Abstract

Models indicate that atmospheric transport distances for large eolian particles are limited to tens to perhaps hundreds of kilometers owing to rapid gravitational settling, yet a number of studies of modern–recent sediment have documented the enigmatic transport of so-called “giant” (generally > 63 µm) grains over thousands of kilometers. Additionally, stratospheric injection of tephra by volcanic eruptions has the potential to increase the atmospheric transport distance of volcanically sourced aerosols in particular. Here we report the first finding of wind-transported giant grains in Earth’s pre-Pleistocene record, in upper Carboniferous–Permian shallow-marine carbonates of the Akiyoshi (paleo) atoll, which formed in the remote equatorial Panthalassic ocean. The paleogeographic setting of the Akiyoshi Limestone makes it an ideal system for studying far-traveled continental and volcanic dust. Siliciclastic grains with diameters commonly ∼ 300 µm and up to ∼ 2 cm occur in this system, transported at least 4,500 km and up to 10,000 km away from the nearest viable source regions. Textural and compositional (both mineralogical and geochemical) data indicate the presence of both continentally sourced eolian grains and volcanically sourced grains of intermediate to felsic compositions, with the relative proportions of volcanic to continental grains peaking in the Moscovian (middle Late Carboniferous). The peak timing of volcanic versus continental grain deposition indicates that large-magnitude volcanic eruptions affected this part of equatorial Panthalassa in the Late Carboniferous, and that Pangean continental aridity increased significantly into the Permian. Compositional data indicate likely source regions west of the Akiyoshi (paleo) atoll, consistent with the common occurrence of westerlies over this paleoequatorial region, thus indicating the operation of monsoonal circulation over the Paleo-Tethys sea.