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Paper No. 12
Presentation Time: 4:15 PM

USING OXYGEN AND NEODYMIUM ISOTOPES TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF SILURIAN AND DEVONIAN GREENHOUSE CYCLES AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SEA-LEVEL CHANGE AND CONTINENTAL WEATHERING FLUX


THEILING, Bethany, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Univ of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, ELRICK, Maya, Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, GUTIERREZ, Danielle, Duranes and Tijeras Antigua Elementary Schools, Albuquerque Public School, Albuquerque, NM 87104, POLYAK, Victor J., Earth & Planetary Sciences, Univ of New Mexico, 200 Yale Blvd., Northrop Hall, Albuquerque, NM 87131 and ASMEROM, Yemane, Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, btheili@unm.edu

High-frequency (104-105 yr) cycles are the fundamental building blocks of carbonate platforms in both greenhouse and icehouse time intervals. While icehouse cycles are commonly attributed to orbitally-controlled glacio-eustasy, the origin of greenhouse cycles is unclear. In this study, we utilize δ18O from conodonts and εNd values from whole-rock carbonates to investigate the origin of cycles developed in two different greenhouse time intervals and the relationships between high-frequency sea-level change and continental weathering flux.

Samples were collected from Upper Silurian subtidal cycles in central Oklahoma and Upper Devonian subtidal cycles in central Nevada. Upper Silurian cycles (2-3 m thick) are composed of thin bedded, skeletal mudstone-wackestone, coarsening upward into medium to thick bedded skeletal wackestone-packstone. Upper Devonian (Frasnian) cycles (2-5.5 m thick) are composed of thin bedded skeletal mudstones overlain by medium bedded skeletal wackestone-packstone. Asymmetric facies trends in both greenhouse examples suggest abrupt transgression followed by gradual regression.

Preliminary δ18O results from Devonian cycles range from 17-18‰ and indicate initially decreasing, followed by increasing values, with the lowest δ18O values occurring mid-cycle. The total isotopic shift over cycle development is <0.6‰, and supports the interpretation of minor eustatic changes related to glacio- and/or thermo-eustasy. These trends suggest the lowest glacial ice volumes and/or warmest seawater temperatures occurred during sea level highstands. Preliminary εNd trends from Silurian cycles range from -7.3 to -6.7 and are characterized by initially decreasing, then increasing values, with the lowest εNd values occurring mid-cycle. These trends suggest that continental weathering flux was highest during sea-level highstands. If these cycles formed by glacio-eustasy, εNd trends may be explained by regionally wetter climate (increasing weathering flux) during interglacial intervals and decreasing flux during drier glacial intervals. These relationships between regional wet/dry and glacial/interglacial cycles agree with δ18O and εNd trends from cycles formed in Pleistocene and Pennsylvanian icehouse climates.

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