Orbital forcing and Mississippian sea level change: time series analysis of marine flooding events in the Visean Windsor Group of eastern Canada and implications for Gondwana glaciation

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2009 Orbital forcing and Mississippian sea level change: time series analysis of marine flooding events in the Viséan Windsor Group of eastern Canada and implications for Gondwana glaciation Peter S. Giles Peter S. Giles Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, [e-mail] Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Peter S. Giles Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, [e-mail] Publisher: Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Received: 29 Apr 2008 Accepted: 03 Sep 2009 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online Issn: 2368-0261 Print Issn: 0007-4802 © The Society of Canadian Petroleum Geologists Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology (2009) 57 (4): 449–471. https://doi.org/10.2113/gscpgbull.57.4.449 Article history Received: 29 Apr 2008 Accepted: 03 Sep 2009 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 Peter S. Giles; Orbital forcing and Mississippian sea level change: time series analysis of marine flooding events in the Viséan Windsor Group of eastern Canada and implications for Gondwana glaciation. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology 2009;; 57 (4): 449–471. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gscpgbull.57.4.449 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 SocietyBulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology Search Advanced Search Abstract Orbital forcing is strongly expressed in spectra of time series delineating transgressive-regressive (TR) cycles in the late Viséan Windsor Group in the Shubenacadie Basin of southern Nova Scotia. These spectra compare closely with those of synthetic, variously degraded time series constructed from summed sine waves representing orbital periods for the eccentricity, obliquity and precession-index as predicted for late Viséan time. The introduction of significant new macrofaunal elements in the Windsor Group accompanied transgressions separated in time by 2.2 to 2.4 m.y., perhaps reflecting a longer-period orbital influence by the eccentricity or by modulation of the obliquity. Orbital forcing in the late Asbian substage was apparently dominated by the 100 k.y. eccentricity, whereas in the Brigantian, TR cycles responded mainly to forcing by the 400 k.y. eccentricity. High-magnitude sea-level change in late Viséan successions elsewhere, and an orbital signature for Windsor Group TR cycles, suggest that orbitally forced waxing and waning of significant continental ice sheets is the most appropriate explanation for late Viséan sea-level change. Ice sheets were fully developed by the end of the early Asbian substage. Sea-level high-stands, interpreted as the result of melting of continental ice sheets, represent a very small temporal percentage of the Windsor Group stratigraphic succession, and mark the late Viséan as a cold period in Earth's history. In this part of Gondwana, a late Asbian or even older start to Gondwana glaciation is indicated, contrasting with the Australian record which places the first significant glaciations of Gondwana in the early Namurian. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.