Oolitic iron formations in Northern Australia

Summary Recent exploration in northern Australia has discovered three shallow water oolitic iron formations, one of Permian age, and two of Upper Proterozoic age. The Permian formation resembles the oxidized oolitic chamositic formations of south-eastern England, but contains more detrital quartz and felspar.The two Precambrian iron formations, consist, below the zone of weathering, of oolites of hematite and of a chamosite-like substance, in a siderite cement, together with well-rounded quartz grains, and are interlayered with sandstones with a chamosite-like cement. Within the zone of weathering the siderite and chamosite are more or less completely replaced by quartz, but with preservation in detail of original textures.Published by permission of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).     

Rock composition and origin of the Duwi Formation calcareous rocks, Upper Egypt

Upper Cretaceous phosphorite beds of the Duwi Formation, Upper Egypt, are intercalated with limestone, sandy limestone, marl, calcareous shales, and calcareous sandstone. Calcareous intercalations were subjected to field and detailed petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical investigations in order to constrain their rock composition and origin. Mineralogically, dolomite, calcite, quartz, francolite and feldspars are the non-clay minerals. Smectite, kaolinite and illite represent the clay minerals. Major and trace elements can be classified as the detrital and carbonate fractions based on their sources. The detrital fraction includes the elements that are derived from detrital sources, mainly clay minerals and quartz, such as Si, Al, Fe, Ti, K, Ba, V, Ni, Co, Cr, Zn, Cu, Zr, and Mo. The carbonate fraction includes the elements that are derived from carbonates, maily calcite and dolomite, such as Ca, Mg and Sr. Dolomite occurs as being dense, uniform, mosaic, very fine-to-fine, non-ferroan, and non-stoichiometrical, suggesting its early diagenetic formation in a near-shore oxidizing shallow marine environment. The close association and positive correlation between dolomite and smectite indicates the role of clay minerals in the formation of dolomite as a source of Mg^2＋ -rich solutions. Calcareous rocks were deposited in marine, oxidizing and weakly alkaline conditions, marking a semi-arid climatic period. The calcareous/argillaceous alternations are due to oscillations in clay/carbonate ratio.     

宣龙铁矿铁质鲕粒的显微结构及成因

宣龙铁矿的铁质鲕粒由各种不同的核心和微层状外壳组成。核心的组分主要是石英砂粒、赤铁矿内碎屑和凝块以及粒状菱铁矿等。外壳的纹层分别由显微结构不同的板状、片状、均匀和不均匀粒状泥晶赤铁矿以及少量菱铁矿组成。其中板伏、片状、均匀粒状赤铁矿和菱铁矿主要是以化学或生物化学方式在核心表层逐层沉积结果;不等粒状赤铁矿微层则是鲕粒滚动中对铁质颗粒粘附而成。菌藻类生长繁殖改变沉积环境的物化性质,对铁质沉积起着重要作用。     

Microstructure and microchemistry of iron ooliths

Samples of iron ooliths from Israel, Lorraine, Scotland and chamosite pellets from Loch Etive, Scotland were examined by scanning electron microscope and Electron probe x-ray microanalyzer. The ultrastructure of the samples examined consists of three main elements: flakes, platelets and subspherical nanograins. The flakes are the most abundant element, more or less parallel to each other and tangential to the oolith. They are believed to represent polycristalline aggregates of goethite or chamosite. Microchemical variation of Fe, Al and Si, confirm the presence of clay minerals, allumogoethite and amorphous silica in goethite ooliths, the later tentatively equated to the subspherical nanograins. Ti crystals are present in all ooliths, calcite crystals in chamosite ooliths and pellets. The recent chamosite pellets from Loch Etive are chemically less homogenous than the ancient ooliths.     

Petrology and genesis of Upper Carboniferous seams from the Ruhr region,West Germany

The petrology of 21 seam profiles of Upper Carboniferous age (Westphalian C and B) has been studied in order to determine their depositional environments and diagenetic history. The youngest profile was drilled at a depth of 790 m and is mainly overlain by Cretaceous sediments. The oldest seam was reached at a depth of 1470 m. The seam thicknesses vary from 0.4 to 2.5 m.The main petrographic compounds are vitrinite, intertinite, liptinite, and minerals. The last group occurs as clay bands with illite, kaolinite, minor chlorite, and minor quartz contents, or as crack- or pore-filling calcite, Fe-dolomite, siderite, pyrite, or marcasite, or as syngenetic siderite concretions and pyrite crystals. The percentages of the different macerals and minerals vary mainly because of different depositional environments. Diagenetic loss or genesis of compounds is a less important factor in their distribution.Three types of profiles are distinguished by their different petrologies. Type I is most abundant, and contains much vitrinite, many clay bands, and syngenetic iron sulfides, whereas type III is rich in inertinite and certain characteristic spores. Type II is intermediate but generally contains only low percentages of minerals. Generally, this type is vitrinite-rich in the lower, and inertinite-rich in the central and upper parts of the profiles. Spores and other liptinites are much better preserved in all the seams than in clay partings or in siltstones and sandstones above and below the seams.The seams are interpreted to be former autochthonous peats. Type I profiles are probably derived from swamps which were sometimes inundated and covered by overbank deposits. Type II and III seams represent former peats which were not inundated by rivers, and partly grew under the influence of more oxidizing conditions. Therefore, they contain more inertinite and less sulfide and clay bands. They can be interpreted as former raised bogs.Diagenetic changes are expressed as increases of vitrinite reflectances (from 0.65% to 1.0%), and of liptinite reflectances; a red shift of fluorescence of liptinites was found; increasing amounts of exudatinite (and micrinite) and decreasing amounts of fluorinite and resinite were found. Minerals seem to be less affected by diagenesis; illite crystallinity, for example, remains poor.     

Lower Ordovician iron ooids and associated oolitic clays in Russia and Estonia: a clue to the origin of iron oolites?

On the Baltic platform a lower Llanvirn (Ordovician) iron oolite can be traced for a distance of 1200 km from Norway to the east of Lake Ladoga in Russia. This oolite is usually thin (seldom exceeding 0.5 m) and is dominated by goethite (limonite) type ooids. The easternmost part of the oolite, from Tallinn to Ladoga, is examined here. The oolitic limestone is intercalated with oolitic clay beds. The mineralogical, chemical and isotopic composition and other indicators point to volcanic ash being the source for the clay. Similarities in REE distribution patterns and immobile element contents between ooids and the oolitic clay suggest that the ooids were also formed from volcanic ash.     

东濮盆地沉积岩的穆斯堡尔谱学研究

东濮盆地四口井的25个沉积岩样品的穆斯堡尔谱学研究结果表明,沉积岩样品中的主要含铁矿物相为黄铁矿、粘土矿物以及一些碳酸盐矿物。沉积岩中黄铁矿铁的相对含量与Pr/Ph和CPI之间存在着负相关关系,表明穆斯堡尔谱学方法所确定的黄铁矿铁的相对含量可以作为沉积岩形成时古环境分析的一项可靠指标。此外,东濮盆地铁白云石主要分布在一定深度范围之内,本文讨论了铁白云石的分布与沉积岩有机质成熟度之间的对应关系。     

Elemental concentrations and their distribution in two bituminous coals of different paleoenvironments

The vertical distributions of major and minor elements in two high-volatile bituminous coals of Eastern Tennessee are compared. The coals studied are the Pewee, deposited in a fresh-water environment, and the Upper Grassy Spring, previously thought to be influenced by a late incursion of marine water.X-ray fluorescence analyses were performed on a continuous series of specimens obtained from full-face channel samples representing the entire thickness of each seam. Correlation coefficients (r) for all element pairs show high positive correlations for element pairs normally associated with clay minerals. Equally good correlations were observed for (Si, Ti) and (Al, Ti), suggesting that titanium is associated with clay minerals in both coals. Strontium and phosphorous showed a high positive r factor for both the Upper Grassy Spring and the Pewee.Major differences were found to exist in the concentrations and distributions of sulfur, iron, and arsenic in the Upper Grassy Spring and Pewee seams. The Upper Grassy Spring contains an order of magnitude more sulfur than the Pewee as well as several times as much iron and arsenic. The element concentrations and especially their distributions in the Upper Grassy Spring suggest an earlier time for the marine incursion than previously reported. In fact, there is evidence that this coal deposit may have been influenced by marine conditions from its inception.     

Zircons of Granitoids of the Yamal Peninsula Basement: Age and Composition of Inclusions

The zircons in granitoids from the basement of the Verkhnerechenskii oil exploration area (Yamal Peninsula, West Siberia) were studied. The U–Pb age of zircons was evaluated as 254.0 ± 3.0 Ma. It was found that the inclusions in zircons are represented by various minerals: fluorapatite, titanite, monazite-(Ce), albite, quartz, chamosite, and calcite. Most likely, the latter two minerals were formed separately from zircon but belonged to later secondary minerals (the rock propylitization products). In general, the accessory zircons and inclusions belonged to the “granite” association and crystallized synchronously in the Upper Permian.     

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.     

The crystallographic fabric and texture of siderite in concretions: implications for siderite nucleation and growth processes

The crystallographic fabric of siderite in siderite concretions has been determined for upper Carboniferous (Westphalian‐A) non‐marine concretions and lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian) marine concretions. Compositional zoning indicates that individual siderite crystals grew over a period of changing pore water chemistry, consistent with the concretions being initially a diffuse patch of cement, which grew progressively. The siderite crystallographic fabric was analysed using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, which is carried by paramagnetic siderite. The siderite concretions from marine and non‐marine formations exhibit differences in fabric style, although both display increases in the degree of preferred siderite c‐axis orientation towards the concretion margins. The Westphalian non‐marine siderites show a preferred orientation of siderite c‐axes in the bedding plane, whereas the Pliensbachian marine siderites have a preferred orientation of c‐axes perpendicular to the bedding. In addition, a single marine concretion shows evidence of earlier formed, inclined girdle‐type fabrics, which are intergrown with later formed vertical c‐axis siderite fabrics. The marine and non‐marine fabrics are both apparently controlled by substrate processes at the site of nucleation, which was probably clay mineral surfaces. Siderite nucleation processes on the substrate were most probably controlled by the (bio?) chemistry of the pore waters, which altered the morphology and crystallographic orientation of the forming carbonate. The preferred crystallographic orientation of siderite results from the orientation of the nucleation substrate. Fabric changes across the concretions partially mimic the progressive compaction‐induced alignment of the clay substrates, while the concretion grew during burial.     

Iron Speciation of Mud Breccia from the Dushanzi Mud Volcano in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, NW China

Organic-inorganic interactions occurring in petroleum-related mud volcanoes can help predict the chemical processes that are responsible for methane emissions to the atmosphere. Seven samples of mud breccia directly ejected from one crater were collected in the Dushanzi mud volcano, along with one argillite sample of the original reddish host rocks distal from the crater, for comparison purposes. The mineral and chemical compositions as well as iron species of all samples were determined using XRD, XRF and M?ssbauer spectroscopy, respectively. The results indicate that a series of marked reactions occurred in the mud volcano systems, more specifically in the mud breccia when compared to the original rocks. Changes mainly included: (1) some conversion of clay minerals from smectite into chlorite and illite, and the precipitation of secondary carbonate minerals such as calcite and siderite; (2) silicon depletion and significant elemental enrichment of iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus; and (3) transformation of iron from ferric species in hematite and smectite into ferrous species in siderite, chlorite and illite. These geochemical reactions likely induced the color changes of the original reddish Neogene argillite to the gray or black mud breccia, as a result of reduction of elements and/or alteration of minerals associated with the oxidation of hydrocarbons. Our results also suggest that greenhouse gases emitted from the mud volcanoes are lowered through a series of methane oxidation reactions and carbon fixation (i.e., through carbonate precipitation).     

The distribution of hydrocarbon minerals in the Welsh borderlands and adjacent areas

Solid hydrocarbon minerals occur in small quantities in the Lower Palaeozoic Welsh Basin, where Ordovician igneous intrusions mobilized them from local organic-rich source rocks. Hydrocarbon minerals are widespread in the Wenlockian and Carboniferous Limestones, and at least in the Carboniferous Limestone they show a close and probably genetic relationship with lead-zinc mineralization. The association of hydrocarbon minerals with lead-zinc-copper ores in Ordovician and Longmydian rocks' in the West Shropshire mining region is however largely coincidental. The hydrocarbon minerals in that region are residual from Carboniferous reservoir hydrocarbons. Reservoir hydrocarbon minerals in a breccia at Row Brook include crystallites of iron sulphides and manganese oxides. Hydrocarbon minerals in siderite nodules in the Coal Measures are spatially related to metal sulphides.     

鞍本地区大孤山条带状铁建造含铁矿物和相分带特征及形成环境分析

鞍山-本溪条带状铁建造(Banded Iron Formation,简称BIF)位于华北克拉通东北缘,是世界上典型BIF之一,也是我国最重要的铁矿资源基地。大孤山位于鞍山地区南部矿带,为新太古代典型的Algoma型BIF,与华北克拉通其它大多数BIF相比,具有较低变质程度(绿片岩相-低角闪岩相)和较完整的沉积相分布特征。因此,通过大孤山BIF的研究有利于追踪Algoma型BIF的原生矿物组成及其后期成岩-变质过程,进而通过分析原生矿物形成的物理化学条件探讨古海洋环境。依据原生矿物共生组合及产出特征,可将大孤山BIF沉积相划分为氧化物相(30%)、硅酸盐相(50%)和碳酸盐相(20%)。氧化物相主要分布于主矿体南部,主要矿物组成为磁铁矿和石英;硅酸盐相分布于主矿体中部,主要矿物组成除了石英和磁铁矿之外,还有黑硬绿泥石、绿泥石、镁铁闪石等;碳酸盐相分布于矿体北部,主要矿物组成为菱铁矿、磁铁矿和石英等。本文通过大孤山BIF岩相学观察和含铁矿物化学成分研究,推测原生沉积物的组成为无定形硅胶、三价铁氢氧化物和富铝粘土碎屑,在经历了成岩和低级变质作用后转变为具不同相带的条带状铁建造。通过分析磁铁矿、菱铁矿和黑硬绿泥石等矿物在不同P_(O_2)-P_(CO_2)和pH-Eh条件下的共生相图可知,这些矿物均是在较低氧逸度、中到弱碱性环境下形成。综合考虑矿物成分、共生组合及受变质作用较弱等信息,本文推测制约原生矿物形成的控制因素主要是古海水氧化还原状态、酸碱度、CO_2含量和硫逸度。     

Erratum to “The Albian-Cenomanian boundary at Eggardon Hill, Dorset (England): An anomaly resolved?” [Proc. Geol. Assoc. 120 (2009) 108-120]

Re-examination of the classic exposures of the Eggardon Grit (topmost Upper Greensand Formation) at Eggardon Hill, Dorset shows that the upper part of this unit has a more complex stratigraphy than has been previously recognised. The Eggardon Grit Member, as described herein, is capped by a hardground and associated conglomerate, and is entirely of Late Albian age. The hardground is probably the lateral equivalent of the Small Cove Hardground, which marks the top of the Upper Greensand succession in southeast Devon. The conglomerate is overlain by a thin sandy limestone containing Early Cenomanian ammonites. This limestone is almost certainly the horizon of the Early Cenomanian ammonite fauna that has previously been attributed to the top of the Eggardon Grit. The limestone is regarded as a thin lateral equivalent of the Beer Head Limestone Formation (formerly Cenomanian Limestone) exposed on the southeast Devon coast. The fauna of the limestone at Eggardon suggests that it is probably the age equivalent to the two lowest subdivisions of the Beer Head Limestone in southeast Devon, with a remanié fauna of the Pounds Pool Sandy Limestone Member combined with indigenous macrofossils of the Hooken Nodular Limestone Member. The next highest subdivision of the Beer Head Limestone in southeast Devon (Little Beach Bioclastic Limestone Member), equates with the ammonite-rich phosphatic conglomerate of the ‘Chalk Basement Bed’, which caps the Beer Head Limestone at Eggardon, and which was previously regarded as the base of the Chalk Group on Eggardon Hill.Petrographic analysis of the Eggardon Grit shows that lithologically it should more correctly be described as a sandy limestone rather than sandstone. The original stratigraphical definition of the unit should probably be modified to exclude the softer, nodular calcareous sandstones that have traditionally been included in the lower part of the member.Without the apparently clear evidence of unbroken sedimentation across the Albian-Cenomanian boundary, suggested by the previous interpretation of the Eggardon succession, it is harder to argue for this being a prevalent feature of Upper Greensand stratigraphy in southwest England. Correlation of the Eggardon succession with successions in Dorset and southeast Devon reveals a widespread regional break in sedimentation at the Albian-Cenomanian boundary. The sand-rich facies above this unconformity represent the true base of the Chalk Group, rather than the ‘Chalk Basement Bed’ of previous interpretations.Selected elements of regionally important Upper Greensand ammonite faunas previously reported from Shapwick Quarry, near Lyme Regis, and Babcombe Copse, near Newton Abbot, are newly figured herein.     

Cation exchanged Fe(II) and Sr compared to other divalent cations (Ca, Mg) in the bure Callovian–Oxfordian formation: Implications for porewater composition modelling

Iron and Sr bearing phases were thoroughly investigated by means of spectrometric and microscopic techniques in Callovian–Oxfordian (COX) samples originating from the ANDRA Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Bure (France). Strontium was found to be essentially associated with celestite, whereas Fe was found to be distributed over a wide range of mineral phases. Iron was mainly present as Fe(II) in the studied samples (∼93% from Mössbauer results). Most of the Fe(II) was found to be in pyrite, sideroplesite/ankerite and clay minerals. Iron(III), if present, was associated with clay minerals (probably illite, illite-smectite mixed layer minerals and chlorite). No Fe(III) oxy(hydro)xide could be detected in the samples. Strontianite was not observed either. Based on these observations, it is likely that the COX porewater is in equilibrium with the following carbonate minerals, calcite, dolomite and ankerite/sideroplesite, but not with strontianite. It is shown that this equilibrium information can be combined with clay cation exchange composition information in order to give direct estimates or constraints on the solubility products of the carbonate minerals dolomite, siderite and strontianite. As a consequence, an experimental method was developed to retrieve the cation exchanged Fe(II) in very well preserved COX samples.     

Ferromanganese carbonate metasediments of the Sob area,Polar Urals: Bedding conditions,composition, and genesis

The paper presents the results of study of ferromanganese carbonate rocks in the Sob area (Polar Urals), which is located between the Rai-Iz massif and the Seida–Labytnangi Railway branch. These rocks represent low-metamorphosed sedimentary rocks confined to the Devonian carbonaceous siliceous and clayey–siliceous shales. In terms of ratio of the major minerals, ferromanganese rocks can be divided into three varieties composed of the following minerals: (1) siderite, rhodochrosite, chamosite, quartz, ± kutnahorite, ± calcite, ± magnetite, ± pyrite, ± clinochlore, ± stilpnomelane; (2) spessartite, rhodochrosite, and quartz, ± hematite, ± chamosite; (3) rhodochrosite, spessartite, pyroxmanite, quartz ± tephroite, ± fridelite, ± clinochlore, ± pyrophanite, ± pyrite. In all varieties, the major concentrators of Mn and Fe are carbonates (rhodochrosite, siderite, kutnahorite, Mn-calcite) and chlorite group minerals (clinochlore, chamosite). The chemical composition of rocks is dominated by Si, Fe, Mn, carbon dioxide, and water (L.O.I.): total SiO₂ + Fe₂O ₃ ^tot + MnO + L.O.I. = 85.6?98.4 wt %. The content of Fe and Mn varies from 9.3 to 55.6 wt % (Fe₂O ₃ ^tot + MnO). The Mn/Fe ratio varies from 0.2 to 55.3. In terms of the aluminum module Al_M = Al/(Al + Mn + Fe), the major portion of studied samples corresponds to metalliferous sediments. The δ¹³C_carb range (–30.4 to–11.9‰ PDB) corresponds to authigenic carbonates formed with carbon dioxide released during the microbial oxidation of organic matter in sediments at the dia- and/or catagenetic stage. Ferromanganese sediments were likely deposited in relatively closed seafloor zones (basin-traps) characterized by periodic stagnation. Fe and Mn could be delivered from various sources: input by diverse hydrothermal solutions, silt waters in the course of diagenesis, river discharges, and others. The diagenetic delivery of metals seems to be most plausible. Mn was concentrated during the stagnation of bottom water in basin-traps. Interruption of stagnation promoted the precipitation of Mn. The presence of organic matter fostered a reductive pattern of postsedimentary transformations of metalliferous sediments. Fe and Mn were accumulated initially in the oxide form. During the diagenesis, manganese and iron oxides reacted with organic matter to make up carbonates. Relative to manganese carbonates, iron carbonates were formed under more reductive settings and higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the interstitial solution. Crystallization of manganese and iron silicates began already at early stages of lithogenesis and ended during the regional metamorphism of metalliferous sediments.     

富含微生物体系内温压条件对自生碳酸盐岩和铁硫化物形成的影响

甲烷渗漏区沉积层中存在的大量自生碳酸盐岩和铁硫化物,是指示天然气水合物存在的标志。但对其形成条件的实验研究还不多见。利用自主研发的模拟装置,首次在富含甲烷氧化菌和硫酸盐还原菌的微生物系统内,通过水化学分析方法,探讨不同温度和压力下水化学组分的变化;通过扫描电镜和能谱分析方法,确定自生碳酸盐和铁硫化物的形态和种类,研究它们在不同温压条件下的形成规律。结果表明:5℃,8℃和10℃实验中,pH保持在6.5~7.4之间,ORP稳定在-100.0 mV附近,HCO₃-浓度为202.55~639.93 mg/L。2.5 MPa,5.0 MPa和7.5 MPa实验中,pH在6.1~7.2之间,ORP稳定在-100.0~-50.0 mV之间,HCO₃-浓度为324.08~789.95 mg/L。温度和压力通过影响微生物代谢产生S2-和HCO₃-、离子结合两个过程,最终控制矿物的形成。碳酸钙、菱铁矿和铁硫化物在各实验中都有生成。温度升高:HCO₃-浓度变化范围变小,S2-浓度增加,氧化还原电位减小;碳酸钙形成较少;菱铁矿随温度升高而增加,铁硫化物形成随S2-浓度增加而变广,表明温度升高促进铁硫化物和菱铁矿的形成。压力增加:S2-生成量增加,ORP（氧化还原电位）变得更小;形成的铁硫化物颗粒越大且形态更好;生成的碳酸钙变少,可能受到S2-浓度的影响。这些实验结果对于研究全球海洋中碳和硫的存储及循环、自生矿物的形成机理等都具有重要意义。     

The Albian–Cenomanian boundary at Eggardon Hill,Dorset (England): an anomaly resolved?

Re-examination of the classic exposures of the Eggardon Grit (topmost Upper Greensand Formation) at Eggardon Hill, Dorset shows that the upper part of this unit has a more complex stratigraphy than has been previously recognised. The Eggardon Grit Member, as described herein, is capped by a hardground and associated conglomerate, and is entirely of Late Albian age. The hardground is probably the lateral equivalent of the Small Cove Hardground, which marks the top of the Upper Greensand succession in southeast Devon. The conglomerate is overlain by a thin sandy limestone containing Early Cenomanian ammonites. This limestone is almost certainly the horizon of the Early Cenomanian ammonite fauna that has previously been attributed to the top of the Eggardon Grit. The limestone is regarded as a thin lateral equivalent of the Beer Head Limestone Formation (formerly Cenomanian Limestone) exposed on the southeast Devon coast. The fauna of the limestone at Eggardon suggests that it is probably the age equivalent to the two lowest subdivisions of the Beer Head Limestone in southeast Devon, with a remanié fauna of the Pounds Pool Sandy Limestone Member combined with indigenous macrofossils of the Hooken Nodular Limestone Member. The next highest subdivision of the Beer Head Limestone in southeast Devon (Little Beach Bioclastic Limestone Member), equates with the ammonite-rich phosphatic conglomerate of the ‘Chalk Basement Bed’, which caps the Beer Head Limestone at Eggardon, and which was previously regarded as the base of the Chalk Group on Eggardon Hill.Petrographic analysis of the Eggardon Grit shows that lithologically it should more correctly be described as a sandy limestone rather than sandstone. The original stratigraphical definition of the unit should probably be modified to exclude the softer, nodular calcareous sandstones that have traditionally been included in the lower part of the member.Without the apparently clear evidence of unbroken sedimentation across the Albian–Cenomanian boundary, suggested by the previous interpretation of the Eggardon succession, it is harder to argue for this being a prevalent feature of Upper Greensand stratigraphy in southwest England. Correlation of the Eggardon succession with successions in Dorset and southeast Devon reveals a widespread regional break in sedimentation at the Albian–Cenomanian boundary. The sand-rich facies above this unconformity represent the true base of the Chalk Group, rather than the ‘Chalk Basement Bed’ of previous interpretations.Selected elements of regionally important Upper Greensand ammonite faunas previously reported from Shapwick Quarry, near Lyme Regis, and Babcombe Copse, near Newton Abbot, are newly figured herein.