Astronomical control on marine anoxia during the Kellwasser Crisis and Rhinestreet Event (Appalachian Basin, New York, USA)
(2026) Global and Planetary Change — Vol. 257, p. 105216 (2026)
Files
2025_HuyghetalAstronomicalcontrolonmarineanoxia_preprint.pdf
preprint
Open Access - Adobe PDF
- 2.85 MB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- The Kellwasser Crisis near the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (~372 Ma) is linked to one of the major Phanerozoic biodiversity crises. It is associated with sea-level changes, carbon-cycle perturbations, and pulsed oceanic anoxia, that led to black shale deposition characterized by positive carbon isotope excursions, akin to the Kellwasser horizons in Germany. Despite growing evidence of astronomically forced climatic stresses influencing Devonian marine systems, the trigger mechanism(s) of the Kellwasser Event remain debated. The West Valley core (WVC) comprises middle Frasnian to lower Famennian strata, including the Rhinestreet and Kellwasser events, characterized by black shales, elevated total organic carbon (TOC) content, and a positive δ13Corg carbon isotope excursion in the Kellwasser Crisis interval. In this work, we performed cyclostratigraphic analysis of Ti, Ti/Al and TOC, which reveals a strong astronomical imprint, particularly eccentricity amplitude modulation patterns. The TOC record was tuned to the stable 405-kyr eccentricity period, yielding a 5.67-Myr-long floating astrochronology, with event durations for the Rhinestreet and Kellwasser intervals consistent with previous reports. Subsequent analysis confirmed an equally strong eccentricity imprint on the titanium content, strongly implying a link between organic matter preservation, detrital sediment supply and astronomical forcing. Additionally, a dominant imprint of the 1.2-Myr and 2.4-Myr obliquity cycles on sea-level variation supports astronomical control on the Kellwasser Crisis. Finally, new insights into the phase relationship between the Rhinestreet and Kellwasser events and astronomically forced climate changes are globally contextualized within a new cyclostratigraphic model, emphasizing the role of eccentricity and obliquity in pacing marine anoxia.
- Affiliations
Citations
Huygh, J. J. C., Algeo, T. J., Sageman, B. B., Arts, M., Ver Straeten, C. A., Over, D. J., Gérard, J., Sablon, L., Crucifix, M., & Da Silva, A.-C. (2026). Astronomical control on marine anoxia during the Kellwasser Crisis and Rhinestreet Event (Appalachian Basin, New York, USA). Global and Planetary Change, 257, 105216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105216 (Original work published 2026)