Abstract:
The Ediacaran Period represents a significant geological era for fluctuations in the carbon cycle throughout Earth's history, marked by the largest negative excursion in inorganic carbon isotope ratios (known as the Shuram Excursion or SE Event), which can be correlated globally. Currently, research on carbon isotopes in the Doushantuo Formation of the Ediacaran System in eastern Guizhou is relatively scarce, hindering our understanding of carbon isotope anomalies and their relationship with changes in redox conditions in this region. Building upon previous studies, this paper presents an analysis of major and trace elements, inorganic carbon isotopes (δ¹³C
carb), and organic carbon isotopes (δ¹³C
org) from two representative sections in eastern Guizhou: the Laolongpo section (slope facies) and the Baiyanshan section (slope-basin facies). The results indicate that during the deposition of the second member of the Doushantuo Formation (Ⅱ), the V/(V+Ni)<1.0 and U/Th>1.25 in carbonaceous shales at the Laolongpo section, as well as V/(V+Ni)<1.0 and U/Th>0.75 in black shales at the Baiyanshan section, suggest a dysoxic state, indicating an overall reducing environment in the depositional waters of the study area. Notably, the Laolongpo section exhibits a negative carbon isotope anomaly (EN2), accompanied by decoupling between δ¹³Ccarb and δ¹³Corg, which is interpreted to be related to the oxidation of organic matter in the deep-sea dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool. During the deposition of the third member of the Doushantuo Formation (Ⅲ), the Ce/Ce<0.9 and U/Th<0.75 in dolomites at the Laolongpo section, Ce/Ce values ranging from 0.9 to 1.3 and U/Th<0.75 in dolomites, and V/(V+Ni)<1.0 and U/Th<0.75 in dolomitic mudstones at the Baiyanshan section, suggest a gradual increase in deep-sea oxidation levels in the study area. Meanwhile, both sections display pronounced negative carbon isotope anomalies (EN3), accompanied by coupled evolution of δ¹³C
carb and δ¹³C
org. Furthermore, during this period, there were marked spatial and temporal differences in δ¹³Ccarb gradients and δ¹³C
carb-δ¹³C
org coupling from shallow seas to deep seas in South China, suggesting that the deep sea still exhibited redox stratification and that DOC was not completely oxidized.