Evaluation of high-frequency paleoenvironmental variation using an optimized cyclostratigraphic framework: Example for C-S-Fe analysis of Devonian-Mississippian black shales (Central Appalachian Basin, USA)

摘要

Stratigraphic successions are rarely sampled at sufficiently dense spacing to permit evaluation of paleoenvironmental variation at the shortest fundamental frequency operative in the depositional system of interest, often because that frequency remains undetermined. Here, we provide an example of a sampling strategy optimized for recovery of high-frequency paleoenvironmental signals, based on (1) full-core analysis using a continuous survey tool such as X-radiography, followed by (2) fine sampling of selected small-scale cycles that record significant short-term paleoenvironmental variation. We show that this strategy results in recovery of high-frequency paleoenvironmental signals that are completely missed by low-density sampling protocols, permitting key insights into depositional and early diagenetic processes that may otherwise by overlooked.