid and cement precipitation occurs over similar latitudes with means centered around 24 and 28 respectively aragonite and calcite also display roughly comparable distributions with average occurrences between 25 and 28 surface seawater saturation values requisite for ooid cement carbonate precipitation are at least 3 8 rs for aragonite and 3 4 a s for calcite ancient ooid cement occurrences vary in space and time with depositional zones generally closer to the equator during continental emergence greatest extent correlates with periods of maximum transgression aragonite formation is favored in more equatorial localities than calcite when cement ooid distributions are narrow and continents are emergent similarity of latitude distribution of marine ooids cement and biogenic carbonate suggests that physicochemical processes that control levels of carbonate saturation were more important in predicating sites of limestone accumulation in phanerozoic seas than biological processes related to net productivity of various carbonate platform communities continental position and tropical shelf area available for carbonate accumulation dictates the relative abundance of shallow water inorganic carbonate precipitates in space and time

namurian uplift in australia and south america triggered the main gondwanan glaciation the permo carboniferous glacigenic sediment at the base of the gondwanan basins reflects the culmination1 2 of the glacial episode that started in australia and southern south america in the namurian after two local episodes in northern south america and adjacent africa in the visean and latest devonian3 fig 1 here we show that the start of each episode was associated with orogenic uplift of the bordering regions northern south america and adjacent africa in the latest devonian and visean and southern south america and eastern and central australia in the namurian all areas except southern south america in the namurian were at mid and not high latitudes thus we show that whereas the first order control of glaciation was the configuration of the continents and oceans during the closing of palaeo tethys orogenesis provided a second order control by the accumulation of ice about bordering uplifts during the three glacial episodes

temporal variation in calcification in marine cyanobacteria periods of widespread abundance of calcified cyanobacteria in marine environments are here termed cyanobacterial calcification episodes cces intense such episodes occurred in the cambrian early ordovician late devonian and mid late triassic mild episodes occurred during the early carboniferous and jurassic early cretaceous possible episodes during parts of the silurian and permian await confirmation cyanobacterial calcification is not obligate but is dependent upon environmental factors favouring carbonate precipitation cyanobacterial calcification episodes are therefore interpreted as reflecting periods of increased marine carbonate precipitation this is supported by the general abundance of marine carbonate cements and oolites during cyanobacterial calcification episodes cyanobacterial calcification episodes correspond with phanerozoic periods for which elevated global temperatures have been inferred they do not appear to correlate closely with inferred changes in aragonite calcite facilitation the sandberg curve and p co2 through time it is concluded that variations in the precipitation rates of abiotic and quasi abiotic marine carbonates through time have been controlled primarily by temperature the mineralogy of these precipitates appears instead to have been mainly influenced by p co2 and the mg ca ratio also linked to sea level through plate tectonic processes thus the controls on rate and mineralogy of precipitation were independent of one another

isotopic records of brachiopod shells from the russian platform evidence for the onset of mid carboniferous glaciation we performed isotopic analyses of carboniferous brachiopod shells from the russian platform to examine global and regional environmental change along the western and eastern margins of laurussia during the formation of pangea and specifically to examine the isotopic evidence for the onset of mid carboniferous glaciation shell preservation was evaluated from shell microstructure cathodoluminescence trace element content and isotopic comparison with matrix material most interior nonluminescent nl prismatic shell appears to be chemically well preserved as indicated by low to undetectable si al fe and mn contents with minor exception nl shell 13c and 18o values are higher than those of corresponding cements and matrix the 13c record for the russian platform clearly shows a 3 increase from 2 4 0 7 to 5 5 0 6 in the serpukhovian or early bashkirian this shift was first reported by popp et al popp b n anderson t f sandberg p a 1986 brachiopods as indicators of original isotopic compositions in some paleozoic limestones geol soc am bull 97 1262 1269 but had not been documented for a single region widespread occurrence of high 13c values in the late carboniferous support the interpretation of popp et al with regard to this shift as a record of increased burial of organic carbon north american sections show a mid carboniferous 13c shift of only 1 5 we hypothesize that the reduced 13c shift reflects enhanced upwelling on the epicontinental seas of north america after the closing of the seaway between laurussia and gondwana the 18o record for the russian platform shows a 1 8 increase in the mid carboniferous correlative with increased occurrence of glacial sediments and a drop in sea level as a first approximation ice volume calculations suggest that 0 7 of the mid carboniferous 18o shift is due to changes in seawater 18o and 1 1 is due to 5 c cooling concurrent positive 13c and 18o shifts provide evidence for a relationship between mid carboniferous glaciation and burial of organic carbon presumably through changes in atmospheric co2 levels

rapid onset of late paleozoic glaciation on gondwana evidence from upper mississippian strata of the midcontinent united states direct evidence of the late paleozoic glaciation of gondwana from glacial deposits suggests that geographically extensive continental glaciation began some time in the namurian late mississippian however the timing and characteristics of the onset of glaciation are poorly understood because of a lack of reliable paleontological control and reworking of initial glacial deposits by subsequent glacial advances indirect evidence of glaciation preserved in unconformity bounded low latitude ramp sequences in the illinois basin united states suggests that geographically extensive continental glaciation of gondwana actually began in the late visean an abrupt change from carbonate dominated sequences bounded by disconformities with little evidence of erosion to mixed carbonate siliciclastic sequences bounded by unconformities with deep incised valleys was likely produced by a three fold increase in the magnitude of eustatic sea level fluctuations the increase in the magnitude of sea level fluctuations was likely driven by an equally abrupt increase in ice volume and marks the onset of the geographically extensive late paleozoic glaciation of gondwana a possible explanation for the rapid onset of glaciation is the closing of the equatorial seaway between laurussia and gondwana closing of this seaway would have led to an abrupt change in oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns that could have initiated major continental glaciation in the southern hemisphere

gondwanan deglaciation and opening of neotethys the al khlata and saiwan formations of interior oman abstract new stratigraphic petrographic and paleontological data from the lower permian of southeastern arabia help to elucidate the still debated timing of neotethys rifting and the climatic evolution following the gondwanan glaciation the transition from the al khlata to the saiwan formation here described in detail is interpreted to record continental break up and onset of neotethyan spreading between northern gondwana and the cimmerian terranes at mid sakmarian times as constrained by brachiopod assemblages the eastern oman arm of the neotethyan rift system instead failed and sea floor spreading of the indo madagascar trough was delayed until final fragmentation of gondwana in the late jurassic petrographic composition of lower permian sandstones documents a distinct change from transitional to dissected rift shoulder provenance and widespread exposure of granitoid basement rocks at a late syn rift to early post rift stage very abundant pore filling celestite at the al khlata saiwan transition may have precipitated from circulating brines related to remobilization of proterozoic salt due to rift tectonics the sharp base of the saiwan formation records a major transgression related to the onset of neotethyan spreading final deglaciation and consequent global sea level rise as indicated by ravinement surfaces associated with lag deposits with tree trunks reworked ferruginous pedogenic concretions and phosphate and by paleoecological analyses the basal bed of the saiwan formation is characterized by the pioneer pachycyrtella paleocommunity with pachycyrtella omanensis 85 suspension feeding rapid rates of reproduction and growth r strategy early maturity high mortality rates in the juveniles the more mature secondary ecological succession developed higher in the saiwan formation records maximum flooding and significant climatic amelioration the saiwan formation at the beginning of the late sakmarian finally sutures the irregular rift related topography in the rim basin of interior oman and records a shift towards warmer temperate conditions after the end of the gondwanan glaciation

on the periodicity and magnitude of late carboniferous glacio eustatie sea level changes data from sedimentary cycles in basins from northern england the appalachians and midcontinent us afford an insight into periodicities and controls of late carboniferous glacio eustatic sea level changes lithofacies with identifiable palaeobathymetry are used to assess the magnitude of sea level change in the pennine basin of northern england the method yields a minimum value of 42m walsh power spectral analysis is employed to resolve periodicities of about 120ka within the pennine basin of northern england 212 140 and 93 ka within the midcontinent us succession and 109 84 67 63 ka within the appalachian basin within the pennine basin periodicities and magnitudes are found to be independent of their position within the basin thus any tectonism can be assumed to have had a negligible effect on the transgressions a simplified modelled climatic curve is derived from milankovitch parameters and pleistocene 18 o data this is used in a basin fill model that simulates the thermally subsiding pennine basin the resulting distribution of marine deposits is seen to depend upon both the steady regional subsidence and the magnitude and extent of glacio eustatic transgressions

an effect of seiche on groundwater seepage rate into lake biwa japan numerical analyses of seiche and continuous measurements of water level and groundwater seepage rates into lake biwa japan were made to evaluate interactions between surface and subsurface waters an automatic seepage meter was used to obtain continuous groundwater seepage rates analyses of the fluctuations of seepage rate and water level in the lake were done using the fast fourier transform method the finite element method was used for analysis of the seiche in the lake dominant periods of fluctuations of the groundwater seepage rate into lake biwa agree well with those of fluctuations of water levels in the lake the dominant fluctuations of the groundwater seepage rate are caused by the seiche in lake biwa

estimating carboniferous sea level fluctuations from gondwanan ice extent the magnitude of carboniferous sea level fluctuations is not well known but the estimates are important for constraining cyclothem models in this paper we apply area volume relations developed for quaternary ice sheets to estimate the glacio eustatic component of sea level fluctuations in the carboniferous utilizing the best estimate of gondwanan ice area at the time of its greatest extent we arrive at a figure of 60 15 m for the isostasy corrected glacio eustatic component this value is nearer the lower limit of sea level estimates for cyclothem fluctuations from other sources

modeling late paleozoic glaciation late paleozoic glaciation on gondwana is associated with changes in geography solar luminosity and estimated co sub 2 levels to assess the relative importance of these boundary conditions the authors conducted a suite of climate model simulations for the periods before during and after peak mid carboniferous approximately 300 ma glaciation 340 300 and 255 and 225 ma respectively orbital insolation values favorable for glaciation and interglaciation were used for each time interval results indicate that changes in geography cause significant changes in snow area but the temporal trend is not consistent with the geologic record for glaciation combined co sub 2 plus geography changes yield the best agreement with observations in addition interglacial orbital configurations result in almost ice free conditions for the glacial interval at 300 ma at a time of low co sub 2 the large simulated glacial interglacial snowline fluctuations for permian carboniferous time may explain cyclothem fluctuations at these times overall results support the importance of the co sub 2 paradigm but also indicate that a fuller understanding of past climate change requires consideration of paleogeographic luminosity and orbital insolation changes

comment on the southern italy earthquake of 23 november 1980 an unusual pattern of faulting by r s crosson m martini r scarpa and s c key

late pennsylvanian seasonality reflected in the 18o and elemental composition of a brachiopod shell to evaluate the potential for the study of late pennsylvanian seasonality detailed isotopic and elemental analyses were performed on a single specimen of the brachiopod neospirifer dunbari shell preservation was evaluated by petrographic and cathodoluminescence microscopy carbonate powders from 112 spots were collected from the sectioned shell for isotopic analyses and 369 spots on the complementary thin section were analyzed by electron microprobe for chemical composition in the nonluminescent part of the shell mg ca ratios were between 0 001 and 0 012 and na ca and s ca ratios ranged from 0 003 to 0 012 and 0 003 to 0 021 respectively values of 18 o vary between 2 3 and 1 1 contours of 18 o mg na and s concentrations parallel growth bands and reveal a record of 1 to 2 cycles mg s and na contents varied nversely with 18 o this trend is opposite to the expected diagenetic trend and is consistent with the temperature dependences of mg content and 18 o thus implying preservation of shell chemistry the 1 2 range in 18 o values suggests a seasonal temperature variation of 5 to 6 c assuming no change in the 18 o of the water this high seasonality for the tropical epicontinental sea of kansas supports climate model predictions of enhanced continentality in pangean climate detailed stable isotope and element concentration profiles across growth bands of brachiopod shells can provide quantitative records of paleozoic seasonality

atoll stratigraphy as a record of sea level change problems and prospects stratigraphic hiatuses and solution unconformities in the subsurface of enewetak atoll northern marshall islands record periods of atoll emergence during low stands of sea level changes in sea level are also recorded in the atoll subsurface by variations in the rate of sediment accumulation relative to the subsidence rate of the underlying volcanic edifice past sea levels can be derived from atoll stratigraphy by correcting the present depth of dated subsurface horizons for thermal subsidence and lithospheric flexure since the time of deposition a correction for depositional paleodepth may also be necessary as a result of erosion and nondeposition during periods of emergence the history of sea level derived in this manner is discontinuous past sea levels derived from atoll stratigraphy can only be estimated to within 50 m relative to present sea level owing to uncertainties in the corrections for subsidence and flexure however the minimum magnitude of sea level falls estimated from stratigraphic hiatuses can be estimated to within 10 m owing to limited fossil based age resolution only long term sea level trends can be deduced from sediments dated by means of biostratigraphy based on the biostratigraphic ages of subsurface horizons at enewetak we can discern very little long term change in sea level from late eocene through late oligocene a rise to 110 m above present sea level in the early miocene a long term fall of 170 m through middle and late miocene time and a long term rise of 60 m from the end of the miocene to present resolution of the sea level history recorded beneath mid ocean atolls may be improved by determining the age of shallow marine carbonates by means of strontium isotope stratigraphy our interpretation of past sea levels based on 87sr 86sr chronostratigraphy from enewetak confirms the long term sea level trends inferred from biostratigraphic subsurface ages in addition we interpret three oligocene sea level falls with minimum magnitudes of 30 50 m at 35 33 30 and 25 ma and four miocene sea level falls greater than 30 95 m at 16 14 12 10 and 5 ma these estimates of the timing and magnitude of oligocene and miocene sea level changes derived from enewetak atoll stratigraphy are compared with sea level histories derived from continental margin stratigraphy and from ice volume changes inferred from deep sea foraminifera 18o records

evolution of permian conodont provincialism and its significance in global correlation and paleoclimate implication the main components of asselian through artinskian conodont faunas found around the world are basically the same and the provincialism is indicated only by less common endemic elements such as gondolelloides and new genus a henderson in north pangea sweetognathus bucaramangus around the equator and vjalovognathus in eastern gondwana provincialism is marked by differences at the species level of mesogondolella neostreptognathodus and sweetognathus during the kungurian and becomes very distinct with differences at the genus level during the guadalupian and lopingian three provinces of permian conodonts referred to as the north cool water province ncwp the equatorial warm water province ewwp and the peri gondwana cool water province gcwp are recognized the ncwp is marked by gondolelloides in the early cisuralian dominance of neostreptognathodus and no or rare sweetognathus in the late cisuralian dominance of merrillina and mesogondolella and absence of sweetognathus in the guadalupian and dominance of merrillina and mesogondolella and absence of iranognathus in the lopingian the ewwp is characterized by the absence of gondolelloides and vjalovognathus in the cisuralian abundance of sweetognathus and pseudosweetognathus in the kungurian late cisuralian jinogondolella and sweetognathus in the guadalupian and clarkina and iranognathus in the lopingian the gcwp is marked by vjalovognathus merrillina in the cisuralian vjalovognathus merrillina and mesogondolella in the guadalupian and vjalovognathus and merrillina in the lopingian mixed faunas are recognized in regions bordering between the ewwp and gcwp including western timor during the artinskian pamirs during the kungurian and the salt range during the guadalupian and lopingian three different conodont zonations are proposed one for each of the three conodont provinces four potential horizons for inter provincial correlation of permian conodonts are recognized they are in ascending order 1 the first appearance of sweetognathus whitei which is closely related to the last occurrence of carboniferous type conodonts such as streptognathodus and adetognathus 2 the first appearance of neostreptognathodus pequopensis 3 the base of the jinogondolella nankingensis zone and 4 the base of the clarkina postbitteri iranognathus erwini zone the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of permian conodonts suggests that temperature is the primary controlling factor evolution of permian conodont provincialism reveals a glaciation during the asselian and sakmarian a global warming during the artinskian a climate cooling in north pangea during the kungurian a continuation of kungurian climate trends in the guadalupian a relatively minor warming during the wuchiapingian a returned cooling in the changhsingian and lower and middle griesbachian and a global warming in the late griesbachian which ended the permian conodont lineage

high energy coralgal stromatolite frameworks from holocene reefs tahiti french polynesia drill cores from holocene reefs on tahiti french polynesia reveal a framework composed of massive branching acroporids encrusted by coralline algae associated with sessile vermetid gastropods and arborescent foraminifers laminated micritic crusts form coatings over coral branches or more commonly over related encrusting organisms throughout the cored reef sections these crusts appear as a major structural and volumetric component of the reef framework the microbial nature of these micritic crusts is inferred from their typical organic growth forms and geometry the occurrence of microbial remains and stable isotope measurements the reef communities accumulated at depths less than 5 m below mean sea level in a high energy environment throughout vertical growth from 7140 170 yr bp to the present the nature of the involved benthic communities stable isotope data and high calcification rates of microbially encrusted corals strongly suggest that local environmental conditions have been optimal for reef development for the last 7000 years the causes of the predominance of microbial communities over actual encrusters red algae foraminifers remain problematic and could be related to short term fluctuations in ecological parameters microbial micritic crusts seemingly played a prominent role in protecting the coralgal colonies from bioeroders and grazers and possibly in strengthening the framework due to rapid lithification the record of similar microbial crusts in other quaternary reef tracts suggests that microbial communities may have played a more prominent role in quaternary reefs than presently recognized

oligocene sea level falls recorded in mid pacific atoll and archipelagic apron settings drilling results from mid pacific atoll and archipelagic apron sites in the line islands and marshall islands provinces lead to the conclusion that oligocene sea level falls detected in atlantic passive margin sequences are also recorded in a mid plate tectonic setting in the pacific basin the mid pacific sea level falls are recorded by a the presence of distinct coarse grained graded beds of turbidite origin rich in reef derived skeletal debris of oligocene eocene and cretaceous age that were redeposited in deep water archipelagic apron carbonate sequences of middle and late oligocene age now flanking the atolls and b a marked stratigraphic hiatus and solution unconformity in the subsurface of enewetak atoll which dates an oligocene period of atoll emergence correlative with both the deposition of the turbidites and the coastal offlap events discerned in atlantic passive margins correlation of the subsidence path of enewetak atoll with the development of the oligocene solution unconformity shows that ca 30 ma sea level was as much as 100 m lower than at present

impacts of eustasy and hydro isostasy on the evolution and landforms of pacific atolls consideration of eustatic and hydro isostatic effects on late quaternary sea levels in the tropical pacific ocean indicates that the configuration of modern atolls with emergent annular reef flats is a transient morphology not developed until post mid holocene time annular atoll reefs perched atop carbonate platforms which cap buried volcanic edifices are underlain by 8 28 m of holocene limestone disconformably overlying a substratum of last interglacial or older limestone comparable thicknesses 9 23 m of holocene sediment are present beneath atoll lagoons that are uniformly 85 m deep during glacio eustatic drawdowns in global sea level by 120 125 m carbonate platforms of modern atoll provinces rose abruptly from the sea as clusters of subaerial limestone plateaus flanked by steep cliffs modern analogues are provided by emergent atolls uplifted on the flexural arches of trench forebulges slow subsidence coupled with karstic erosion of emergent atolls during the last glaciation lowered the surfaces of last interglacial reef edifices by the amounts needed to provide accommodation space for holocene reef growth during the postglacial eustatic rise in sea level modern atoll reef caps began to grow after 9 ka when rising holocene sea level overtopped degraded remnants of interglacial reefs but remained submerged until carbonate buildups approached sea level in mid holocene time 6 4 ka classic atoll morphology with circlets of multiple islets dotting annular reefs formed in combination with late holocene hydro isostatic drawdown in tropical pacific sea level in response to equatorial ocean siphoning a facet of global isostatic adjustment gia to deglaciation early holocene eustatic rise in sea level and late holocene hydro isostatic decline in sea level combined to produce a regionally variable mid holocene highstand in tropical pacific sea level that stood 1 0 2 6 m above modern sea level cemented mid holocene paleoreef flats now stranded well above sea level serve as resistant foundations for non migratory pinned islets that were not present along atoll rims until after the local crossover date when ambient high tide level first fell below mid holocene low tide level existing atoll landforms have a time depth generally 1 2 ka

the darwin point of pacific ocean atolls and guyots a reappraisal abstract the darwin point where atolls drown has been redefined as a function of climate sea level history paleolatitude seawater temperature and light during the last 34 ma in the hawaiian emperor chain the darwin point has been shown to shift at least between 24 and 30 n latitude atoll drowning there is correlated with decreased seawater temperature and light and depends on sea level history as well as the elevation of atoll summits at the time of sea level transgressions if the atoll top falls below 30 m with respect to sea level and the rate of sea level rise is more than 15 mm yr the atoll will drown results of the ocean drilling program legs 143 and 144 which investigated the histories of several nw pacific guyots indicate that the demise of the shallow water carbonate platforms there was related to either a temporal 110 100 ma eustatic sea level event the paleolatitude location 0 10 s of nutrient rich water and or increased seawater temperature greenhouse effect unconducive to the production of calcium carbonate by shallow water organisms hence the darwin point phenomena of atolls and guyots cannot be viewed as a manifestation of any single factor rather it results from a combination of factors including decreased water temperature and light related to higher latitude the amplitude and rate of sea level changes presence of nutrient rich waters and or elevated seawater temperatures it is indeed dynamic both in time space and cause

fresh water carbonates from the lower freshwater molasse oligocene western switzerland sedimentology and stable isotopes abstract the lower freshwater molasse of western switzerland comprises a thick series of continental deposits of late oligocene early miocene age fresh water carbonates occur at two main horizons within this succession lower chattian palustrine carbonates calcaires inferieurs show a shallow fresh water fauna flora of ostracods and charophytes but display clear evidence of subaerial exposure in the form of glaebule pisoid formation circumgranular cracking rhizoliths and microkarstic cavities repeated desiccation led to locally intense modification by pedogenesis these horizons record the development of shallow ephemeral lakes at the northern margin of the swiss molasse basin stable isotope analyses were carried out on 46 calcite samples data from matrix and intraclasts reveal typical fresh water compositions 13c 5 to 7 5 18o 5 5 to 9 a weak co variant trend suggests deposition in hydrologically closed lakes although the range of 13c values recorded is also consistent with pedogenetic overprinting associated with subaerial exposure spar cements and vadose crystal silts display 13c compositions from 6 to 7 but show light 18o values from 10 to 11 recording formation from meteoric waters upper chattian carbonates calcaires d eau douce et dolomie include algal ostracodal laminites interpreted as profundal lake deposits as well as bioturbated shallow lake charophyte ostracod mudstones and wackestones sandy wackestones and white dolomite stable isotope analyses 20 calcites 2 dolomites show 13c values from 2 to 6 and 18o from 6 to 11 data for laminites and biomicrites plot in different fields variations in carbon isotopic composition may be attributable to higher organic productivity during high lake stands the laminites show heavier 13c values or to areal differences in the proportions of biogenic authigenic and detrital carbonate 13c values are generally higher in areas of greater detrital carbonate supply the heavier 18o values shown by the dolomites 13 c 3 18 o 0 to 1 suggest formation from evolved evaporitic lake waters these carbonates record deposition in an extensive possibly deeper lake complex subject to clastic input from the alps in the south

early mississippian climate based on oxygen isotope compositions of brachiopods alamogordo member of the lake valley formation south central new mexico stable isotope compositions of brachiopod shells from the alamogordo member of the lake valley formation south central new mexico provide information about early mississippian paleoclimate the alamogordo member was deposited on a ramp at the southwestern edge of the north american craton at lat 20 s it consists of cherty lime mudstone to lime packstone predominantly mudstone and wackestone strata and scattered mud cement waulsortian mounds the brachiopods analyzed lived at water depths estimated to have been between 100 and 300 m the 1 8 o values of well preserved shells of a single species of brachiopod average 2 3 relative to pdb the peedee belemnite isotope standard this average represents a temperature of 21 26 c if the isotopic composition of the seawater 1 8 o s w was between 0 and 1 as inferred from pleistocene and holocene 1 8 o s w and other considerations sea surface temperature would have been 26 31 c after we applied a 5 c correction for water depth this tropical climate for an early mississippian low latitude site agrees with previous isotopic and climate modeling results but contrasts with a temperate climate inferred from comparison of the lithology and biota of the alamogordo member with those of modern temperate carbonates

a guide to phanerozoic cold polar climates from high latitude ice rafting in the cretaceous the high latitude extent of warm climate indicators at certain times in earth history has been considered as evidence that the globe was ice free for long intervals despite theoretical considerations and results from numerical modelling experiments1 2 indicating that this was unlikely one of the warmest periods the cretaceous displays faunal and floral evidence for cool temperate to sub tropical conditions very near to the poles however our studies of lower cretaceous mudstones of central australia that contain outsized exotic blocks have led to the conclusion that the blocks were emplaced by ice rafting implying that high latitude ice was present at sea level strata of a similar origin of mid jurassic to mid cretaceous age occur on other continents that were positioned between 65 and 78 palaeolatitude indeed there is a record of high latitude ice rafting throughout the phanerozoic suggesting that ice was present on earth for much of its history and that ice free conditions could have been at most only episodic over the past 600 myr

growth and demise of permian biogenic chert along northwest pangea evidence for end permian collapse of thermohaline circulation abstract the permian chert event pce was a 30 ma long episode of unusual chert accumulation along the northwest margin of pangea and possibly worldwide the onset of the pce occurred at about the sakmarian artinskian boundary in the sverdrup basin canadian arctic where it coincides with a maximum flooding event the ending of high frequency high amplitude shelf cyclicity the onset of massive biogenic chert deposition in deep water distal areas and a long term shift from warm to cool water carbonate sedimentation in shallow water proximal areas a similar and coeval shift is observed from the barents sea to the northwestern usa a landward and southward expansion of silica factories occurred during the middle and late permian at which time warm water carbonate producers disappeared completely from the northwest margin of pangea biotically impoverished and increasingly narrow cold water carbonate factories characterised by non cemented bioclasts of sponges bryozoans echinoderms and brachiopods were then progressively replaced by silica factories by late permian time little carbonate sediments accumulated in the barents sea and in the sverdrup basin where the deep to shallow water sedimentary spectrum was occupied by siliceous sponge spicules by that time biogenic silica sedimentation was common throughout the world silica factories collapsed in the late permian abruptly bringing the pce to an end in northwest pangea the end permian collapse of the pce was associated with a major transgression and with a return to much warmer oceanic and continental climatic conditions chert deposition resumed in the distal oceanic areas during the early middle triassic anisian after a 8 10 ma interruption early triassic chert gap the conditions necessary for the onset expansion and zenith of the pce were provided by the thermohaline circulation of nutrient rich cold waters along the northwestern and western margin of pangea and possibly throughout the world oceans these conditions provided an efficient transportation mechanism that constantly replenished the supply of silica in the area created a nutrient and oxygen rich environment favouring siliceous biogenic productivity established cold sea floor conditions hindering silica dissolution while increasing calcium carbonate solubility and provided conditions adverse to organic and inorganic carbonate production the northwest margin of pangea was for nearly 30 ma bathed by cold waters presumably derived from the seasonal melting of northern sea ice the assumed engine for thermohaline circulation this process started near the sakmarian artinskian boundary intensified throughout middle and late permian time and ceased suddenly in latest permian time it led to oceanic conditions much colder than normally expected from the palaeolatitudes and the influence of cold northerly derived water was felt as far south southern nevada the demise of silica factories was caused by the rapid breakdown of these conditions and the establishment of a much warmer marine environment accompanied by sluggish circulation and perhaps a reduced input of dissolved silica to the ocean complete thawing of northern sea ice would have ended thermohaline circulation and led to warm and sluggish oceanic conditions inimical to the production accumulation and preservation of biogenic silica

a skeletal assemblage classification system for non tropical carbonate deposits based on new zealand cenozoic limestones abstract cenozoic limestones in new zealand are mainly skeletal grainstones and packstones formed under non tropical climatic conditions in open marine shelf or ramp environments following petrographic analysis of the nature and abundance of the skeletal components in nearly 500 samples of these limestones a complete linkage cluster analysis identified seven major skeletal assemblages that may be regarded as subdivisions of the single foramol skeletal association defined by lees and buller 1972 for temperate region carbonate deposits the seven assemblages are given contracted names as follows a barnamol barnacle bivalve dominated b bimol bivalve dominated c bryomol bryozoan bivalve dominated d echinofor echinoderm benthic foraminiferal dominated e nannofor nannofossil planktonic foraminiferal dominated f rhodalgal calcareous red algal dominated and g rhodechfor calcareous red algal echinoderm benthic foraminiferal dominated a composite triangular classification diagram has been devised for naming the skeletal assemblage of an unknown sample on the basis of its three main skeletal components the diagram successfully characterises more than 85 of the new zealand cenozoic limestone samples and also appears to be applicable for the skeletal assemblage designation of many overseas examples of non tropical carbonate deposits limitations relate mainly to locally common skeletal types e g serpulids brachiopods that are presently not incorporated into the new zealand based scheme the general ecological preferences of the main skeletal contributors in each of the seven skeletal assemblages form a basis for relating the assemblages to broad shelf habitats consequently as well as the benefits of providing a more consistent skeletal assemblage terminology for comparative studies between different workers the scheme can assist with the paleoenvironmental interpretation of non tropical skeletal carbonate facies

carbon isotope composition of lower cretaceous fossil wood ocean atmosphere chemistry and relation to sea level change the carbon isotope composition of fossil wood fragments collected through a biostratigraphically well constructed aptian lower cretaceous shallow marine siliciclastic succession on the isle of wight southern britain shows distinct variations with time the results indicate that the stratigraphic signature of delta sup 13 c sub wood through the aptian was influenced primarily by fluctuations in the isotopic composition of co sub 2 in the global ocean atmosphere system as registered in marine carbonates elsewhere and was not governed by local paleoenvironmental and or paleoecological factors negative and positive excursions in delta sup 13 c sub wood through the lower aptian occur in phase with inferred transgressions and regressions respectively a pattern that contrasts with that observed in many previous studies for different time intervals the relationship between delta sup 13 c variations and relative sea level change is tentatively interpreted as a response to various climatic and eustatic factors relating to rapid sea floor spreading thermal uplift of ocean floor emplacement of plateaus volcanic co sub 2 emissions weathering and sedimentary rate

bryozoan carbonates through time and space the calcareous skeletons of modern bryozoans are major contributors to sediments only outside the tropics and many temperate limestones are dominated by bryozoans often in conjunction with mollusks in the so called bryomol grain association can the presence of rock forming abundances of bryozoans be used to recognize nontropical sediments in the geologic past we have addressed this question by assembling a database of 176 ordovician pleistocene bryozoan rich deposits and plotting them on paleogeographical maps to obtain their latitudes of formation the results reveal a striking difference between post paleozoic and paleozoic latitudinal distributions whereas the great majority 94 of post paleozoic bryozoan rich deposits formed outside the tropics paleozoic bryozoan rich deposits have a more variable latitudinal distribution most 68 having formed within the tropics the presence of rock forming abundances of bryozoans in paleozoic sediments should not therefore be used to infer nontropical carbonate deposition the change in latitudinal distribution between the paleozoic and post paleozoic corresponds with a major taxonomic turnover in bryozoan faunas biotic interactions especially with predators may have led to the exclusion of sediment producing bryozoans from the post paleozoic tropics these evolutionary changes have had a more profound effect on carbonate platforms than has been previously appreciated

impact of long term climate change and sea level fluctuation on mississippian to permian mid oceanic atoll sedimentation akiyoshi limestone group japan abstract to understand the impacts of long term climatic episodes and sea level changes on mid oceanic atoll sedimentation the stratigraphic changes of litho and bio facies and stratigraphic levels of freshwater diagenetic alteration and biostratigraphic discontinuity of the akiyoshi limestone group upper visean to upper capitanian were reviewed this group records approximately 70 million years of atoll sedimentation in a mid oceanic realm of the panthalassa ocean which developed nearly synchronously with the late paleozoic gondwana glaciation the entire succession of the akiyoshi limestone group was divided into four facies associations skeletal oolitic grainstone muddy limestone muddy limestone skeletal grainstone and reefal limestone associations skeletal oolitic grainstone and reefal limestone associations upper visean to bashkirian are characterized by an abundance of oolite and crinoidal grainstone and reef facies of warm adapted metazoan reef builders corals chaetetes and bryozoans respectively characteristics of skeletal oolitic grainstone and reefal limestone associations indicate their deposition in a warm climate with elevated sea level muddy limestone association moscovian to kasimovian records the demise of the warm adapted metazoan reef builders and frequent emergence events of the buildup many geochemical data support the significant drop in temperature during moscovian through kasimovian time these depositional and biotic events of muddy limestone association indicate that its sedimentation was strongly affected by cool climate and generally low sea level muddy limestone skeletal grainstone association is characterized by an upward increasing significance of calcimicrobes calcareous algae and calcisponges the succession records less frequent emergence events than that of muddy limestone association ii these characters reflect a warming climate and sea level rise in gzhelian to capitanian time the climate episodes and sea level changes interpreted from the akiyoshi limestone group generally correspond to the global trend of mississippian to permian long term climatic change and sea level fluctuation related to the major glacial events of gondwana glaciation the late visean to bashkirian warm climate and elevated sea levels moscovian to kasimovian cooling and sea level lowering and gzhelian to capitanian warming and sea level rise recorded in the akiyoshi buildup are comparable to the global climate model and sea level fluctuation which contain early to middle mississippian pre glacial warm climate and highstands middle to late pennsylvanian cooling and related glacio eustatic sea level fluctuation at the culmination of gondwana glaciation and early to middle permian global warming and sea level rise due to the retreat of gondwana ice sheets akiyoshi atoll sedimentation was most significantly affected pennsylvanian global cooling and related sea level lowering but their impact was short lived the onset of the cooling and frequent emergence events in the akiyoshi buildup occurred delayed approximately 10 millions years later than that of comparable episodes on the pangean shelves the post glacial warming in the akiyoshi buildup started at least several millions of years earlier than in epicontinental seas of the pangea this phenomenon may be due to the palaeoposition of the akiyoshi buildup in a mid oceanic realm of the panthalassa ocean