Rare earth element proxy for distinguishing marine versus freshwater Ediacaran fossils

Gregory Retallack

doi:10.54991/jop.2024.1874

Authors

Gregory Retallack Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA 97403-1272

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.2024.1874

Keywords:

REE, Ediacaran, palaeosalinity, vendobiont, Newfoundland

Abstract

Ediacaran fossils and sedimentary rocks are controversial for whether they are marine or non-marine, and this study applies the test of light rare earth over heavy rare earth weight ratios (LYREE/HYREE) to a variety of Ediacaran siliciclastic and carbonate fossil matrices. Holocene soils have light-YREE-enriched arrays (LYREE/HYREE>4.8) and modern deep marine clays have heavy-YREE-enriched arrays (LYREE/HYREE<2.7). Flat arrays of fluvial and shallow marine siliciclastic sediments (LYREE/HYREE 2.7-4.8) are indistinguishable by this proxy. This proxy has been applied to a variety of Ediacaran and Cambrian rocks, for which confounding provenance effects were minimized by comparing marine and non-marine pairs within the same formations. Many samples were within the ambiguous zone (LYREE/HYREE 2.7-4.8), but Ediacaran red beds from Newfoundland, and some beds from China, Namibia, central and South Australia showed diagnostic continental, terrestrial LYREE/HYREE weight ratios of 4.8 to 11.3. A grey tempestite from Newfoundland, a grey sandstone from California, and grey dolostones from Australia and Namibia showed marine LYREE/HYREE weight ratios of 2.7 or less, from the same provenance as terrestrial samples. This new criterion for distinguishing marine from non-marine Ediacaran rocks is supported also by boron content, Ge/Si ratios, and eolian interbeds. Furthermore, new analyses correctly interpreted trilobite and Cloudina beds as marine. One surprisingly secure result is that fossiliferous Ediacaran rocks of Newfoundland were not formed in a deep ocean, but on coastal plains. Some fossiliferous Newfoundland beds have LYREE/HYREE weight ratios of as much as 6.0-11.3, found only in paleosols.

सारांश

एडियाकरन जीवाश्म और तलछटी चट्टानें इस बात को लेकर विवादास्पद हैं कि वे समुद्री हैं या गैर-समुद्री, और यह अध्ययन विभिन्न प्रकार के एडियाकरन सिलिसिलास्टिक और कार्बोनेट जीवाश्म मैट्रिक्स पर भारी दुर्लभ पृथ्वी तत्व भार अनुपात (LYREE/HYREE) पर हल्के दुर्लभ पृथ्वी तत्व का परीक्षण लागू करता है। होलोसीन मृदा में हल्का-YREE-समृद्ध व्यूह (LYREE/ HYREE >4.8) तथा आधुनिक गभीर समुद्री मृदा में भारी-YREE-समृद्ध व्यूह (LYREE/HYREE <2.7) हैं। इस प्रॉक्सी द्वारा नदी और उथले समुद्री सिलिक्लास्टिक तलछट (LYREE/HYREE 2.7-4.8) की सपाट श्रृंखलाएं अप्रभेद्य हैं। इस प्रॉक्सी को विभिन्न प्रकार के एडियाकरन और कैंब्रियन चट्टानों पर लागू किया गया है, जिसके लिए समान संरचनाओं के भीतर समुद्री और गैर-समुद्री जोड़ों की तुलना करके भ्रमित उद्गम प्रभाव को कम किया गया था। संदिग्ध मण्डल (LYREE/HYREE 2.7-4.8) में अनेक नमूने थे परंतु न्यूफ़ाउंडलैंड से प्राप्त ईडियाकारन लाल संस्तरें तथा चीन, नामीबिया, मध्य एवं दक्षिण ऑस्ट्रेलिया से प्राप्त कुछेक संस्तरों ने विभेदक महाद्वीपीय स्थलीय ने 4.8 से 11.3 के LYREE/HYREE भार अनुपात दर्शाए। स्थलीय नमूनों के रूप में उसी उद्गम-क्षेत्र से 2.7 या उससे कम के न्यूफ़ाउंडलैंड से धूसर टेंपेस्टाइट, कैलिफ़ोर्निया से धूसर बलुआ पत्थर एवं ऑस्ट्रेलिया व नामीबिया से धूसर डोलोअश्म समुद्री LYREE/HYREE भार अनुपात दर्शाए। गैर-समुद्री ईडियाकारन शैलों से प्राप्त समुद्री प्रभाव विभेदित करने हेतु यह नूतन मानदंड बोरॉन अंतर्वस्तु, Ge/Si अनुपातों एवं ईओलियन अंतसंस्तरों से भी समर्थित है। और, समुद्री के रूप में व्याख्यायित ट्रिलोबाइट एवं क्लोडिना संस्तरों की सटीक नूतन व्याख्या करता है। विस्मयकारी सुद्रढ़ निष्कर्ष है कि न्यूफ़ाउंडलैंड की जीवाश्ममय ईडियाकारन शैल गहरे महासागर में नहीं गठित हुए थे, परंतु तटीय मैदानों में हुए थे। कुछेक जीवाश्ममय न्यूफ़ाउंडलैंड संस्तरों में 6.0-11.3 जितने के LYREE/HYREE भार अनुपातों के हैं, जो पुरानिखतों में ही व्याप्त हैं।

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