Ediacaran glaciogenic deposits within a carbonate platform background: insights from the Fengtai formation in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton
摘要
The detection of glacial events spanning from the post-Gaskiers to the early Cambrian across various paleo-continents indicates that the Ediacaran should be a period of multiple glaciations of considerable spatial extent. Notably, a significant Ediacaran glaciation occurred in the North China Craton, with glacial deposits largely confined to its margins. Our study delves into the progress of facies analysis of the Fengtai Formation, distinguishing between glacial deposits and those resulting from mass flow/debris flow processes. We hereby present the compelling evidence for glacial sedimentary succession from two localities of the Fengtai Formation in the Huainan and Huoqiu areas in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton. Our analysis suggests that the Fengtai Formation evolved within a carbonate platform and slope setting, exhibiting characteristics typical of lacustrine margin-slope deposits. This study offers crucial insights into the carbonate gravity flow processes that develop in carbonate slopes. Furthermore, the presented sedimentary succession of the Fengtai Formation contributes significantly to the understanding of tectonic evolution in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton, providing a deeper perspective into the carbonate platform during the glacial-interglacial cycles. The findings hold significant implications for elucidating the development of glaciation during the Ediacaran, distinguishing between glacial and gravity flow sedimentation, and enriching the study dataset of the Great Unconformity.