Neoproterozoic glacial origin of the Great Unconformity.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 116(4): 1136-1145, 2019 01 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30598437
ABSTRACT
The Great Unconformity, a profound gap in Earth's stratigraphic record often evident below the base of the Cambrian system, has remained among the most enigmatic field observations in Earth science for over a century. While long associated directly or indirectly with the occurrence of the earliest complex animal fossils, a conclusive explanation for the formation and global extent of the Great Unconformity has remained elusive. Here we show that the Great Unconformity is associated with a set of large global oxygen and hafnium isotope excursions in magmatic zircon that suggest a late Neoproterozoic crustal erosion and sediment subduction event of unprecedented scale. These excursions, the Great Unconformity, preservational irregularities in the terrestrial bolide impact record, and the first-order pattern of Phanerozoic sedimentation can together be explained by spatially heterogeneous Neoproterozoic glacial erosion totaling a global average of 3-5 vertical kilometers, along with the subsequent thermal and isostatic consequences of this erosion for global continental freeboard.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article