Significance of the chemistry and morphology of diagenetic siderite in clastic rocks of the Mesozoic Scotian Basin

Siderite (FeCO₃) is a widespread minor diagenetic mineral in clastic sedimentary basins. Although eodiagenetic authigenesis of siderite is well-known, siderite formed during burial diagenesis shows habits and chemical compositions that are poorly understood. This study tests the hypothesis that diagenetic siderite cements in sandstones in the Scotian Basin, offshore eastern Canada, show systematic variability in chemistry and habit that is a response to recrystallization and changing composition of basinal fluids. Mineral textures were determined from backscattered electron images, and chemistry mostly from electron microprobe analyses. Five chemical types of siderite are identified using k-means cluster analysis, based on the amount of substitution of Ca, Mg and Mn for Fe. Eodiagenetic microcrystalline coated grains, concretions and intraclasts in sandstones are principally Fe-rich siderite and locally have recrystallised to blocky equant crystals. Mesodiagenetic Mg-rich siderite partly replaced these equant crystals and also framework mica and K-feldspar grains, showing textural evidence for coupled dissolution–reprecipitation. Slender Mg-rich siderite rhombs (lozenges, bladed or wheat-seed siderite) have precipitated before and after the formation of quartz overgrowths in geochemical microenvironments. Magnesium substitution reflects Mg-rich formation waters resulting from smectite to illite conversion. Equivalent Ca-rich siderite occurs where sandstones overlie a Jurassic carbonate bank. Late Mn-rich siderite has complex textures resembling those of Mississippi-Valley type ores, with spheroidal rims, a honeycomb-like mesh and concentric infill around secondary pores. It also occurs in veins or replacing intraclasts, post-dating late ferroan-calcite cements in sandstones that show strong dissolution by hot basinal brines. The Ca, Mg and Mn content of diagenetic siderite, coupled with textural evidence for recrystallization, can thus be used to track changes in ambient formation fluids. Siderite habits and chemistry described from the Scotian Basin are found in many clastic basins, suggesting that the observed recrystallization textures and variation in chemical type are of broad application.     

Root‐related rhodochrosite and concretionary siderite formation in oxygen‐deficient conditions induced by a ground‐water table rise

Sedimentological, mineralogical, stable carbon and oxygen isotope determinations and biomarker analyses were performed on siderite concretions occurring in terrestrial silts to understand their formation and to characterize the sedimentary and diagenetic conditions favouring their growth. High δ¹³C values (6·4‰ on average) indicate that siderite precipitated in an anoxic environment where bacterial methanogenesis operated. The development of anoxic conditions during shallow burial was induced by a change in sedimentary environment from flood plain to swamp, related to a rise of the ground‐water table. Large amounts of decaying plant debris led to efficient oxygen consumption within the pore‐water in the peat. Oxygen depletion, in combination with a decrease in sedimentation rate, promoted anoxic diagenetic conditions under the swamp and favoured abundant siderite precipitation. This shows how a change in sedimentary conditions can have a profound impact on the early‐diagenetic environment and carbonate authigenesis. The concretions contain numerous rhizoliths; they are cemented with calcium‐rhodochrosite, a feature which has not been reported before. The rhodochrosite cement has negative δ¹³C values (?16·5‰ on average) and precipitated in suboxic conditions due to microbial degradation of roots coupled to manganese reduction. The exceptional preservation of the epidermis/exodermis and xylem vessels of former root tissues indicates that the rhodochrosite formed shortly after the death of a root in water‐logged sediments. Rhodochrosite precipitated during the initial stages of concretionary growth in suboxic microenvironments within roots, while siderite cementation occurred simultaneously around them in anoxic conditions. These suboxic microenvironments developed because oxygen was transported from the overlying oxygenated soil into sediments saturated with anoxic water via roots acting as permeable conduits. This model explains how separate generations of carbonate cements having different mineralogy and isotopic compositions, which would conventionally be regarded as cements precipitated sequentially in different diagenetic zones during gradual burial, can form simultaneously in shallow burial settings where strong redox gradients exist around vertically oriented permeable root structures.     

山西新太古界柏芝岩组条带状铁建造中的菱铁矿:成因机制与古环境意义

菱铁矿是前寒武纪条带状铁建造(BIF)中重要的矿物组分和古海洋信息载体,但它可能具有原生、早期成岩和晚期成岩多种成因,这在一定程度上限制了其在古海洋条件分析中的应用。虽然前人对菱铁矿开展了广泛的地球化学分析,但在岩相学研究方面相对薄弱。为进一步揭示BIF中菱铁矿的成因机制,以山西代县羊角沟矿区新太古界柏芝岩组的BIF为研究对象,开展了系统的岩相学工作。研究表明,该BIF主要由厘米级交互的富铁与富硅条带构成,其中普遍缺少水体扰动沉积构造,偶见交错层理和风暴碎屑,表明主要沉积于风暴浪基面之下。菱铁矿的主要产出形式有3种:(1)亚毫米级条带,其内"悬浮"有风暴成因碎屑颗粒,具有水柱或沉积物/水界面的原生成因特征;(2)在富铁条带中的晶体间隙充填,可能为早期成岩成因;(3)富硅条带中存在绿泥石层间脉状充填或截切石英和铁白云石的脉体,具有晚期成岩成因。原生菱铁矿的产出,表明新太古代在风暴浪基面之下的海水强烈缺氧、富铁并具有低硫酸盐浓度的特征。尽管原生菱铁矿条带的产出表明菱铁矿具有反映海洋化学条件的潜力,但多种成因菱铁矿的同时产出,也要求在应用菱铁矿分析古海洋条件时应当分组构进行。     

山西新太古界柏芝岩组条带状铁建造中的菱铁矿:成因机制与古环境意义*

菱铁矿是前寒武纪条带状铁建造(BIF)中重要的矿物组分和古海洋信息载体,但它可能具有原生、早期成岩和晚期成岩多种成因,这在一定程度上限制了其在古海洋条件分析中的应用。虽然前人对菱铁矿开展了广泛的地球化学分析,但在岩相学研究方面相对薄弱。为进一步揭示BIF中菱铁矿的成因机制,以山西代县羊角沟矿区新太古界柏芝岩组的BIF为研究对象,开展了系统的岩相学工作。研究表明,该BIF主要由厘米级交互的富铁与富硅条带构成,其中普遍缺少水体扰动沉积构造,偶见交错层理和风暴碎屑,表明主要沉积于风暴浪基面之下。菱铁矿的主要产出形式有3种: (1)亚毫米级条带,其内“悬浮”有风暴成因碎屑颗粒,具有水柱或沉积物/水界面的原生成因特征;(2)在富铁条带中的晶体间隙充填,可能为早期成岩成因;(3)富硅条带中存在绿泥石层间脉状充填或截切石英和铁白云石的脉体,具有晚期成岩成因。原生菱铁矿的产出,表明新太古代在风暴浪基面之下的海水强烈缺氧、富铁并具有低硫酸盐浓度的特征。尽管原生菱铁矿条带的产出表明菱铁矿具有反映海洋化学条件的潜力,但多种成因菱铁矿的同时产出,也要求在应用菱铁矿分析古海洋条件时应当分组构进行。     

台湾国姓地区中新世海相菱铁矿的成因

菱铁矿很好地记录了过去地质流体的信息,能够用于示踪生物地球化学反应相关的成岩作用带。台湾国姓地区中新世海相泥页岩中发育自生的菱铁矿结核,其成因尚未厘清。野外观察发现菱铁矿以不连续透镜体平行散布于泥页岩中,主要由自生碳酸盐菱铁矿（78.63%）等矿物组成。菱铁矿的稀土元素配分模式为轻稀土亏损、中稀土富集,无Ce异常,指示菱铁矿形成于弱氧化的沉积环境,弱氧化的环境促进了菱铁矿在次氧化带的沉淀。菱铁矿的δ13C_VPDB和δ18O_VPDB值分别为-3.69‰~+0.08‰和-1.09‰~+0.25‰,指示菱铁矿形成于次氧化带,碳源很可能是海水和有机质降解混合产生。研究表明自生菱铁矿能够被用于识别沉积物中的生物地球化学过程和指示成岩作用带。     

黔西织金矿区乐平世煤系菱铁矿成因探讨

黔西织金矿区乐平世煤系中的菱铁矿以多种微观形态产出,基于镜下薄片观测、泥岩微量元素分析,探讨了菱铁矿 成因及演化。研究表明菱铁矿可划分为第一世代的胶状集合体、第二世代圈层结构发育不良的球粒及第三世代圈层结构发 育完好的鲕粒与菱面体三个成岩世代产物。菱铁矿胶状集合体是在成矿组分（Fe2+ 与CO32-） 浓度达到超饱和状态时快速结 晶形成的;圈层结构发育不良的菱铁矿球粒是成矿物质围绕第一世代形成的菱铁矿胶粒聚集而成;圈层结构发育完好的菱 铁矿鲕粒是大量放射状菱铁矿线晶以第二世代的球粒为核心连续共轴生长而成,晚二叠世脉动式的海侵可能是菱铁矿在结 晶非平衡态与平衡态与之间往复循环驱动因素,最终形成了同心圈层结构,而同心圈层发育完好的菱面体状菱铁矿可能是 成矿条件的变化促使鲕粒从放射状生长向自形菱面体生长而成。     

Investigation on the role of microorganisms in manganese mineralization from Abadeh-Tashk area,Fars Province,southwestern Iran by using petrographic and geochemical data

Hydrothermal manganese and ferromanganese deposits associated with Neyriz ophiolite colored mélange occurred as small ore deposits in the Abadeh-Tashk area, SE of Fars Province, SW Iran. The deposits are found in three types: a) banded syngenetic ores, b) massive boudin and lens shaped diagenetic ores and c) vein and veinlet epigenetic ores. Microtextural, geochemical and mineralogical data associated with petrographic Raman, FTIR and SEM studies indicated that the primary Fe compounds formed series of microbially mediated biomats and Mn compounds were precipitated as an amorphous oxide on an active oxide surface accompanying silica gels. Field relationships between ore and host rock, high Mn/Fe ratio (17.43 to 40.79), ΣLREE, positive Eu and negative Ce anomalies in syngenetic ore types reveal that the ores were formed by hydrothermal fluid in an oceanic floor environment. Manganese was fractionated from iron due to physicochemical changes as well as microbial activities in the sedimentary environment. Microbial remains as filamentous beads with regular circular shapes, vermiform structures, series of Fe-rich biomats, traces of embedded organic material besides trace metals and REE concentrations in Mn ores emphasize the role of microorganisms in Fe and Mn precipitation. Syngenetic mineralization took place under suboxic neutrophilic conditions, while diagenetic processes resulted in variably reduced Fe- and Mn-oxides via organic matter decomposition, forming rhodochrosite as the end product. Braunite formation occurred most probably as a biogeochemically mediated early diagenetic product. Diagenetic and epigenetic Mn ores were formed when primary Mn deposits underwent subsequent diagenetic and remobilization–redeposition events respectively.     

Immobilization of strontium during iron biomineralization coupled to dissimilatory hydrous ferric oxide reduction

The potential for incorporation of strontium (Sr) into biogenic Fe(II)-bearing minerals formed during microbial reduction of synthetic hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) was investigated in circumneutral bicarbonate-buffered medium containing SrCl₂ at concentrations of 10 μM, 100 μM, or 1.0 mM. CaCl₂ (10 mM) was added to some experiments to simulate a Ca-rich groundwater. In Ca-free systems, 89 to 100% of total Sr was captured in solid-phase compounds formed during reduction of 30 to 40 mmol Fe(III) L⁻¹ over a 1-month period. A smaller fraction of total Sr (25 to 34%) was incorporated into the solid phase in cultures amended with 10 mM CaCl₂. X-ray diffraction identified siderite and ferroan ankerite as major end products of HFO reduction in Ca-free and Ca-amended cultures, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy revealed the presence of Sr associated with carbonate phases. Selective extraction of HFO reduction end products indicated that 46 to 100% of the solid-phase Sr was associated with carbonates. The sequestration of Sr into carbonate phases in the Ca-free systems occurred systematically according to a heterogeneous (Doerner-Hoskins) partition coefficient (D_D-H) of 1.81 ± 0.15. This D_D-H value was 2 to 10 times higher than values determined for incorporation of Sr (10 μM) into FeCO₃(s) precipitated abiotically at rates comparable to or greater than rates observed during HFO reduction, and fivefold higher than theoretical partition coefficients for equilibrium Fe(Sr)CO₃ solid solution formation. Surface complexation and entrapment of Sr by rapidly growing siderite crystals (and possibly other biogenic Fe(II) solids) provides an explanation for the intensive scavenging of Sr in the Ca-free systems. The results of abiotic siderite precipitation experiments in the presence and absence of excess Ca indicate that substitution of Ca for Sr at foreign element incorporation sites (mass action effect) on growing FeCO₃(s) surfaces can account for the inhibition of Sr incorporation into the siderite component of ankerite formed in the Ca-amended HFO reduction experiments. Likewise, substitution of Fe(II) for Sr may explain the absence of major Sr partitioning into the calcite component of ankerite. The findings indicate that under appropriate conditions, sequestration of metals in siderite produced during bacterial Fe(III) oxide reduction may provide a mechanism for retarding the migration of Sr and other divalent metal contaminants in anaerobic, carbonate-rich sedimentary environments.     

Protracted diagenetic alteration of REE contents in fossil bioapatites: Direct evidence from Lu-Hf isotope systematics

Fossil bones and teeth are potentially important repository for geochemical proxy data and a target for radiometric dating. The concentration of many trace elements in bones and teeth increases by orders of magnitude after death and it is this diagenetic incorporation that forms the basis for several areas of geochemical study. The use of bones and teeth in this context relies on two assumptions: first, that target metal ions are incorporated rapidly after death, reflecting a known environmental signal, and second, that after early incorporation, the bone or tooth remains as an essentially closed system, resistant to later diagenetic change. A wide literature has developed exploring these assumptions, but relatively little direct evidence has been used to assess the long-term diagenetic stability of trace elements within bones and teeth. In this study, we use the Lu-Hf isotope system to show that bones and teeth of Cretaceous and Triassic age from both terrestrial and marine settings experience continued, long-term diagenetic change, most likely through gradual addition of trace elements. Modelling suggests that diagenetic addition after initial recrystallisation may account for >50% of the total REE content in the sampled bones, the extent depending on initial uptake conditions. Tooth enamel and enameloid may be more resistant to late diagenetic changes, but dentine is probably altered to the same extent as bone. These results have significant implications for the use of bones and teeth as hosts of chronological, palaeoceanographic, palaeoenvironmental and taphonomic information, particularly in Mesozoic and Palaeozoic contexts.     

Microbial control of mineral–groundwater equilibria:Macroscale to microscale

macroscale processes that perturb general groundwater chemistry and therefore mineral–water equilibria; and microscale interactions, where attached organisms locally perturb mineral–water equilibria, potentially releasing limiting trace nutrients from the dissolving mineral. In the contaminated unconfined glacio-fluvial aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, carbonate chemistry is influenced primarily at the macroscale. Under oxic conditions, respiration by native aerobic heterotrophs produces excess carbon dioxide that promotes calcite and dolomite dissolution. Aerobic microorganisms do not colonize dolomite surfaces and few occur on calcite. Within the anoxic groundwater, calcite overgrowths form on uncolonized calcite cleavage surfaces, possibly due to the consumption of acidity by dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria. As molecular oxygen concentration increases downgradient of the oil pool, aerobes again dominate and residual hydrocarbons and ferrous iron are oxidized, resulting in macroscale carbonate-mineral dissolution and iron precipitation. Feldspars, in contrast, weather exclusively at the microscale near attached microorganisms, principally in the anoxic region of the plume. Native organisms preferentially colonize feldspars that contain trace phosphorus as apatite inclusions, apparently as a consequence of the low P concentration in the groundwater. These feldspars weather rapidly, whereas nearby feldspars without trace P are uncolonized and unweathered. Feldspar dissolution is accompanied by the precipitation of secondary minerals, sometimes on the bacterial cell wall itself. These observations suggest a tightly linked biogeochemical system whereby microbial processes control mineral diagenesis at many scales of interaction, and the mineralogy and mineral chemistry influence microbial ecology. Only the macroscale interaction, however, is easily observable by standard geochemical methods, and documentation of the microscale interactions requires microscopic examination of microorganisms on mineral surfaces and the locally intense diagenetic reactions that result. Received, May 1999/Revised, October 1999/Accepted, October 1999     

Factors influencing the biogeochemistry of sedimentary carbon and phosphorus in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

This study characterizes organic carbon (C_organic) and phosphorus (P) geochemistry in surface sediments of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Sediment cores were collected from five sites on a sample transect from the edge of the San Francisco Bay eastward to the freshwater Consumnes River. The top 8 cm of each core were analyzed (in 1-cm intervals) for C_organic, four P fractions, and redox-sensitive trace metals (uranium and manganese). Sedimentary C_organic concentrations and C_organic: P ratios, decreased, while reactive P concentrations increased moving inland in the Delta. The fraction of total P represented by organic P increased inland, while that of authigenic P was higher bayward than inland reflecting increased diagenetic alteration of organic matter toward the bayward end of the transect. The redox indicator metals are consistent with decreasing sedimentary suboxia inland. The distribution of P fractions and C:P ratios, reflect the presence of relatively labile organic matter in upstream surface sediments. Sediment C and P geochemistry is influenced by site-specific particulate organic matter sources, the sorptive power of the sedimentary material present, physical forcing, and early diagenetic transformations presumably driven by C_organic oxidation.     

Deposition and early diagenesis of microbial mud in the Florida Everglades

Microbial carbonate mud in the modern (<4 kyr) palustrine environment of the Florida Everglades is surprisingly susceptible to early diagenetic alteration. The low‐Mg calcite crystals show an open, trellis‐like crystal structure that yields a high surface area to volume ratio. This textural complexity, likely to be a result of organic influence, leads to abundant reaction sites vulnerable to both dissolution and subsequent precipitation. Rapid degradation of organics is attributed to both aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms. Geochemical signatures suggest increased denitrification within the freshwater environment and increased sulphate reduction at the (slightly) brackish mangrove transition zone. A transition from a freshwater to brackish depositional environment is likely to follow the Holocene sea‐level transgression. The textural complexity in these microbial carbonates causes an unexpectedly low preservation potential of original textural and geochemical signatures, even in low‐Mg calcite. Given the potential for early diagenesis of palustrine and perhaps other microbial carbonates, they should be used cautiously as archives for palaeoenvironmental proxies.     

Origin of high manganese concentrations in coal mine drainage, eastern Tennessee

The origin of high dissolved manganese concentrations in slightly acidic mine runoff from a surface mine operated by the Cumberland Coal Company in eastern Tennessee was investigated. Mineralogical and chemical analyses were performed on 31 samples of sandstone, shale, coal, and mudstone from the mine to identify the sources and stratigraphic distribution of high extractable manganese contents in the spoil materials. The samples were analyzed for their bulk mineral content by X-ray diffraction, net acid-base potential, and reaction to 2 or 4 chemical extraction procedures. A limited number of samples were analyzed for petrographic characteristics, clay mineral composition by X-ray diffraction, and mineral compositions by electron microprobe. Analysis of the data and consideration of the geochemical conditions at the mine were used to identify probable sources for the high extractable manganese contents.The results indicate 2 prominent, independent sources of extractable manganese. The first source is exchangeable manganese on clay minerals (mainly illite + muscovite and chlorite) and is concentrated in shale and mudstone rock types. The second and more significant source is manganese in siderite concretions and cement, mainly in shale and mudstone. Comparison to other coal-bearing strata indicates that manganese-rich siderite is common in fresh- to brackish-water subaqueous sediments that overlie coal. This is especially the case for coals formed in wet, tropical environments.Ratios of manganese to calcium and magnesium in mine runoff suggest that manganese from siderite is the major cause of the high dissolved manganese contents. A conceptual model is developed to explain the high manganese contents of the mine runoff. Oxidation of pyrite creates mildly acidic waters that are subsequently partially neutralized by reaction with impure siderite. Solubilized manganese remains dissolved in the slightly acidic runoff water, whereas dissolved iron precipitates as ferric hydroxide or goethite. Consideration of data from other coal mining regions suggests that similar reactions involving impure siderite may be responsible for high manganese concentrations in acidic to slightly acidic mine runoff. Geochemical reaction path modeling of pyrite and impure siderite with rainwater illustrate how resulting water compositions may vary depending on pyrite to siderite ratios in spoil materials. Spoil water compositions from the Cumberland mine are largely consistent with reaction of pyrite and impure siderite in proportions observed in the sediments; however, deviations may be explained by minor mixing with waters that reacted only with impure siderite or clay mineral exchange reactions.     

Origin and diagenetic evolution of Ca–Mg–Fe carbonates in some coalfields of Japan

Carbonate concretions, lenses and bands in the Pleistocene, Palaeogene and Upper Triassic coalfields of Japan consist of various carbonate minerals with varied chemical compositions. Authigenic carbonates in freshwater sediments are siderite > calcite > ankerite > dolomite >> ferroan magnesite; in brackish water to marine sediments in the coal measures, calcite > dolomite > ankerite > siderite >> ferroan magnesite; and in the overlying marine deposits, calcite > dolomite >> siderite. Most carbonates were formed progressively during burial within a range of depths between the sediment-water interface and approximately 3 km. The mineral species and the chemical composition of the carbonates are controlled primarily by the initial sedimentary facies of the host sediments and secondarily by the diagenetic evolution of pore water during burial. Based on the regular sequence and burial depth of precipitation of authigenic carbonates in a specific sedimentary facies, three diagenetic stages of carbonates are proposed. Carbonates formed during Stage I (< 500 m) strongly reflect the initial sedimentary facies, e.g. low Ca-Mg siderite in freshwater sediments which are initially rich in iron derived from lateritic soil on the nearby landmass, and Mg calcite and dolomite in brackish-marine sediments whose pore waters abound in Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ originating in seawater and calcareous shells. Carbonates formed during Stage II (500–2000 m) include high Ca-Mg siderite, ankerite, Fe dolomite and Fe–Mg calcite in freshwater sediments. The assemblage of Stage II carbonates in brackish-marine sediments in the coal measures is similar to that in freshwater sediments. This suggests similar diagenetic environments owing to an effective migration and mixing of pore water due to the compaction of host sediments. Carbonates formed during Stage III (> 2000 m) are Fe calcite and extremely high Ca-Mg siderite; the latter is exclusively in marine mudstones. The supply of Ca is partly from the alteration of silicates in the sediments at elevated burial temperatures. After uplift, calcite with low Mg content precipitates from percolating groundwater and fills extensional cracks.     

Origin of giant stratabound deposits of magnesite and siderite in Riphean carbonate rocks of the Bashkir mega-anticline, western Urals

In the Bashkir mega-anticline (western Urals) stratabound magnesite, siderite, fluorite and base-metal deposits are hosted by a sequence of Riphean sediments with a thickness of more than 12 km. The giant deposits of siderite (Bakal) and sparry magnesite (Satka) belong to the largest known mineral deposits of this type on Earth but are still disputed with respect to their origin. Both the Fe- and Mg-carbonate ores are clearly characterized by mimetic preservation of sedimentary and diagenetic textures of the host carbonate sediments, giving evidence of epigenetic metasomatic replacement. In the stratiform magnesite deposits of Satka, O- and C-isotopes, REE pattern and the lithostratigraphic position of the ore, point to the reflux of early diagenetic Mg-rich brines being responsible for the selective replacement of brecciated dolomite. The Bakal siderite deposits are hosted by Lower Riphean carbonate rocks and are controlled by a Lower to Middle Riphean unconformity marked by deep erosion and subsequent transgression-related sedimentation of coarse clastics. Their independence of carbonate lithofacies and their trace element distribution are indicative of metasomatic processes. Fe-bearing fluids have probably been generated by low-grade metamorphic (catagenetic) devolatization from underlying argillites, causing the metasomatic formation of large siderite ore bodies in the Bakal carbonates due to the focusing of the fluid flow by the overlying Mid-Riphean coarse clastics.     

Chemical criteria to identify the depositional environment of chert: general principles and applications

Many chert sequences are located at key stratigraphic intervals or in structurally allochthonous packages, and because such sequences provide critical information regarding the formation of sedimentary basins and tectonic orogens it is important to determine precisely their original depositional position. Chemical methods of delineating environments are becoming increasingly sophisticated and useful, in part because even slight post-depositional recrystallization may obscure primary rock textures. Most chemical criteria have developed only on a case-by-case and local basis, however, with limited broad applicability. Here I synthesize major, trace, and rare earth element (REE) data in bulk chert from 49 sequences from continental margin, pelagic, and ridge-proximal environments, ranging in age from Early Paleozoic to Neogene, and develop a set of depositional chemical criteria applicable to cherts regardless of age, diagenetic history, or tectonic region. The criteria allow for analytical limitations and diagenetic modifications (precluding use of Si, Ca, Mn, Mg, P, Sr, and Ba, and other elements) intrinsic to chert chemistry. Major element ratios, capitalizing on the affiliations of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ to terrigenous matter and of Fe₂O₃ to metalliferous input, can distinguish continental margin from ridge-proximal sedimentation, but cannot uniquely identify pelagic deposition. Trace element data are too few to interpret rigorously, with substantial overlap occurring between depositional regimes. REE ratios (i.e., La_n/ Ce_n) allow the best resolution of all three depositional regimes and are independent of diagenetic modification. I present new diagrams illustrating the chemical depositional criteria, and apply them to several sequences described in the literature that have historically yielded problematic genetic interpretations.     

滇黔桂典型锰矿床矿相学特征及其对成矿过程的指示

滇黔桂地区代表性锰矿包括贵州松桃大塘坡锰矿、广西大新下雷锰矿、遵义铜锣井锰矿和云南砚山斗南锰矿.本文利用显微镜、X衍射仪、扫描电镜等仪器,通过研究滇黔桂地区典型锰矿矿相学特征,结合碳酸盐岩研究方法,查明产于南华系大塘坡组第一段(Nh1d1)贵州松桃大塘坡锰矿矿物组合包括菱锰矿、钙菱锰矿、锰白云石、锰方解石、石英、伊利石,微相为SMF2、沉积相FZ1(盆地相),形成于沉积环境伸展阶段;产于上泥盆统五指山组(D3w)广西大新下雷锰矿矿物组合包括褐锰矿、锰钾矿、菱锰矿、钙菱锰矿、蔷薇辉石、透闪石、石英,微相为SMF2和SMF15-M、沉积相FZ7(台地相),形成于沉积环境伸展阶段;产于中二叠统茅口组第二段(P2m2)遵义铜锣井锰矿矿物组合包括菱锰矿、钙菱锰矿、锰方解石、锰白云石、硫锰矿、黄铁矿、闪锌矿、高岭石、伊利石、菱铁矿,微相为SMF15-C和SMF17、沉积相FZ7(台地相),形成于沉积环境收缩阶段;产于中三叠统法郎组(T2f)其矿物成分包括云南砚山斗南锰矿矿物组合包括褐锰矿、水锰矿、钙菱锰矿、含锰方解石、方解石、石英,微相为SMF4和SMF13、沉积相FZ4(斜坡相),形成于沉积环境伸展阶段.     

Rinded iron‐oxide concretions: hallmarks of altered siderite masses of both early and late diagenetic origin

Iron‐bearing concretions are valuable records of oxidation states of subsurface waters, but the first concretions to form can be altered drastically during later diagenetic events. Distinctive concretions composed of heavy rinds of iron oxide that surround iron‐poor, mud‐rich cores are common along bases of fluvial cross‐bed sets of the Cretaceous Dakota Formation, Nebraska, USA. Concretion rinds thicken inward and cores contain 46 to 89% void space. Millimetre‐scale spherosiderites are abundant in palaeosols that developed in floodplain facies. Evolution of rinded concretions began when intraformational clasts were eroded from sideritic soils, transported, abraded and deposited in river channels. Alteration of siderite and formation of rinds occurred much later, perhaps in the Quaternary when sandstone pore waters became oxic. Dakota concretions are analogous to ‘rattlestones’ in Pleistocene fluvial channels of The Netherlands, and their rinded structure is analogous to that of iron‐rich concretions in the aeolian Navajo Sandstone of Utah. In all three deposits, rinded concretions formed when pre‐existing, siderite‐cemented concretions were oxidized within a sand matrix. Unlike fluvial examples, siderite in the Navajo Sandstone was autochthonous and of late diagenetic origin, having precipitated from carbon dioxide and methane‐enriched waters moving through folded and jointed strata. Iron‐rich rinds formed in all these strata because concretion interiors remained anaerobic, even as oxygen accumulated in the pore waters of their surrounding, permeable matrix. Iron oxide first precipitated at redox boundaries at concretion perimeters and formed an inward‐thickening rind. Acid generated by the oxidation reaction drove siderite dissolution to completion, creating the iron‐poor core. Iron‐oxide rinds are indicators of the former presence of siderite, a mineral that forms only under reducing conditions, during either early or late diagenesis. Siderite is vulnerable to complete oxidation upon exposure, so the distinctive rinded concretions are valuable clues that aid in deciphering diagenetic histories and for recognizing methanic floodplain palaeoenvironments and wet palaeoclimate.     

Authigenic mineralogy, depositional environments and evolution of fault-bounded lakes of the Yunnan Plateau, south-western China

The Dianchi, Erhai and Fuxian lakes lie in faulted basins in a subtropical humid region of the Yunnan Plateau, China. Three groups of authigenic minerals have been recognized in their recent sediments - carbonate minerals, Fe-bearing minerals and silica minerals. The main authigenic minerals are goethite, calcite, aragonite, siderite and quartzine. Goethite is chemically precipitated from a colloidal suspension. Calcite is a widespread chemical precipitate that is present in deep parts of the lakes and in shallow areas associated with aquatic macrophytes. Aragonite is mainly biochemical in origin, and commonly associated with shallow benthos. Siderite forms in reducing environments, associated with pore waters with a high P_CO2 that resulted from microbial degradation of organic matter. It forms mainly in deep-water environments. Quartzine, which occurs mainly in delta front and prodeltaic sites, forms from diatom dissolution and dissolved silica introduced by streams. Six authigenic mineral associations are recognized, each of which can be related to depositional setting within the lake and the stage of lake development. The same associations can also be recognized in a 480-m-long core recovered from Dianchi Lake. Strong reducing environments and migrating pore fluids with high P_CO2 have led to the early diagenetic alteration of some of the initial authigenic minerals. Using the mineral associations from the modern lakes, the Pliocene to Recent history of Dianchi Lake has been interpreted, and is in general agreement with palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based upon palaeontological and other evidence.     

论“太湖冲击坑溅射物”——来自太湖现代沉积物中铁质结核的证据

针对太湖发现由菱铁矿组成的“铁质溅射物”和“贫铁溅射物”是太湖形成于陨石冲击的观点,本文对这些实为铁
质结核样品进行了详细的矿物学、地球化学和年代学测试。数据表明,这些样品是在太湖现代沉积淤泥层中形成的菱铁矿
和褐铁矿结核。结核中含有大量水生植物碎片、植物蛋白石、细菌和少量动物壳体碎片。菱铁矿高温灼烧后全部变成赤铁
矿,说明太湖地区不存在菱铁矿熔融状的高温相。菱铁矿14C测年结果表明各个样品形成于年代,不是瞬间形成的。δ13C 数
据指示为淡水无机碳来源,并非湖区碳酸盐岩直接来源。所谓的“贫铁溅射物”实际是黄土层的成岩钙结核。这些证据表明,
太湖发现的这些结核是沉积成岩期的产物,并非冲击高温溅射熔融形成的溅射物。