How Hot Is Too Hot? Disentangling Mid-Cretaceous Hothouse Paleoclimate From Diagenesis

The North American Newark Canyon Formation (NCF; similar to 113-98 Ma) presents an opportunity to examine how terrestrial carbonate facies reflect different aspects of paleoclimate during one of the hottest periods of Earth's history. The lower NCF type section preserves heterogeneous palustrine facies and the upper NCF preserves lacustrine deposits. We combined carbonate facies analysis with delta C-13, delta O-18, and Delta(47) data sets to assess which carbonate facies preserve stable isotope signals that are most representative of climatic conditions. Palustrine facies record the heterogeneity of the original wetland environment in which they formed. Using the pelmicrite facies that formed in deeper wetlands, we interpret a lower temperature zone (35-40 degrees C) to reflect warm season water temperatures. In contrast, a mottled micrite facies which formed in shallower wetlands records hotter temperatures (36-68 degrees C). These hotter temperatures reflect radiatively heated bare-skin temperatures that occurred in a shallow depositional setting. The lower lacustrine unit has been secondarily altered by hydrothermal fluids while the upper lacustrine unit likely preserves primary temperatures and delta O-18(water) of catchment-integrated precipitation. Resultantly, the palustrine pelmicrite and lacustrine micrite are the facies most likely to reflect ambient climate conditions, and therefore, are the best facies to use for paleoclimate interpretations. Average warm season water temperatures of 41.1 3.6 degrees C and 37.8 2.5 degrees C are preserved by the palustrine pelmicrite (similar to 113-112 Ma) and lacustrine micrite (similar to 112-103 Ma), respectively. These data support previous interpretations of the mid-Cretaceous as a hothouse climate and demonstrate the importance of characterizing facies for identifying the data most representative of past climates.

Automated summary

The North American Newark Canyon Formation provides insight into the different aspects of paleoclimate during one of the hottest periods in Earth's history. Different carbonate facies reflect varying temperatures, with palustrine facies recording higher temperatures and lacustrine facies preserving lower temperatures. By analyzing these facies, we can better understand the climatic conditions of the past.