New U–Pb zircon ages of the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary strata in South China

Abstract

Abstract The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition is a critical interval marking drastic biological, oceanic and geochemical co‐evolutions in geological history, but it is poorly constrained geochronologically in South China. We here present two new sets of SIMS U–Pb zircon ages from Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary strata (Dengying, Liuchapo and Niutitang formations) deposited in the slope–basin environments of carbonate platforms. Two weighted‐mean U–Pb ages of 542.1 ± 5.0 Ma and 542.6 ± 3.7 Ma in the basal and mid‐upper Liuchapo Formation, respectively, in slope and basinal settings provide the first direct age set for the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary in South China. Another two U–Pb ages of 524.2 ± 5.1 Ma and 522.3 ± 3.7 Ma from the base of the overlying Niutitang Formation indicate that this widespread unit in South China was deposited about 20 Ma after the onset of the Cambrian.