Synchronizing the timing of anoxia, volcanism and the pacing of the Earth’s orbit in the Early Cretaceous

Abstract

Recurrent acceleration of the hydrolysing cycle, so-called Episodes of Environmental Changes, occur in the Early Cretaceous. As the geologic time scale show large uncertainties, the pacing and the chronological relationship of these events remain obscure. We present here new radio-astrochronologic data from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) anchored to the Tethyan realm. The new time sale of the Valanginian-Hauterivian provides ages of ammonite zones with an uncertainty of ± 0.2 myr and provides much precise age of the start of the Weissert Event. The age of the start of the Weissert Event is at 134.5 ± 0.2 myr, which is exactly synchronous with the main phase of the Paraná-Etendeka large igneous province activity. Most recent duration and age estimates from the Berriasian to the Barremian are reviewed and differ from the Geologic Time Scale 2016 by several million of years. Thanks to this new time scale, belemnite δ13C are reviewed and show a strong pacing with a period of 2.4 myr, which correspond to the long-eccentricity cycle. Higher amplitudes of the 2.4-myr cycle are observed at time of large igneous province emplacement, which may be due to accelerated hydrolysis cycle following CO2 input to the atmosphere from the volcanic activity.