Author's personal copy Carbon isotopic evolution of the terminal Neoproterozoic and early Cambrian: Evidence from the Yangtze Platform, South China

Profound geotectonic, climatic and biological changes occurred during the terminal Neoproterozoic and its transition into the Early Cambrian. These changes are reflected in temporal variations of the carbon isotopic composition of seawater, recorded in a sedimentary succession on China's Yangtze Platform. However, in addition to secular changes in carbon isotopes, the studied succession reflects additional variations in accordance with the deposition in different sedimentary facies, ranging from shallow water platformal to deeper water basinal settings. Likely a consequence of incorporation of variable amounts of 13C depleted bacterial biomass, this regional signal is superimposed on the secular variations of the global carbon cycle. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved