Petrologic and geochemical evidence for the formation of organic-rich siliceous rocks of the Late Permian Dalong Formation, Lower Yangtze region, southern China

Black shales are economically and scientifically important because they are commonly associated with high-quality hydrocarbon source rocks and metal accumulations formed during periods of abrupt environmental change. Organic-rich siliceous rocks of the Late Permian Dalong Formation developed extensively within Middle Upper Yangtze region (western Yangtze platform); however, the formation mechanism of its formation in the Lower Yangtze region (eastern Yangtze platform) remains a subject of debate due to a lack of outcrop exposure. Petrologic, mineralogic, and geochemical data are presented for three sections of the Dalong Formation within the Lower Yangtze region. Geochemical ratios including V/(V + Ni), V/Cr, Ni/Co, U/Th, and V/Sc suggest that the Dalong Formation was deposited in an oxygen-poor environment. The elevated concentration of Mo (> 100 ppm) further suggests that free H2S existed in the bottom water, which was favorable for the accumulation of large amounts of organic matter. Mo/TOC ratios reveal that water flow in the Lower Yangtze Basin was moderately to strongly restricted during deposition of the Dalong Formation. Flow within the upper middle parts of the Yangtze Basin was also restricted, suggesting that northern marginal basins on the Yangtze Platform formed part of a single ocean during the Late Permian (i.e., Changhsingian). Cherts of the Dalong Formation reflect high primary productivity, similar to that of modern-day upwelling zones, which increased the amount of organic matter. These results, combined with previous work, suggest that the long-term oxygen-poor conditions during deposition of the Dalong Formation were caused by restricted water circulation in a unique paleogeographic environment characterized by low latitude and submarine paleo-highlands. Such settings of low latitude characterized by tropical climate favored the growth of siliceous zooplankton in the zones with submarine paleo-highlands having created topographic barriers to water circulation. Restricted bottom-water flow and oceanic anoxia during the Late Permian were likely the main controls on the accumulation of organic-rich rocks. Elevated nutrient levels caused by frequent oceanic upwelling along the western margin of the South China Craton and global volcanism at this time facilitated siliceous organism productivity.