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Major and trace element geochemistry of the Neoproterozoic syn-glacial Fulu iron formation, South China

Part of: From Snowball Earth to the Cambrian Explosion: Evidence from China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2016

LIANJUN FENG Open the ORCID record for LIANJUN FENG [Opens in a new window] ,
JING HUANG ,
DINGBIAO LU  and
QIRUI ZHANG
LIANJUN FENG*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100029, China
JING HUANG
Affiliation:
CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
DINGBIAO LU
Affiliation:
Guizhou Geological Survey, Guiyang 550002, China
QIRUI ZHANG
Affiliation:
Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
*
†Author for correspondence: ljfeng@mail.iggcas.ac.cn
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Abstract

The Fulu iron formation (IF) is an iron-rich unit in the Neoproterozoic glacial successions, South China. The major element data suggest that the iron sources of the Fulu IF are derived from binary mixing from hydrothermal and detrital loads. The Fulu IF is characterized by slightly positive Eu anomalies similar to other Neoproterozoic IFs, indicating that a high-temperature hydrothermal input may contribute little to Neoproterozoic IFs. A shift from non-existent to slightly negative Ce anomalies of the Fulu IF indicates that the IF precipitated across an iron chemocline separating a weakly oxic surface ocean from an oxygen-depleted deep ocean.

Keywords

Cryogenianiron formationglaciationmajor elementtrace element
Type
Original Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 154 , Issue 6: THEMATIC ISSUE: From Snowball Earth to the Cambrian Explosion: Evidence from China , November 2017 , pp. 1371 - 1380
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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