Giant bauxite deposits of South China: Multistage formation linked to Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) eustatic fluctuations

•The Lower Carboniferous Jiujialu Fm at Zunyi, northern Guizhou, contains 110 m of Kazakhstan-subtype karst bauxite deposits.•Alternating bauxite ore and bauxitic claystone layers having different petrological, mineralogical and geochemical compositions.•A total of seven cycles developed in response to fluctuating groundwater table levels, controlled by LPIA glacio-eustasy.