The Characteristics of Clay Minerals of the Eocene-Miocene Continental Strata in the Zhangshu-Guangchang Region,Jiangxi Province and its Paleoclimatic Significance
The study of climate-sensitive sediments from the Cenozoic in the South China Block indicates that the paleoclimate during this period generally experienced a transition from arid to humid conditions.However,there is a lack of detailed characterization regarding the specific evolutionary process of this climate transition.This paper focuses on the Eocene to Miocene continental strata in the Zhangshu-Guangchang area of Jiangxi Province in eastern South China,systematically conducting whole-rock mineral content and clay mineral X-ray diffraction(XRD)analyses.The results show that the clay minerals are primarily composed of illite and illite-smectite mixed layers,with relative contents of illite ranging from 7％to 63％,kaolinite from 0％to 93％,chlorite from 0％to 17％,and illite-smectite mixed layers from 0％to 63.2％.According to the combinations and relative abundance changes of clay minerals,along with previous research findings,it is suggested that the paleoclimate in this region change from relatively arid to semi-arid and semi-humid conditions during the Eocene to Miocene in the early Miocene.This understanding provides important references for the study of paleoclimate evolution in the South China Block.
the South China Blockclay mineralspaleoclimate reconstructionpaleoclimate significanceEocene-Miocene
万方数据
维普
