Analysis of low-frequency climate periodicity in lacustrine sediments from the Enciso Group (Lower Cretaceous, Cameros basin, La Rioja, Spain) and its application to the correlation and dating of the series
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.124.2.005Keywords:
Cameros basin, lower cretaceous, palaeoclimatology, sedimentary cycle, spectral analysisAbstract
We have characterized seven facies linked to three sedimentary environments: distal riverine, siliciclastic lacustrine and carbonate lacustrine, in the Lower Cretaceous syn-rift deposits in the Cameros basin (Enciso Group). The analysis was conducted on a 996-metre-thick series consisting of 74 sedimentary cycles. The facies were analysed using the Markov chains method. We identified three type-sequences linked to the recognised sedimentary environments. By studying the relationships between the facies we were able to develop a sedimentological model, with the relative position of each facies related to the lake shoreline. From this model we could construct a time series based on semi-quantitative depth (depth rank) and analyse it with the Wavelet and REDFIT programs. Spectral analysis identified periodic sedimentary cycles comparable to Milankovitch frequencies. The results show power-spectrum maxima (confidence level >99%) at 90.56 m, 16.66 m, 7.14 m, 5.37 m and 3.93 m. The sedimentary cycle interpreted as short eccentricity (16.66 m) is the most easily identifiable in the outcrop and constitutes the basis of our sequential analysis. The accumulation rate calculated for the Enciso Group is 175 m/Ma. Sedimentation of the Enciso Group at the Munilla section covers a time span of about 6 Ma, from the Upper Hauterivian to the the Middle Aptian.
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