太平洋中国开辟区锰结核生物成因研究

本文对叠层石（微小叠层石与奇异叠层石）及其建造者（中华微放线菌与太平洋螺球孢菌）在结核中显示的规律性特征,叠层石纹层与超微生物生长,主要锰矿物及Fe、Mn元素与叠层石类型之间关系以及超微生物直接成矿等作了深入研究。结果表明：锰结核中叠层石柱体一般都显示出纹层、纹层组与纹层带3个级别的生长韵律,明层菌丝体密集,暗层菌丝体稀疏;两种叠层石类型与超微生物化石种存在着良好的对应关系;主要锰矿物含量变化与叠层石类型密切相关;叠层石柱体内Fe、Mn元素分布比柱间空隙具有明显的规律性,而全球性大气化程度比生殖菌丝强;超微生物的生化作用与沉积粘附作用直接造成了结核中Fe、Mn元素的富集,而全球性大气修与洋底微环境的周期性变化,影响了微生物生长的兴衰,导致了明暗相间纹层的交替出现。我们认为,叠层石纹层显示的韵律性特征,是胶体化学作用与沉积作用难以形成的,只有微生物群体的世代繁衍,才能构筑成几乎固定不变的叠层石柱体形态。上述研究成果,进一步确立了大洋锰结核的生物成因观点。     

天津蓟县中元古界雾迷山组微指状叠层石及其对1250 Ma±叠层石衰减事件的响应

天津蓟县中元古界雾迷山组是一套厚度超过3000,m的叠层石碳酸盐岩沉积序列,在该序列中潮下相叠层石生物层、凝块石生物丘与潮坪相泥晶白云岩、潟湖相白云质泥页岩一起构成若干个环潮坪型米级旋回——"雾迷山旋回层"。在雾迷山组下部发育微指状叠层石,并被古生物学家定义为"Pseudogymnosolen mo-panyuensis-Scuphus-Yangzhuang columnaris"组合,即假裸枝叠层石科叠层石,沉积学家将其解释为元古代文石(灰华)海底沉淀物所构成的叠层石,代表从太古代海底结壳状文石沉淀物组成的叠层石到新元古代碎屑结构相的泥晶碳酸盐岩叠层石过渡时期的特殊产物。因此,雾迷山组巨厚的叠层石碳酸盐岩沉积序列,记录了元古代文石(灰华)海底沉淀物所构成的特殊的叠层石大规模消亡的层位,为研究前寒武纪以叠层石为代表的微生物碳酸盐岩所经历的漫长而复杂的地质历史演变提供了宝贵的材料。     

Microbial biomineralization processes forming modern Ca:Mg carbonate stromatolites

Modern Ca:Mg carbonate stromatolites form in association with the microbial mat in the hypersaline coastal lagoon, Lagoa Vermelha (Brazil). The stromatolites, although showing diversified fabrics characterized by thin or crude lamination and/or thrombolitic clotting, exhibit a pervasive peloidal microfabric. The peloidal texture consists of dark, micritic aggregates of very high‐Mg calcite and/or Ca dolomite formed by an iso‐oriented assemblage of sub‐micron trigonal polyhedrons and organic matter. Limpid acicular crystals of aragonite arranged in spherulites surround these aggregates. Unlike the aragonite crystals, organic matter is present consistently in the dark, micritic carbonate comprising the peloids. This organic matter is observed as sub‐micron flat and filamentous mucus‐like structures inside the interspaces of the high‐Mg calcite and Ca dolomite crystals and is interpreted as the remains of degraded extracellular polymeric substances. Moreover, many fossilized bacterial cells are associated strictly with both carbonate phases. These cells consist mainly of 0·2 to 4 μm in diameter, sub‐spherical, rod‐like and filamentous forms, isolated or in colony‐like clusters. The co‐existence of fossil extracellular polymeric substances and bacterial bodies, associated with the polyhedrons of Ca:Mg carbonate, implies that the organic matter and microbial metabolism played a fundamental role in the precipitation of the minerals that form the peloids. By contrast, the lack of extracellular polymeric substances in the aragonitic phase indicates an additional precipitation mechanism. The complex processes that induce mineral precipitation in the modern Lagoa Vermelha microbial mat appear to be recorded in the studied lithified stromatolites. Sub‐micron polyhedral crystal formation of high‐Mg calcite and/or Ca dolomite results from the coalescence of carbonate nanoglobules around degraded organic matter nuclei. Sub‐micron polyhedral crystals aggregate to form larger ovoidal crystals that constitute peloids. Subsequent precipitation of aragonitic spherulites around peloids occurs as micro‐environmental water conditions around the peloids change.     

青藏高原沱沱河盆地渐新世湖相叠层石:韵律纹层记录的古气候条件

沱沱河盆地通天河剖面渐新世雅西措群发现一套产于湖泛过程中的柱状叠层石。通过对叠层石纹层形态和显微组构的研究,发现这些叠层石具有典型的富藻纹层和富屑纹层交替的显微结构特征,发育三级生长节律,纹层对之间渐变接触,纹层带之间间断明显。采用激光微区取样的方法,针对4块样品的8个纹层对,系统采集了16对碳氧同位素数据,结果是富藻纹层同位素值整体上均高于富屑纹层,正相关性明显。这表明富藻纹层生长时期气候炎热湿润,富屑纹层生长时期相对寒冷干燥。认为湖相叠层石生长受周期性气候变化的控制,其韵律纹层记录了丰富的古气候信息。     

青海省湟中区东岔沟克素尔组叠层石分类及地层对比

叠层石被广泛认为是地球上的一些最古老的生命痕迹,是研究地球早期生命的重要窗口。作为前寒武纪地层中的唯一常见化石,可以作为地层对比的标志,特别是中、新元古代盆地间的地层对比。青海省中祁连地层分区东岔沟村花石山群克素尔组以白云质碳酸盐岩组合为主,赋存大量叠层石。依据曹瑞骥和袁训来总结的分类方法,在研究区识别出9种不同的叠层石属,分别为：Baicalia、Chihsienella、Anabaria、Tielingella、Conicodomenia、Tungussia、Colonnella、Stratifera和Cryptozoon。研究区叠层石组合与中元古界上部蓟县系铁岭组叠层石组合具有明显的可比性,与国内其他地区的中元古代晚期—新元古代早期叠层石组合也有很强的相似性,据此推测花石山群克素尔组的年代大致为中元古代晚期。青海叠层石的报道将为我国和世界范围内中、新元古代叠层石的分布提供新产地的数据,常见叠层石属、种的垂直分布延限也有新的化石证据,对提升地层对比的精度具有重要意义。     

湖北松滋地区下奥陶统微生物岩

首次系统性地对湖北松滋地区下奥陶统微生物岩开展研究。根据微生物岩的生长方式,文中将微生物岩划分为原地生长型和非原地生长型两大类别,前者包括叠层石、凝块石,后者主要为核形石。根据几何形态特征,将研究区的叠层石分为层状、波状、柱状和丘状4种类型,新发现并命名了双锥柱状叠层石。将凝块石划分为斑状、网状和条带状3种类型,在豹斑状和网状凝块石中,发现了许多钻孔捕食软体动物Ecculiomphalus化石以及生物扰动的痕迹,文中认为这两种凝块石均属于生物扰动型凝块石。生物扰动型凝块石的发现不仅填补了国内、外奥陶纪该领域的部分空白,而且为凝块石成因的研究提供新的材料。在对各类微生物岩的沉积特征分析基础上,阐述了各类微生物岩的沉积环境,并总结其沉积环境分布模式。对微生物岩发育与中奥陶世后生动物大辐射之间的关系进行了探讨,根据早奥陶世晚期至中奥陶世初期后生动物的阶梯式和快速辐射与微生物岩突然减少的对应关系,结合研究区叠层石、凝块石中发现许多后生底栖钻孔捕食腹足类Ecculiomphalus化石等现象,认为微生物岩随时间推移而逐渐减少、衰退与后生动物丰度的快速增加有一定关系,指出食草动物不仅啃食了形成叠层石的菌藻类微生物,造成叠层石数量的不断减少,而且破坏了叠层石的生长状态,结果形成了研究区独具特征的生物扰动型凝块石。此外,作者认为,中奥陶世开始,海平面的快速上升也是研究区微生物岩减少直至消失的原因之一。     

Lacustrine and palustrine carbonate petrography: an overview

Lacustrine limestones were formerly identified by their faunistic (limnea, planorbis) and floristic (Charophytes) content. For 30 years, indications of pedogenesis have been found in many lacustrine deposits, and consequently the concept of palustrine limestone was defined.Lacustrine fabrics are not that numerous: varved, laminated, homogeneous, peloidal, brecciated, gravelly, bioturbated (burrows), bioclastic, algal, and stromatolitic. Detrital beds are sometimes present and are interpreted as bottomset deposits. Palustrine fabrics result from exposure and pedogenesis of lacustrine mud. The main processes involved in this evolution are: cracking, with planar, curved, craze and skew planes, colonization by plants resulting in root traces, marmorization (redistribution of iron due to water table fluctuation), and redistribution of carbonates (needles, subspherical or cylindrical vertical nodules, carbonate coatings, early and late diagenetic crystals, Microcodium). Carbonate palustrine features can be associated with other minerals: palygorskite, gypsum, or silica. Alternation of lacustrine sedimentation and exposure/pedogenesis leads to the pseudo-microkarst facies resulting from enlargement of the complex network of root traces and horizontal cracks. The voids in the pseudo-microkarst facies are infilled with a polyphased internal sediment composed of carbonate and vadose silt and phreatic and vadose cements. Traces of exposure and pedogenesis are less in evidence in lacustrine bioclastic sands and algal-stromatolitic limestones. Finally, under certain conditions, the surficial laminar horizon and its associated perlitic crust (ooids) develops on palustrine muds and form a desert stromatolite.     

Depositional environment of the Krol Group of the Nainital area and its impact on the stromatolites

Depositional environment of the Krol group varied temporally from subtidal in the Manora to intertidal in the Sleepy Hollow times. The conditions that succeeded were peritidal in the Ayarpatta and supratidal in the Narainnagar times. These conditions were the main controlling factors in the growth and development of the algal stromatolites. The Manora formation, due to subtidal conditions, and the Sleepy Hollow formation, due to detrital influx, are almost devoid of stromatolites. The carbonates of the Ayarpatta formation representing a peritidal complex possess columnar and oncolitic stromatolites, while the sediments of the Narainnagar formation characterized by supratidal features contain blistered, domal and crinkled-laminar forms. The types and sizes of stromatolites therefore are governed by the depositional conditions prevailing in the sedimentary basin.     

Origin of Cretaceous phosphorites from the onshore of Tamil Nadu,India

Cretaceous phosphorites from the onshore of Tamil Nadu have been investigated for their origin and compared with those in the offshore. Cretaceous phosphorites occur as light brown to yellowish brown or white nodules in Karai Shale of the Uttatur Group in the onshore Cauvery basin. Nodules exhibit phosphatic nucleus encrusted by a chalky shell of carbonate. The nucleus of the nodules consists of light and dark coloured laminae, phosphate peloids/coated grains and detrital particles interspersed between the laminae. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies reveal trapping and binding activity of microbial filaments. A mat structure with linearly arranged microbial filaments and hollow, cell-based coccoid cyanobacterial mat are present. Nodules contain abundant carbonate fluorapatite, followed by minor calcite, quartz and feldspar. The P₂O₅ content of the phosphorites ranges from 18 to 26%. The CaO/P₂O₅, Sr and F contents are higher than that of pure carbonate fluorapatite. Concentrations of Si, Al, K, Fe, and Ti are low. We suggest that the nuclei of the nodules represent phosphate clasts related to phosphate stromatolites formed at intertidal conditions. At high energy levels the microbial mats were disintegrated into phosphate clasts, coated with carbonate and then reworked into Karai Shale. On the other hand, Quaternary phosphorites occur as irregular to rounded, grey coloured phosphate clasts at water depths between 180 and 320m on the continental shelf of Tamil Nadu. They exhibit grain-supported texture. Despite Quaternary in age, they also resemble phosphate stromatolites of intertidal origin and reworked as phosphate clasts onto the shelf margin depressions. Benthic microbial mats probably supplied high phosphorus to the sediments. Availability of excess phosphorus seems to be a pre-requisite for the formation of phosphate stromatolites.     

新疆祁曼塔格地区发现新元古代叠层石

在新疆若羌县祁曼塔格地区的水泉子沟附近原蓟县系狼牙山组中首次发现了瘤状通古斯叠层石相似形Tungussia cf.nodosa Semikhatov和有疑问的撕裂贝加尔叠层石Baicalia lacera Semikhatov。它们多呈瘤状、柱状,其总体形态特征可与安徽淮山、辽东地区新元古代地层中分布的Tungussia cf.和Baicalia叠层石以及东昆仑加嗡门地区某些叠层石的特征相类比,相当于华北地区叠层石组合Ⅳ。测得叠层石的寄主岩石全岩Sm-Nd同位素等时线年龄为815±26 Ma。根据该Sm-Nd等时线年龄和叠层石的主要特征以及其它地区相关叠层石的特征综合判断,狼牙山组的地质时代应当归属于新元古代青白口纪,是被动大陆边缘的产物;这个前寒武纪微陆块应由塔里木克拉通(?)解体而来,是Rodinia超大陆的组成部分。本区叠层石的发现及其寄主岩的定年结果,为探讨东昆仑西段的大地构造演化和成岩环境提供了新证据。