Gondwana platform paleoenvironment reconstruction: Insights from Ordovician black-grey shales in NW Iberia

Gondwana platform paleoenvironment reconstruction: Insights from Ordovician black-grey shales in NW Iberia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Gondwana platform paleoenvironment reconstruction: Insights from Ordovician black-grey shales in NW Iberia Alba Lozano, Luis González-Menéndez, Ignacio González-Álvarez, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3924705/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Journal of Iberian Geology → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Gondwana developed marine platforms at its northern edge with Paleozoic deposits reflecting varied paleoclimatic conditions. In the northwestern (NW) Iberian Peninsula (NW Gondwana), Ordovician black-grey shales and sandstones were deposited in these platforms at southern polar latitudes. The current research contributes to a better understanding of the recycling, climate, and redox conditions during the deposition of black-grey shales in the low/mid-Ordovician period. During the Lower-Middle Ordovician period, the black-grey shales recorded an increase in recycling (Th/Sc, Zr/Sc, Zr/Ti, La/Th), low level of chemical alteration (CIA, Th/U) and relatively low oxygen conditions (Ce/Ce*, Y/Ho). These data indicate arid-cold conditions with a seasonal glacial-periglacial environment, consistent with the location of the NW Iberian Peninsula at low latitudes close to the South Pole. Towards the Middle Ordovician, the black-grey shales recorded a more temperate climate with higher levels of chemical alteration, less recycling, and a relatively more oxygenated environment, what suggests a transition to a moderate climate with no glacial events developed. This climate evolution could have been promoted by the progressive Gondwana drift away from the south pole aided by CO 2 input to the atmosphere from alkaline mafic intraplate volcanism linked with a previous felsic LIP event in this area. The rapid decline of this volcanism and the partial alteration of its products (fixing CO 2 ) could have contributed to the development of the Hirnantian glacial conditions during the Upper Ordovician, which brings a new view of the secular climatic evolution of the Earth during the Ordovician. Paleoclimate Ordovician Northern Gondwana Black-grey shales Geochemical proxies Iberian Peninsula Full Text Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Apr, 2025 Read the published version in Journal of Iberian Geology → Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 08 May, 2024 Editor invited by journal 20 Apr, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 03 Feb, 2024 First submitted to journal 02 Feb, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3924705","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":300201331,"identity":"961bd270-3f48-41b4-8ee4-0a27c06fe30a","order_by":0,"name":"Alba 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