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Devonian Sea–Level Change Rhythms in South China and Coupling Relationships Among the Earth–spheres
Author(s) -
Yiming Gong,
Yi Wu,
Yuansheng Du,
Qinglai Feng,
Benpei Liu
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
acta geologica sinica ‐ english edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.444
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1755-6724
pISSN - 1000-9515
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-6724.1997.tb00377.x
Subject(s) - devonian , geology , paleontology , sea level , unconformity , structural basin , oceanography
Abstract Twenty orthosequences and their corresponding sea–level change (SLC) cycles have been recognized in the Devonian overlying the Caledonian unconformity, of which 9, 5.5 and 5.5 occurred in the Lower, Middle and Upper Devonian respectively. They can be grouped into 4 orthosequence sets, in which the maximum flooding surfaces lie in the sulcutus Zone (D 1 2 ), perbonus Zone (D 1 3 ), Middle and Upper varcus Zone (D 3 2 ) and gigas Zone (D 2 1 ) respectively. Four instant palaeogeographical reconstructions of South China have been made in the Emsian and Givetian. Devonian sea–level change rhythms of South China can be divided into 3 categories: the autorhythmic, the worldwide and regional allorhythmic, and the coupling–rhythmic. They developed respectively in the Famennian, Pragian, Eifelian, Lochkovian, Emsian, Givetian, Frasnian and the F/F (between the Frasnian and Famennian) event. The cause of the worldwide allorhythmic SLC of the Pragian and Eifelian under comparatively dry, warm and tranquil conditions may be related to the pulsating expanding and contracting of the oceanic basin volume or the earth volume pulsation, rather than the common glaciation and plate tectonism. The coupling–rhythmic SLC related to the F/F event is a sensitive indicator of the interaction between terrestrial and extraterrestrial factors, and coordinated action among the earth–spheres.