Large igneous provinces and organic carbon burial: Controls on global temperature and continental weathering during the Early Cretaceous

There is an abundance of evidence for short intervals of cold climatic conditions during the Early Cretaceous. However, the lack of a high-resolution, long-term Early Cretaceous paleotemperature record hampers a fullscale synthesis of these putative cold snap episodes, as well as a more holistic approach to Early Cretaceous climate changes. We present an extended compilation of belemnite-based oxygen, carbon and strontium isotope records covering the Berriasian-middle Albian from the Vocontian Basin (SE France). This dataset clearly demonstrates three intervals of cold climatic conditions during the Early Cretaceous (late Valanginian-earliest Hauterivian, late early Aptian, latest Aptian-earliest Albian). Each of these intervals is associated with rapid and high amplitude sea-level fluctuations, supporting the hypothesis of transient growth of polar ice caps during the Early Cretaceous. As evidenced by positive carbon isotope excursions, each cold episode is associated with enhanced burial of organic matter on a global scale. Moreover, there is a relatively good match between the timing and size of large igneous province eruptions and the amplitude of Early Cretaceous warming episodes. Altogether, these observations confirm the instrumental role of atmospheric CO2 variations in driving Early Cretaceous climate change. From a long-term perspective, the coupling of global paleotemperature and seawater strontium isotopic ratio during the Early Cretaceous is best explained by temperature-controlled changes of continental crust weathering rates. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.