Middle Yangtze sea-basin over Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition: Sedimental continuity and environmental catastrophe

On the centimeter scale of lithologic change, we conduct poly-statistic analysis on the sedimentary behavior and dynamic features of the stratigraphic sequence from upper Dalong formation to lower Daye formation, which across the Permian-Triassic boundary in East Hubei. From the perspective of stochastically dynamic system, the depositional process of upper Dalong formation can be regarded as a stable Markovian process with weakly stratigraphic correlation and randomly lithologic alteration. Compared to it, the depositional process of lower Daye formation was unstable Markovian process with much closer stratigraphic correlation and ordered lithologic change. As for the replacement style of the sedimental cycle, the former was chaotic, while the latter was periodical. Otherwise, although the overall depositional process of the two formations was continuous, their dynamic characteristics were obviously different. So this P-T sedimental boundary can also be regarded as a dynamic limit. It was a kind of depositional reaction in response to a catastrophic alteration when the geological environment was in continuous change but came over a certain threshold state.