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A high-resolution timescale for the Miocene Shanwang diatomaceous shale lagerstätte (China): development of Wavelet Scale Series Analysis for cyclostratigraphy

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Abstract

The Miocene aged Shanwang Formation from the Shanwang National Geopark in China represents a succession of lacustrine diatomaceous shales containing an abundant and diverse biota with lagerstätte fossilization of soft tissues. To date, the Shanwang Formation has not been investigated for cyclostratigraphy nor has it been dated with high precision methods. Now we use thorium data as a paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic proxy to conduct a detailed cyclostratigraphic analysis. A new and simple cyclostratigraphic method, Wavelet Scale Series Analysis (WSSA) is developed to recognize Milankovitch cycles. A total of three short eccentricity and fifteen precession cycles are identified; obliquity cycles are not apparent. In the sedimentary succession, the corresponding precession and short eccentricity cycles are 1.17 m and 4.98 m thick respectively, with this verified by Correlation Coefficient (COCO) analysis and Multitaper-Method (MTM) spectral analysis. We estimate the studied interval was deposited over a duration of 0.3 Myr with a depositional rate of c. 5.7 cm/kyr. Paleomagnetic and radio isotope dating data shows that the diatomaceous shale was deposited during Chron C5En, which places it at approximately 18.5 Ma during the Burdigalian stage of the Early Miocene, rather than in the Middle Miocene as previously thought. The Shanwang lagerstätte biota therefore predates the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO) and did not form within it. The geological time scale with a high resolution of 20 kyr was set accordingly.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are given to Professor A.J. (Tom) Van Loon for his constructive suggestions on an earlier version of the manuscript. Thanks are also given to Mr. Gang Zhao for his help in the field. This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41472092) and the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of the Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (No. 2016ASKJ13).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, 266590, China

    Jifeng Yu, Xinlong Pang, Zongkai Jiang, Xiuli Zhao, Wenyan Qiao, Suo Shi, Diandong Zhang, Huitao Cao, Haibo Jia, Yadong Wang & Xiaoke Hu

  2. Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, 266235, China

    Jifeng Yu

  3. Jiangxi College of Applied Technology, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, 341000, China

    Xinlong Pang

  4. Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, 123000, China

    Wenzhao Fu

  5. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Jason Hilton & Mingmei Liang

  6. China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong, 266580, China

    Rui Zhang

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  1. Jifeng Yu
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Yu, J., Pang, X., Fu, W. et al. A high-resolution timescale for the Miocene Shanwang diatomaceous shale lagerstätte (China): development of Wavelet Scale Series Analysis for cyclostratigraphy. Geosci J 25, 561–574 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-020-0055-2

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