A Lower Ordovician Carbonate Contourite Drift on the Margin of the South China Paleocontinent at Jiuxi, Northern Hunan

Abstract Carbonate contourite drift at Jiuxi, Taoyuan, northern Hunan, was developed in a deep‐water area of northern Hunan on the margin of the Early Ordovician South China paleocontinent. The Lower Ordovician sequence in the area is more than 350 m thick and contains well‐developed contourites that can be grouped into the following five types: the calcilutitic, the arenitic, the siltitic, the fine ruditic and the bioclastic. The first three often constitute a complete or incomplete contourite succession. The arenitic contourite is nearly uniformly distributed as interlayers throughout the succession, creating a monotonously rhythmic texture in the contourite drift. The pattern of spatial distribution of the succession shows that the contourite drift is a huge ridge‐like sedimentary body extending along the trend of paleoslope. Numerous marks of flow direction have pointed to an eastward paleoflow direction along the slope.