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。     

Tepee-shaped agglutinated microbialites: an example from a Famennian carbonate platform on the Lennard Shelf, northern Canning Basin, Western Australia

Distinctive, metre‐scale antiformal structures are well developed in a Famennian carbonate platform in the Chedda Cliffs area of the Lennard Shelf reef complexes. The structures are distinguished by chevron‐shaped crests and thickened cores and contain abundant non‐skeletal allochems (ooids/pisoids, peloids and intraclasts) of silt to pebble size and variably developed laminations and fenestrae. The internal morphology and pervasive occurrence of fenestral clotted and wavy laminated fabrics suggest that these structures are microbial mounds composed of agglutinated stromatolites and thrombolites. Microbial fabrics most probably originated through sediment trapping and binding by microbial mats with early lithification involving microbial calcification and cementation of trapped sediment. The facies and stratigraphic context of the mounds support a shallow subtidal, transitional backreef to reef‐flat setting; however, alone these mounds do not provide unequivocal environmental information. Other large antiformal structures in Famennian platforms on the Lennard Shelf, previously described as tepee structures, show morphological similarities to the Chedda Cliffs mounds, which suggests that these other structures may also be microbial mounds. The presence of microbial mounds in platform successions further highlights the importance of microbial communities in the Lennard Shelf reef complexes.