Sedimentary processes of the Lower Permian Dingjiazhai Formation in the Baoshan Block

The Baoshan Block was part of the eastern Cimmerian continent along the northeastern margin of Gondwana during the late Paleozoic, and preserves continuous sedimentary records during the apex of the Early Permian glaciation. Although much work has been carried out on biostratigraphy and paleogeography, detailed sedimentological study of the glacial records in the Baoshan Block has gained little attention, which hampers the understanding of depositional processes along the northeastern margin of Gondwana. Here, we conduct a high-resolution sedimentological study on the Lower Permian Dingjiazhai Formation of the Baoshan Block, with the aim of reconstructing the evolution of sedimentary environments. Six major lithological facies and three facies associations are recognized from the Dongshanpo section. The diamictite facies association is composed of weakly stratified diamictite, stratified diamictite, and massive sandy siltstone facies, which are formed by proglacial outwash debris flows and settling of melt-water plumes. The lenticular gravelly sandstone facies association consists of lenticular gravelly sandstone, thin-bedded siltstone, and homogenous silty mudstone facies, suggesting a distal subaqueous proglacial offshore setting with episodic melt water plumes. The bioclastic rudstone facies association comprises of bioclastic rudstone and floatstone, and thin-bedded siltstone facies, which suggest an offshore depositional environment punctuated by bioclastic gravity flows. Accordingly, we reconstructed a gradually changed sedimentary model responding to the Early Permian deglaciation in the Baoshan Block, which probably represents a typical evolution of sedimentary environments along the northeastern margin of Gondwana during the Early Permian.