Paleoenvironmental Evolution and Organic Matter Enrichment Genesis of the Late Turonian Black Shale in the Southern Songliao Basin, NE China

Abstract The Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation black shales, deposited in the late Turonian (LTB shales), are the main source rocks of the Songliao Basin. The origins of organic matter enrichment of the shales is a contentious subject fuelling many ongoing debates. This study investigates the genesis of the organic matter‐rich shale by using molecular geochemistry. The LTB shales can be divided into three sections. The Section I shales were deposited in saline, stratified and anoxic water conditions, which are related to seawater incursion events. At least three episodic and periodic seawater incursion events were recognized during Section I shale deposition. The Section II shales deposited in brackish to fresh and deep lake‐level conditions with high primary productivity, which are related to lake‐level transgression. The Section III shales were deposited under fresh and slightly oxidized water conditions, which are related to lake‐level regression. Two organic matter enrichment models for the LTB shales are identified, that is, the seawater incursion model and the maximum lake‐level transgression sedimentation model, which act on different shale sections, both playing significant roles in the enrichment of organic matter.