Do Carbon Isotopic Values Vary Along the Late Permian Delaware Basin Shoreline? (2024)

The Great Bahama Banks and Florida Bay are modern examples of what once happened in the Late Permian Delaware Basin. By understanding chemical differences between sedimentary sequences, we can track fluctuations in carbon isotopic values in carbonates formed in the environments. This study investigates the effects of relative location along the shoreline on previously recorded carbon isotopic values in the Delaware Basin during the Late Permian. We focused on the Permian Reef Trail in Carlsbad National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which were exposed in the Tansill and Yates formation. Despite a lateral separation of around forty kilometers, these two pieces correspond in their position with respect to the shore. By means of these two region’s carbon isotopic records, we were able to show notable lateral differences in carbon isotopic levels and trends.