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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Biogeochemistry
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1457964
This article is part of the Research Topic Biogeochemical Cycling and Depositional Processes of Critical Metals in the Deep Sea and Their Constraints on Global Changes View all articles

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Cambrain Shuijingtuo Formation black shales from Western Hubei, China: Implications on enrichment of critical metals and paleoenvironment

Provisionally accepted
Yuan Wang Yuan Wang 1Jing Li Jing Li 1*Yang Lin Yang Lin 1*Xinguo Zhuang Xinguo Zhuang 1*Vanlong Hoang Vanlong Hoang 2*Peng Wu Peng Wu 1*Xin Luo Xin Luo 1*Han Zhang Han Zhang 1*Xiaoyang Zhang Xiaoyang Zhang 1*
  • 1 Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
  • 2 Exploration & Production Center, Vietnam Petrleum Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Black shales have attracted the attention of numerous researchers not only due to their high potential as hydrocarbon source rocks and shale gas reservoirs, but also to the enrichment of critical metal elements in black shale series. Black shale of the Cambrian Shuijingtuo Formation is one of the most important black shales in the Yangtze platform. This paper conducts integrated research on the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of this black shale from the Luojiacun section in Western Hubei Region, aiming at elaborating the enrichment mechanism of elevated critical metal elements in the Shuijingtuo black shale. Minerals in the Shuijingtuo black shale are predominantly composed of quartz (avg. 43.0%) and clay minerals (avg. 32.5%), with small proportions of calcite, albite, clinochlore, and pyrite. The Shuijingtuo black shale is characterized by high total organic carbon (TOC, avg. 3.9%) content and enriched in V-Ni-Cr-U and Sr-Ba critical metal assemblages. The elevated V, Cr, Ni, and U present dominant organic affinities, while Sr and Ba are closely correlated to calcite and pyrite, respectively. The enrichment of V-Cr-Ni-U critical element assemblages in Shuijingtuo black shale are ascribed to the high primary productivity, anoxic depositional conditions, marine biologic production, and low-temperature hydrothermal activities. The enrichment of Sr and Ba is related to the high primary productivity and anoxic depositional conditions, respectively.

    Keywords: Critical elements, Enrichment mechanism, Palaeoredox environment, Organic-rich black shale, Shuijingtuo Formation, Western Hubei region

    Received: 01 Jul 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Li, Lin, Zhuang, Hoang, Wu, Luo, Zhang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jing Li, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
    Yang Lin, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
    Xinguo Zhuang, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
    Vanlong Hoang, Exploration & Production Center, Vietnam Petrleum Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam
    Peng Wu, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
    Xin Luo, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
    Han Zhang, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
    Xiaoyang Zhang, Key Laboratory of Tectonics and Petroleum Resources of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China

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