Neoproterozoic glaciations and the fossil record

Sedimentary, geochronological, and δ¹³C chemostratigraphic data require that at least three glaciations—the Sturtian, Marinoan, and Gaskiers in geochronological order—occurred in the Neoproterozoic glacial interval (NGI; ca. 750-580 Ma); at least the Gaskiers glaciation has not been demonstrated global in nature. Available radiometric and δ¹³C chemostratigraphic data also suggest that the fossil-rich Doushantuo Formation may have been deposited after the Marinoan but before the Gaskiers glaciation, thus representing a window between two glaciations. A review of the fossil record under this geochronological framework reveals the following patterns: 1) a broad decline in stromatolites and acritarchs occurred in the Cryogenian (ca. 750-600 Ma); 2) a taxonomically unique assemblage of large acanthomorphic acritarchs occurs between the Marinoan and Gaskiers glaciations; 3) multicellular algae diversified after the Marinoan glaciation, although they evolved earlier; 4) animals, probably in microscopic forms, evolved before the Gaskiers glaciation if not earlier; and 5) post-Gaskiers diversification of complex Ediacaran organisms/animals may have begun in deep-water slope environments and later expanded to shallow-water shelf environments where macrobilaterians and biomineralized animals first appeared. It is hypothesized that 1) the Cryogenian decline in stromatolites and acritarchs may have been causally related to glaciations; and 2) acanthomorphic acritarchs, algae, and animals may have suffered diversity loss related to the Gaskiers glaciation. The fossil record also implies that 1) at least some lineages of different algal clades survived all Neoproterozoic glaciations; and 2) some members of the animal clade survived the Gaskiers glaciation, probably in non-glaciated refiigia.