Mineralogical and geochemical constraints on the origin of rhythmic layering of Late Miocene reddish-brown and greenish-gray sediments in the northern South China Sea

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2022.1.11

Abstract

Abstract:

Sediment color is an important indicator of sediment composition and formation environment and can be used for the reconstruction of paleoceanographic environments. During the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 368, hundreds of meters of rhythmic reddish-brown and greenish-gray sedimentary layer were found in the sediment core at Site U1502 in the northern South China Sea (SCS); however, the origin of the rhythmic layers remains unclear. In order to understand its causes, we carried out mineralogical and geochemical analyses of core samples on grain size, clay minerals, major and trace elements, Sr-Nd isotopic compositions, organic carbon contents and carbonate C-O isotopic compositions. The sediments are mainly sourced from the Pearl River, with a minor contribution from the Luzon Island and the material input was slightly higher in the reddish-brown layer than in the greenish-gray layer. The geochemical indicators showed that the formation of the reddish-brown and greenish-gray layers was not affected by hydrothermal and cold seep fluids, rather it was influenced by a combination of tectonic evolution of SCS in the Late Miocene and changes of deep-water ventilation and redox environment and early diagenesis during the glacial-interglacial cycle. Combined with the previous provenance studies in northern SCS and spectral analysis of sediment color in this study, we suggest that the reddish-brown and greenish-gray layers may be associated respectively with the interglacial and glacial periods. The redox indicator indicated that the reddish-brown and greenish-gray layers were formed respectively in more oxidative and more reductive bottom water environments. Since the Middle Miocene, following the collision between the Luzon arc and Eurasian plate, the SCS basin evolved from an open environment to a relatively closed marginal sea, and its deep ventilation and redox conditions began to reflect typical glacial-interglacial cycling. The reddish-brown layer corresponds to the sedimentary environment with well ventilated and more oxidized deep water during the interglacial period with high sea level; while the greenish-gray layer indicates an environment of strengthened stratification and partial reduction of deep water during the glacial period with low sea level. Distinct redox conditions control the formation and transformation of chromogenic iron-bearing authigenic minerals such as hematite in the early diagenesis, and thus give rise to the rhythmic variation of sediment color.

Key words: northern South China Sea, Late Miocene, reddish-brown and greenish-gray sediments, mineral geochemistry, sediment provenance, redox conditions

CLC Number:

DONG Hongkun, WAN Shiming, LIU Chang, ZHAO Debo, ZENG Zhigang, LI Anchun. Mineralogical and geochemical constraints on the origin of rhythmic layering of Late Miocene reddish-brown and greenish-gray sediments in the northern South China Sea[J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2022, 29(4): 42-54.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 Sea and land distributions and study site locations in and around the northern South China Sea. Monsoon pattern adapted from [17]. Ocean current distribution adapted from [18⇓-20].

Fig.2 Depth profiles for clay mineral compositions, grain size, 87Sr/86Sr ratio, εNd value and La content in core sediments from Site U1502. Red and green shadows indicate respectively the rhythmic reddish-brown and greenish-gray sedimentary layers according to reflectance a*.

Fig.3 Depth profiles for reflectance a*, major and trace element contents, ∑REE content and carbonate C-O isotopic compositions in core sediments from Site U1502. ∑REE content of surface sediment in northern South China Sea shelf adapted from [38]. Pyrite content adapted from [3].

Fig.4 Sediment provenance identification. Data from [39⇓⇓⇓-43,48⇓⇓⇓⇓-53,56-57].

Fig.5 Comparison of depth profiles for provenance, productivity, redox environment and paleoceanographic indicators for Site U1502. R/(R+D): Reticulofenestra/(Reticulofenestra+Discoaster), after [16].

Fig.6 Spectral analysis of reflectance data for typical red-green sediment layers (452-458 m) at Site U1502

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