An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event

Oceanic anoxic events were time intervals in the Mesozoic characterized by widespread distribution of marine organic matter-rich sediments (black shales) and significant perturbations in the global carbon cycle. These perturbations are globally recorded in sediments as carbon isotope excursions irre...

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Main Authors: Gröcke, D., Hori, R., Trabucho-Alexandre, J., Kemp, D., Schwark, Lorenz
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2011
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/52792
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author Gröcke, D.
Hori, R.
Trabucho-Alexandre, J.
Kemp, D.
Schwark, Lorenz
author_facet Gröcke, D.
Hori, R.
Trabucho-Alexandre, J.
Kemp, D.
Schwark, Lorenz
author_sort Gröcke, D.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Oceanic anoxic events were time intervals in the Mesozoic characterized by widespread distribution of marine organic matter-rich sediments (black shales) and significant perturbations in the global carbon cycle. These perturbations are globally recorded in sediments as carbon isotope excursions irrespective of lithology and depositional environment. During the early Toarcian, black shales were deposited on the epi- and pericontinental shelves of Pangaea, and these sedimentary rocks are associated with a pronounced (ca. 7 ‰) negative (organic) carbon isotope excursion (CIE) which is thought to be the result of a major perturbation in the global carbon cycle. For this reason, the lower Toarcian is thought to represent an oceanic anoxic event (the T-OAE). If the TOAE was indeed a global event, an isotopic expression of this event should be found beyond the epi- and pericontinental Pangaean localities. To address this issue, the carbon isotope composition of organic matter (s 13Corg) of lower Toarcian organic matter-rich cherts from Japan, deposited in the open Panthalassa Ocean, was analysed. The results show the presence of a major (6 ‰) negative excursion in s 13Corg that, based on radiolarian biostratigraphy, is a correlative of the lower Toarcian negative CIE known from Pangaean epiand pericontinental strata. A smaller negative excursion in s 13Corg (ca. 2‰) is recognized lower in the studied succession. This excursion may, within the current biostratigraphic resolution, represent the excursion recorded in European epicontinental successions close to the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary. These results from the open ocean realm suggest, in conjunction with other previously published datasets, that these Early Jurassic carbon cycle perturbations affected the active global reservoirs of the exchangeable carbon cycle (deep marine, shallow marine, atmospheric). © 2011 Author(s).
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-527922017-09-13T15:39:43Z An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event Gröcke, D. Hori, R. Trabucho-Alexandre, J. Kemp, D. Schwark, Lorenz Oceanic anoxic events were time intervals in the Mesozoic characterized by widespread distribution of marine organic matter-rich sediments (black shales) and significant perturbations in the global carbon cycle. These perturbations are globally recorded in sediments as carbon isotope excursions irrespective of lithology and depositional environment. During the early Toarcian, black shales were deposited on the epi- and pericontinental shelves of Pangaea, and these sedimentary rocks are associated with a pronounced (ca. 7 ‰) negative (organic) carbon isotope excursion (CIE) which is thought to be the result of a major perturbation in the global carbon cycle. For this reason, the lower Toarcian is thought to represent an oceanic anoxic event (the T-OAE). If the TOAE was indeed a global event, an isotopic expression of this event should be found beyond the epi- and pericontinental Pangaean localities. To address this issue, the carbon isotope composition of organic matter (s 13Corg) of lower Toarcian organic matter-rich cherts from Japan, deposited in the open Panthalassa Ocean, was analysed. The results show the presence of a major (6 ‰) negative excursion in s 13Corg that, based on radiolarian biostratigraphy, is a correlative of the lower Toarcian negative CIE known from Pangaean epiand pericontinental strata. A smaller negative excursion in s 13Corg (ca. 2‰) is recognized lower in the studied succession. This excursion may, within the current biostratigraphic resolution, represent the excursion recorded in European epicontinental successions close to the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary. These results from the open ocean realm suggest, in conjunction with other previously published datasets, that these Early Jurassic carbon cycle perturbations affected the active global reservoirs of the exchangeable carbon cycle (deep marine, shallow marine, atmospheric). © 2011 Author(s). 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/52792 10.5194/se-2-245-2011 unknown
spellingShingle Gröcke, D.
Hori, R.
Trabucho-Alexandre, J.
Kemp, D.
Schwark, Lorenz
An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event
title An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event
title_full An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event
title_fullStr An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event
title_full_unstemmed An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event
title_short An open ocean record of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event
title_sort open ocean record of the toarcian oceanic anoxic event
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/52792