Multiple carbon isotope excursions during the Carnian (Late Triassic) pluvial event: implications for global and regional perturbation

Abstract

The Late Triassic Carnian pluvial event (CPE) was an interval marked by global climatic and environmental changes that occurred simultaneously with enhancement of the hydrological cycle. This event is characterized by multiple negative carbon isotope excursions (NCIEs). However, the driving mechanism behind these multiple NCIEs remains elusive because each of the NCIEs had different magnitudes in different geological settings. In this study, we present a high-resolution record of carbonate carbon isotope ( δ 13 C carb ) and major and trace element data from Well QZ-8 in the Qiangtang Basin, eastern Tethys. The carbon isotope profile from this well displays a similar trend to those for contemporaneous strata in the NW Tethys and South China. This trend is characterized by a distinct negative excursion during the CPE, supporting a global event. Interestingly, our results reveal five NCIEs for the first time in the marine sedimentary succession. Furthermore, each of these NCIEs corresponds well to changes in Ti/Al, Sr/Al and Sr/Ba, suggesting a regional effect of the hydrological cycle on carbon isotope excursions. This study emphasizes that each of the NCIEs was influenced by regional hydrological cycles although the long carbon isotope excursion during the CPE was driven by the global carbon cycle. Supplementary material: Tables showing major element, isotope and trace element data and element ratios, and a supplementary figure are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6805266