Journal of Palaeogeography
 
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Journal of Palaeogeography  2024, Vol. 13 Issue (4): 1016-1028    DOI: 10.1016/j.jop.2024.06.006
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Extensive carbon cycle between peatland and vegetation: Insights from high net primary productivity of the Middle Jurassic in northwestern China
Yang-Yang Huanga,b, Hao Liangc, Long-Yi Shaoa,b,*, Bin Yangd, Baruch Spiroe,f, Jia-Min Zhoua,b, Jing Lua,b, Tan-Guang Fanc
a State Key Laboratory for Fine Exploration and Intelligent Development of Coal Resources, Beijing 100083, China;
b College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China;
c Research Institute of Exploration & Development, PetroChina Tuha Oilfield Company, Hami 839009, China;
d Exploration Company, PetroChina Tuha Oilfield Company, Hami 839009, China;
e Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK;
f School of Marine Sciences University of Haifa, Mount Carmel Haifa, Israel

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Abstract  

Peatlands have obvious carbon storage capacity and are crucial in mitigating global climate change. As the end-product of peatlands, coals have preserved a large amount of palaeoenvironmental information. The carbon accumulation rate and the net primary productivity (NPP) of coal-forming peatlands can be used as proxies for recovering palaeoenvironments. A super-thick coal seam (42350N, 91250E) was developed in the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in the Shaerhu coalfield in the southern margin of the Tuha (Turpan-Hami) Basin, northwestern China. In this study, we use the time series analysis to identify the periods of Milankovitch orbital cycles in the Gamma-ray curve of this super-thick (124.85 m) coal and then use the obtained cycle periods of 405 ka, 173 ka, 44 ka, 37.6 ka, 22.5 ka to calculate the timeframe of the coal- forming peatlands which ranges from 2703.44 to 2975.11 ka. Considering that the carbon content of the coal seam is 78.32% and the carbon loss during the coalification is about 25.80%, the carbon accumulation rate of the targeted coal seam is estimated to be 58.47-64.34 g C/m2·a, and the NPP is estimated to be 252.28-277.63 g C/m2·a. The main palaeoenvironmental factors controlling the NPP of peatlands are CO2 content, palaeolatitude and palaeotemperature. The reduced NPP values of the palaeo-peatlands in the Shaerhu coalfield can be attributed to the mid-palaeolatitude and/or too low atmospheric CO2 contents. To a certain extent, the NPP of palaeo-peatlands re?ects the changes in atmospheric CO2, which can further reveal the dynamic response of the global carbon cycle to climate change. Therefore, predicting the level of NPP in the Middle Jurassic and studying the final destination of carbon in the ecosystem are beneficial to under- standing the coal-forming process and palaeoenvironment.

Key wordsXishanyao Formation      Super-thick coal      Milankovitch cycle      Carbon accumulation rate      Carbon cycle     
Received: 04 March 2024     
Corresponding Authors: * College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), China. E-mail address: ShaoL@cumtb.edu.cn (L.-Y. Shao).   
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http://journal09.magtechjournal.com/Jweb_jop/EN/10.1016/j.jop.2024.06.006     OR     http://journal09.magtechjournal.com/Jweb_jop/EN/Y2024/V13/I4/1016
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