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Early Eocene paleosol developed from basalt in southeastern Australia: implications for paleoclimate

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Abstract

The Early Eocene Climate Optimum (EECO, 51–53 Ma) is one of several short-term greenhouse spikes punctuating long-term Cenozoic paleoclimatic cooling. This study characterized major element geochemical and mineral composition and micromorphological textures of the Ngaiur clay paleosol at Bridle Creek (Australia) formed in the early Eocene (∼52 Ma). The Ngaiur paleosol has unusually thick and strongly developed soil horizons. Gibbsite and kaolinite are the dominant minerals in the paleosol. The A horizon of the paleosol has a pectic microtexture dominated by sesquioxidic spherical micropeds. The content of iron oxides is the highest and skeleton grains of primary minerals are least abundant in the B horizon. A variety of weathering indices (including chemical index of alteration without potash, weathering index, and silica/sesquioxide ratio) are evidence of intense weathering. Alkalis and alkaline earths (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) were exhausted by weathering. Significant ferrallitization was observed with desilication of 85 % (Ti as immobile element). The paleosol is classified as an Oxisol, and is considered to have formed under a hot and humid tropical climate. Such a warm, wet paleoclimate at a paleolatitude of 57°S in the early Eocene (∼52 Ma) may be due to a greenhouse paleoclimatic anomaly at the time of the EECO oxygen isotope excursion.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded partly by the National Basic Research Program of China (grant no. 2012CB822003) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41371225).

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  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China

    Yu Zhou & Chengmin Huang

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403, USA

    Gregory John Retallack

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Zhou, Y., Retallack, G.J. & Huang, C. Early Eocene paleosol developed from basalt in southeastern Australia: implications for paleoclimate. Arab J Geosci 8, 1281–1290 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1328-8

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