Distinctive volcanic ash–rich lacustrine shale deposition related to chemical weathering intensity during the Late Triassic: Evidence from lithium contents and isotopes

Abstract

The Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE) witnessed enormous climate change closely associated with volcanic activity. However, the coupling relationship between volcanic activity and climate change, which may be linked to chemical weathering, has not yet been fully uncovered. We used lithium contents and isotopes of volcanic ash (VA)–bearing lacustrine shale to constrain their deposition pathways and response to climate changes, i.e., weathering intensity, during the Late Triassic era. Elevated δ7Li (i.e., >2.5%) and low Li contents (i.e., <65 microgram per gram) in shale likely document the direct depositing of volcanic lithium from airborne VA, which mainly inherited Earth’s interior δ7Li signal. By contrast, shale yields markedly high lithium contents (i.e., >135 microgram per gram), alongside relatively low δ7Li (i.e., <0%), likely implying waterborne VA dominated by intensified weathering under a super humidity climate. Hence, this study provides evidence for the differential VA-rich shale deposition model related to chemical weathering states synchronous with climate changes during the CPE period.