Mass occurrence of benthic coccoid cyanobacteria and their role in the production of Neoarchean carbonates of South Africa

The sparse Archean fossil record is based almost entirely on carbonaceous remnants of microorganisms cellularly preserved due to their early post-mortem silicification. Hitherto as an exception, sedimentary carbonate rocks from the Neoarchean Nauga Formation of South Africa contain calcified microbial mats composed of microbiota closely resembling modern benthic colonial cyanobacteria (Chroococcales and Pleurocapsales). Their remains, visible under the scanning electron microscope (SEM) after etching of polished rock samples, comprise capsular envelopes, mucilage sheaths, and groups of cells mineralized by calcium carbonate with an admixture of Al–K–Mg–Fe silicates. The capsular organization of the mucilaginous sheaths surrounding individual cells and cell clusters forming colonies and the mode of mineralization are the characteristic common features of the Neoarchean microbiota described and their modern analogues. The new findings indicate massive production of calcium carbonates by benthic coccoid cyanobacteria in the Neoarchean, and offer a solution to the problem of the origin of Archean carbonate platforms, stromatolites and microbial reefs.     

Geochemistry of sericite deposits at the base of the paleoproterozoic aravalli supergroup, Rajasthan, India: Evidence for metamorphosed and metasomatised precambrian paleosol

Fine grained sericite deposits occur at the interface between Archean Mewar Gneiss Complex and the Proterozoic Aravalli Supergroup independent of shearing. They show a gradational contact with the basement granites and gneisses and a sharp contact with the overlying quartz pebble conglomeratic quartzites. Rip-up clasts of these sericite schists are found in the overlying conglomerates. The sericite schists are rich in sericite towards the top and contain chlorite towards the base. The sericite in these schists was formed by metasomatic alteration of kyanite and not from the feldspars of the basement granitoids and gneisses. Uni-directional variations of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃, high Al₂O₃ content (>30%), positive correlation between Al₂O₃ and TiO₂, Ti/Al and Ti/Zr ratios, high pre-metasomatic chemical indices of alteration (> 90), and enrichment of heavy rare earth elements relative to the parent granites and gneisses—all these chemical characteristics combined with field evidence suggest that the sericite schists are formed from a paleosol protolith, which developed on Archean basement between 2.5 and ~2.1 Ga in the Precambrian of Rajasthan. The superimposed metasomatic alteration restricts the use of Fe²⁺/Ti and Fe³⁺/Ti ratios of these paleosols for interpretation of PO₂ conditions in the atmosphere.     

Paleomagnetic Constraints on the Permian-Triassic Boundary in Terrestrial Strata of the Karoo Supergroup, South Africa: Implications for Causes of the End-Permian Extinction Event

The closure of the Palaeozoic witnessed the greatest biotic crisis in earth history. Surprisingly little is known about the effects and timing of the terrestrial counterpart of the well-described End-Permian mass extinction from known marine successions worldwide. In the present study, reliable paleomagnetic results were obtained from a PT boundary section in the terrestrial Karoo Basin of South Africa. Permo-Triassic aged mudstones from a locality in the Eastern Cape Province yielded two magnetic chrons, reverse followed by normal (with the boundary possibly close to the reversal). This extends to results from a previous study: thereby jointly identifying a R/N/R polarity pattern for this boundary interval. The PTB interval is constrained below the red mudstones of the Beaufort Group at the present locality and within reverse-magnetised green mudstone, implying a diachronic relation between the marine and terrestrial End-Permian mass extinction events.     

Provenance ages of the Neoproterozoic Katanga Supergroup (Central African Copperbelt), with implications for basin evolution

New age data on detrital zircons and micas are presented from key units within the Neoproterozoic Katanga Supergroup, which hosts the major stratiform Cu–Co deposits of the Central African Copperbelt. Detrital zircon ages indicate a mainly Palaeoproterozoic (between 2081 ± 28 and 1836 ± 26 Ma) provenance for the Katanga basin, derived from the Lufubu Metamorphic Complex of the Kafue Anticline and the Bangweulu Block to the north of the outcrop belt. Detrital zircons and clasts from the Grand Conglomerat glacial diamictite indicate a source from the Palaeoproterozoic metavolcanic porphyries and granitoids of Luina Dome region, which was a basement high during Nguba Group deposition. Minor zircons of Mesoproterozoic age may have been derived from the Kibaran belt. Finally, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age data from detrital muscovites from Biano Group siltstones give a maximum age of sedimentation of 573 Ma, strongly supporting previous models that the Biano Group was deposited in a foreland basin of the Lufilian Orogen.     

Age of the Vindhyan Supergroup: A review of recent findings

The Vindhyan Supergroup of India is one of the largest and thickest sedimentary successions of the world. Deposited in an intra-cratonic basin, it is composed mostly of shallow marine deposits. It is believed to have recorded a substantial portion of Proterozoic time and therefore, likely to contain valuable information on the evolution of the atmosphere, climate, and life on our planet. It also contains some of the most disputed fossils of earliest animal life. Despite their importance, the absolute age of these rocks had remained unknown until recently. In this work I evaluate all the recent chronological information and discuss their implications. From the present findings it appears that the issues surrounding the age of the Lower Vindhyans in the Son valley are now resolved, whereas problems with the age of the Upper Vindhyans and that with the stratigraphic correlations remain to be answered.     

Chuaria circularis from the early Mesoproterozoic Suket Shale, Vindhyan Supergroup, India: Insights from light and electron microscopy and pyrolysis-gas chromatography

Chuaria circularis (Walcott 1899) from the Suket Shale of the Vindhyan Supergroup (central India) has been reinvestigated for its morphology and chemical composition using biostatistics, electron microscopy and pyrolysis-gas chromatography. Morphology and microscopic investigations provide little clues on the specific biological affinity ofChuaria as numerous preservational artifacts seem to be incorporated. On the contrary, the predominance of η aliphatic pyrolysates of presently studiedChuaria from India rather supports an algal affinity. Moreover, the reflectance ofC circularis can be used to obtain a comparative maturity parameter of the Precambrian sediments. The review of the age and geographical distribution ofC circularis constrains that this species cannot be considered as an index fossil for the Proterozoic time.     

Carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the carbonate facies in the Vindhyan Supergroup, central India

The Vindhyan sedimentary succession in central India spans a wide time bracket from the Paleoproterozoic to the Neoproterozoic period. Chronostratigraphic significance of stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of the carbonate phase in Vindhyan sediments has been discussed in some recent studies. However, the subtle controls of facies variation, depositional setting and post-depositional diagenesis on stable isotope compositions are not yet clearly understood. The Vindhyan Supergroup hosts four carbonate units, exhibiting a wide variability in depositional processes and paleogeography. A detailed facies-specific carbon and oxygen isotope study of the carbonate units was undertaken by us to investigate the effect of these processes and to identify the least altered isotope values. It is seen that both carbon and oxygen isotope compositions have been affected by early meteoric water diagenesis. The effect of diagenetic alteration is, however, more pronounced in case of oxygen isotopes than carbon isotopes. Stable isotope compositions remained insensitive to facies only when sediments accumulated in a shallow shelf setting without being exposed. Major alteration of original isotope ratios was observed in case of shallow marine carbonates, which became exposed to meteoric fluids during early diagenetic stage. Duration of exposure possibly determined the magnitude of alteration and shift from the original values. Moreover, dolomitization is found to be accompanied by appreciable alteration of isotope compositions in some of the carbonates. The present study suggests that variations in sediment depositional settings, in particular the possibility of subaerial exposure, need to be considered while extracting chronostratigraphic significance from δ¹³C data.     

Geology and geochemistry of palaeoproterozoic low-grade metabasic volcanic rocks from Salumber area,Aravalli Supergroup,NW India

The Palaeoproterozoic Aravalli Supergroup in Salumber region includes a basal unit of metabasic volcanic rocks (Salumber volcanic rocks) overlain by a volcaniclastic/conglomerate one. Although these volcanic rocks have been metamorphosed to green-schist facies, some primary volcanic features are still preserved. This metabasic volcanic sequence can be further differentiated on the basis of textural variations, and the mineral assemblages are: (a) oligoclase + actinolite + chlorite + epidote; and (b) oligoclase + hornblende+ chlorite + biotite + Fe-Ti oxides. The SiO₂ content ranges from ∼47.7 to 55.8% and MgO from ∼4.2 to 12.8%. Geochemical characteristics allow their subdivision into high Mg and Fe tholeiites. Inverse relationship of MgO with silica, alkalis and Zr is generally consistent with fractionation mechanism, also suggested by a change in colour of the rocks from dark greenish to light greenish towards the upper parts of the sequence. These metabasic volcanic rocks are enriched in incompatible trace elements and LREE (La = 30 − 40 × chondrite, Lu = 2 − 5 × chondrite), and demonstrate affinity mainly with MORB and within plate settings in geochemical tectonic discrimination schemes. The geochemical characteristics suggest a complex evolutionary history envisaging derivation of the melt from an enriched heterogeneous lithospheric source.     

Optimal Design of a Gravity Survey Network and its Application to Delineate the Jabera-Damoh Structure in the Vindhyan Basin,Central India

Fractal dimension analysis was carried out for optimal designing of 2-D gravity survey network and to determine an optimum range of gridding interval to generate least aliased Bouguer anomaly maps. As a test case, this method has been successfully applied to the Jabera-Damoh region of the Vindhyan Basin, which is considered as a potential hydrocarbon bearing area. In particular, we aim to delineate accurately the lateral extent of a possible hydrocarbon bearing structure. To achieve this aim, fractal dimension of survey network was computed using 2-D distributions of observation points in the planning phase of the survey so that the optimum station spacing for gravity survey can be obtained. A range of optimum gridding interval for the gravity data set was suggested using the box-counting method of fractal dimension determination. Bouguer anomaly maps of the region are prepared utilizing the optimum gridding interval. For the first time, these anomaly maps clearly outline the gravity evidence of an anomalous rifted structure, which is bounded by parallel faults on either side. This structure is interpreted as a favorable basin for the occurrence of hydrocarbons. Another finding of this study has been the delineation of an apparently small ridge-like structure running east-west, dividing this basin in two parts. A subsurface geological model along a profile across the Jabera structure has also been presented.     

A note on the stratigraphic relationship of the leven schist and monadhliath schist in the central highlands of Scotland

The Monadhliath and Leven Schists are separated north of Glen Roy by some 500m of psammitic rock. Junctions are gradational and conformable, and evidence from sedimentary structures indicates that all three face upwards. The two schists should not be equated, nor should the Monadhliath Schist be included in the Dalradian Supergroup unless the entire Grampian Division is also included.