Chemostratigraphy of Cumberland Group (Pennsylvanian) strata influenced by salt tectonics, Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site, eastern Canada

A significant discovery at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site reveals that over 2 km of sediment accumulated south of the Minudie Anticline during a major episode of salt diapirism, followed by erosion and deposition of an additional 500 m of sediment within just 2 million years. This finding challenges previous assumptions about the stratigraphic relationships between formations influenced by salt tectonics. The study used chemostratigraphy, specifically inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), to analyze major-element compositions in sandstone samples from post-Boss Point Formation strata. Results indicated that the Grande Anse and Ragged Reef formations exhibit greater compositional maturity than older formations (Little River, Joggins, and Springhill Mines), attributed to a shift from semiarid to humid paleoclimate conditions, enhancing chemical weathering of sediment.

Bahr, F., & Keighley, D. (2021). Chemostratigraphy of Cumberland Group (Pennsylvanian) strata influenced by salt tectonics, Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site, eastern Canada. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 91(9), 969–985. https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2020.152