Glauberite is the most common mineral in the ancient sodium sulphate deposits in the Jianghan Basin, although its origin, primary or diagenetic, continues to be a matter of debate. A number of glauberite deposits of Paleocene age in the Jiangling Depression display facies characteristics of sedimentologic significance. Based on field investigation and laboratory analysis, we determined three characteristics forms, rhombus I, rhombus II and long tabular shape. The glauberite crystal shapes in the south of Jiangling Depression mainly are macrocrystalline rhombus I and II, with the secondary amount of medium-grained crystal long tabular glauberite. This type of glauberite is interpreted as an unrest, shallow water and quickly crystallization, undergoing a strong evaporation along the lake basin boundary system. In the interior of the Jiangling Depression, glauberite assemblage is made up of fine-medium grained crystals of glauberite. The depositional environment is interpreted as a static and deeper water environment, which experienced a slow crystallization process. By studying morphology characteristics and depositional conditions of glauberite, we consider that different types of shapes and groups are the products of lake water evaporating under different climate conditions. Glauberite–halite lithofacies association is distinguished: association is composed of thin-bedded cloudy halite and thin-bedded glauberite. Transparent glauberite cemented by clear halite as well as normal-graded and reverse-graded glauberite textures are common. This type of transparent glauberite is interpreted as a primary, subaqueous precipitate. The glauberite in the Jiangling Depression are mainly stratified with typical rhythmic bedding, which is composed of the interaction between glauberite lamina and argillaceous dolomitic lamina or dolomitic argillaceous lamina. The tuberculous glauberite has remarkable top bending structure, which shows the penecontemporaneous in the process of its diagenesis. The evaporite cycle sequence of drillhole indicates that the brine of the salt lake in the south of Jiangling Depression is Na–K–Ca–Cl–SO₄ type in the Paleocene.

芒硝是江汉盆地古硫酸钠矿床中最常见的矿物，但其成因是原生还是成岩作用仍然存在争议。江陵坳陷一批古新世钙芒硝矿床显示出具有沉积学意义的相特征。通过实地调查和实验室分析，我们确定了菱形I、菱形II和长板状三种特征形式。江陵坳陷南部钙芒硝晶型主要为粗晶I型和II型，次生有中晶长板状钙芒硝。这种钙芒硝被解释为一种不稳定、浅水和快速结晶，沿湖盆边界系统经历强烈蒸发。在江陵坳陷内部，钙芒硝组合由钙芒硝的中细粒晶体组成。沉积环境被解释为静态且较深的水环境，经历了缓慢的结晶过程。通过研究钙芒硝的形态特征和沉积条件，我们认为不同类型的形状和组团是湖水在不同气候条件下蒸发的产物。芒硝-石盐岩相组合的特点是：组合由薄层云状石盐和薄层钙芒硝组成。由透明石盐胶结的透明钙芒硝以及正级配和反级配芒硝结构很常见。这种透明的钙芒硝被解释为初级的、水下的沉淀物。江岭坳陷钙芒硝层状结构以典型的韵律层理为主，由芒硝纹层与泥质白云质纹层或白云质泥质纹层相互作用组成。结核状钙芒硝具有显着的顶弯结构，表明其成岩过程中的准同期。钻孔蒸发岩旋回序列表明江陵坳陷南部盐湖卤水为Na-K-Ca-Cl-SO₄型在古新世。