Coal-derived rates of atmospheric dust deposition during the Jurassic-Cretaceous greenhouse periods

The study of dust deposition records in geological history is of great significance to the study of paleoclimate evolution during deep periods. Because dust can directly influence the biochemical processes and climate evolution of the Earth. However, the absence of quantitative data on dust limits the systematic and comprehensive study of paleoclimate evolution during deep periods. Prior to the Quaternary period, most quantitative studies on atmospheric dust have focused on the Permian era. However, in the entire Mesozoic era, there are still no quantitative data available on atmospheric dust deposition rates. We utilized the average concentration of inorganic matter in coal from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods to depict the dust concentration and corresponding dust deposition rate in the atmospheric system during these periods. We also conducted a correlation analysis using the distribution of arid source areas. The results show that the values of ash concentration and dust deposition rates are higher near the arid provenance and lower far away from it. Furthermore, in this study, we have compared the latitudinal variation gradient of dust deposition rates under the icehouse and greenhouse climates by using the end of the Permian and Quaternary as representatives of icehouse climate and the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods as representatives of the greenhouse climate. Our findings indicate that there is a higher ash concentration, dust deposition rate, and dust deposition rate variation gradient in the air under the icehouse climate, while there is a lower ash concentration, dust deposition rate, and dust deposition rate gradient in the air under the greenhouse climate. We have also discussed the dust sources during the Mesozoic period, as well as the differences in ash data under greenhouse and icehouse conditions. This provides a strong basis for studying the atmospheric environment after the modern climate entered the ice age.