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Geochemical evidences for palaeoclimatic fluctuations at the Triassic-Jurassic

boundary: southwestern margin of the Neotethys in the Salt Range, Pakistan

Conference Paper · April 2017

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Shahid Iqbal Michael Wagreich

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 Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vol. 19, EGU2017-408, 2017
EGU General Assembly 2017
© Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License.

Geochemical evidences for palaeoclimatic fluctuations at the

Triassic-Jurassic boundary: southwestern margin of the Neotethys in the
Salt Range, Pakistan
Shahid Iqbal (1,2), Michael Wagreich (2), Irfanullah Jan (3), Wolfram Michael Kürschner (4), and Susanne Gier
(2)
(2) University of Vienna, Department of Geodynamics and Sedimentology, Vienna, Austria (michael.wagreich@univie.ac.at),
(1) Department of Earth Sciences Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, (3) National Centre For Excellence in Geology,
University of Peshawar, (4) Department of Geosciences University of Oslo, Norway

The Triassic-Jurassic boundary interval reveals a change from warm-arid to a warm and humid climate in the
Tethyan domain. Sea-level reconstruction records across the European basins during this interval reveal an end-
Triassic global regression event and is linked to the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) activity and
Pangaea breakup. In the Tethyan Salt Range of Pakistan a succession of Upper Triassic dolomites/green-black
mudstones (Kingriali Formation), overlying quartzose sandstone, mudstones, laterites and Lower Jurassic con-
glomerates/pebbly sandstones (Datta Formation) provides information on the palaeoclimatic evolution of the area.
Preliminary palynological results from the mudstones indicate a Rhaetian age for the Kingriali Formation and a
Hettangian age for the Datta Formation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the mudstones (upper part of the
Kingriali Formation) indicates the presence of mainly illite while kaolinite is a minor component. The kaolinite
content, a reflection of the advanced stage of chemical weathering and hence warm-humid conditions, increases up-
section in the overlying sandstone-mudstone succession. The overlying laterite-bauxite horizons lack illite/smectite
and are entirely composed of kaolinite, boehmite and haematite. At places these kaolinite rich horizons are mined in
the area (Western Salt Range). The bulk rock geochemistry of the succession confirms a similar trend. The Chem-
ical Index of Alteration (CIA) displays an increasing trend from the Upper Triassic shales (CIA 75-80) through
the overlying sandstones/mudstones-laterites to the overlying quartz rich sandstones and mudstones (CIA 90-97).
The overall results for the succession reveal an increasing chemical maturity trend (increase in the intensity of
chemical weathering) from Rhaetian to Hettangian thereby supporting a change from warm-arid to a warm-humid
palaeoclimate, probably extreme greenhouse conditions.

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