Stratigraphic investigations of carbon isotope anomalies and Neoproterozoic ice ages in Death Valley, California

Research Article| August 01, 2003 Stratigraphic investigations of carbon isotope anomalies and Neoproterozoic ice ages in Death Valley, California Frank A. Corsetti; Frank A. Corsetti 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90089-0740, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alan J. Kaufman Alan J. Kaufman 2Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4211, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Frank A. Corsetti 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90089-0740, USA Alan J. Kaufman 2Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-4211, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 19 Nov 2001 Revision Received: 08 Nov 2002 Accepted: 22 Nov 2002 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2003) 115 (8): 916–932. https://doi.org/10.1130/B25066.1 Article history Received: 19 Nov 2001 Revision Received: 08 Nov 2002 Accepted: 22 Nov 2002 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Frank A. Corsetti, Alan J. Kaufman; Stratigraphic investigations of carbon isotope anomalies and Neoproterozoic ice ages in Death Valley, California. GSA Bulletin 2003;; 115 (8): 916–932. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B25066.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract An unusual richness of biogeochemical events is recorded in Neoproterozoic–Cambrian strata of the Death Valley region, California, United States. Eight negative carbon isotope (δ13C) excursions are found in carbonate units between 1.08 Ga and the Precambrian/Cambrian boundary; four of these excursions occur in carbonates that contain textural features similar to those found globally in postglacial "cap carbonates" (including one or more of the following: laminite with rollup structures, apparent "tube rocks," seafloor precipitates, and sheet-crack cements). However, only two of these units, the Sourdough limestone member of the Kingston Peak Formation and the Noonday Dolomite, rest directly upon glacial strata. The basal Beck Spring Dolomite and the Rainstorm Member of the Johnnie Formation each contain negative excursions and cap-carbonate–like lithofacies, but do not rest on known glacial deposits. If the negative δ13C excursions are assumed to record depositional processes, two equally interesting hypotheses are possible: (1) The Death Valley succession records four glacial pulses in Neoproterozoic time, but glacial units are not preserved at two stratigraphic levels. (2) Alternatively, other global oceanographic processes can cause negative excursions and cap-carbonate–like facies in addition to, or independent of, glaciation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.