Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments
Abstract The intensity, extent, and ecosystem-level impact of bioturbation (i.e. Agronomic Revolution) at the dawn of the Phanerozoic is a hotly debated issue. Middle Cambrian fan-delta deposits in southwestern Saskatchewan provide insights into the paleoenvironmental extent of the Agronomic Revolut...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18199-4 |
| _version_ | 1818082404178329600 |
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| author | Andrei Ichaso Luis A. Buatois M. Gabriela Mángano Patty Thomas Don Marion |
| author_facet | Andrei Ichaso Luis A. Buatois M. Gabriela Mángano Patty Thomas Don Marion |
| author_sort | Andrei Ichaso |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The intensity, extent, and ecosystem-level impact of bioturbation (i.e. Agronomic Revolution) at the dawn of the Phanerozoic is a hotly debated issue. Middle Cambrian fan-delta deposits in southwestern Saskatchewan provide insights into the paleoenvironmental extent of the Agronomic Revolution into marginal-marine environments. The studied deposits reveal that several environmental stressors had direct impact on trace-fossil distribution and bioturbation intensities in Cambrian fan deltas. Basal and proximal subaerial deposits are characterized by very coarse grain size and absence of bioturbation. Mid-fan and fan-toe deposits were formed under subaqueous conditions and are characterized by rapid bioturbation events in between sedimentation episodes when environmental stressors were ameliorated, providing evidence of a significant landward expansion of the Agronomic Revolution. Transgressive marine deposits accumulated after the abandonment of the fan-delta system display high levels of bioturbation intensity, reflecting stable environmental conditions that favored endobenthic colonization. The presence of intense bioturbation in both subaqueous fan delta and transgressive deposits provides further support to the view that Cambrian levels of biogenic mixing were high, provided that stable environmental conditions were reached. Our study underscores the importance of evaluating sedimentary facies changes to assess the impact of environmental factors prior to making evolutionary inferences. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T19:21:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-019b927d10204413908bc9c25597a01d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T19:21:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-019b927d10204413908bc9c25597a01d2022-12-22T01:36:28ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-08-0112111010.1038/s41598-022-18199-4Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environmentsAndrei Ichaso0Luis A. Buatois1M. Gabriela Mángano2Patty Thomas3Don Marion4Department of Geological Sciences, University of SaskatchewanDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of SaskatchewanDepartment of Geological Sciences, University of SaskatchewanNorth American Helium Inc.North American Helium Inc.Abstract The intensity, extent, and ecosystem-level impact of bioturbation (i.e. Agronomic Revolution) at the dawn of the Phanerozoic is a hotly debated issue. Middle Cambrian fan-delta deposits in southwestern Saskatchewan provide insights into the paleoenvironmental extent of the Agronomic Revolution into marginal-marine environments. The studied deposits reveal that several environmental stressors had direct impact on trace-fossil distribution and bioturbation intensities in Cambrian fan deltas. Basal and proximal subaerial deposits are characterized by very coarse grain size and absence of bioturbation. Mid-fan and fan-toe deposits were formed under subaqueous conditions and are characterized by rapid bioturbation events in between sedimentation episodes when environmental stressors were ameliorated, providing evidence of a significant landward expansion of the Agronomic Revolution. Transgressive marine deposits accumulated after the abandonment of the fan-delta system display high levels of bioturbation intensity, reflecting stable environmental conditions that favored endobenthic colonization. The presence of intense bioturbation in both subaqueous fan delta and transgressive deposits provides further support to the view that Cambrian levels of biogenic mixing were high, provided that stable environmental conditions were reached. Our study underscores the importance of evaluating sedimentary facies changes to assess the impact of environmental factors prior to making evolutionary inferences.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18199-4 |
| spellingShingle | Andrei Ichaso Luis A. Buatois M. Gabriela Mángano Patty Thomas Don Marion Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments Scientific Reports |
| title | Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments |
| title_full | Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments |
| title_short | Assessing the expansion of the Cambrian Agronomic Revolution into fan-delta environments |
| title_sort | assessing the expansion of the cambrian agronomic revolution into fan delta environments |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18199-4 |
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