Black shale formations as geochemical markers of paleoenvironmental changes and tectonic setting along active continental margins

Black shale formations represent an outstanding and widespread oceanic sedimentary archive from the Archean to present. Their composition can potentially reflect different plate-tectonic settings at the time of their deposition. Additionally, black shales can also provide unique insights into the compositional variations in seawater chemistry and redox conditions of their depositional environment. Using a novel, multidisciplinary approach combining tectonic and structural analysis with geochronology, major/trace and Os–Nd–Cr–Mo–S isotope geochemistry, the proposed project will elucidate the influence of tectonic setting on the composition of black shale formations and explore their potential as stratigraphic markers in accretionary systems at convergent plate margins. Furthermore, the project will contribute to better understanding of processes causing variable oxygen levels throughout the Earth`s history, with a particular emphasis on the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian boundary associated with the Great Explosion of life on the Earth.