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1.
Microbial metabolism impacts the degree of carbonate saturation by changing the total alkalinity and calcium availability; this can result in the precipitation of carbonate minerals and thus the formation of microbialites. Here, the microbial metabolic activity, the characteristics and turnover of the extracellular polymeric substances and the physicochemical conditions in the water column and sediments of a hypersaline lake, Big Pond, Bahamas, were determined to identify the driving forces in microbialite formation. A conceptual model for organomineralization within the active part of the microbial mats that cover the lake sediments is presented. Geochemical modelling indicated an oversaturation with respect to carbonates (including calcite, aragonite and dolomite), but these minerals were never observed to precipitate at the mat–water interface. This failure is attributed to the capacity of the water column and upper layers of the microbial mat to bind calcium. A layer of high Mg‐calcite was present 4 to 6 mm below the surface of the mat, just beneath the horizons of maximum photosynthesis and aerobic respiration. This carbonate layer was associated with the zone of maximum sulphate reduction. It is postulated that extracellular polymeric substances and low molecular weight organic carbon produced at the surface (i.e. the cyanobacterial layer) of the mat bind calcium. Both aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophic microbes consume extracellular polymeric substances (each process accounting for approximately half of the total consumption) and low molecular weight organic carbon, liberating calcium and producing inorganic carbon. The combination of these geochemical changes can increase the carbonate saturation index, which may result in carbonate precipitation. In conclusion, the formation and degradation of extracellular polymeric substances, as well as sulphate reduction, may play a pivotal role in the formation of microbialites both in marine and hypersaline environments.  相似文献   

2.
Studies of modern cyanobacterial mats and biofilms show that they can precipitate minerals as a consequence of metabolic and degradational activities paired with ambient hydrochemical conditions. This study looked at modern microbial mats forming giant, tower‐like, groundwater‐fed, calcareous microbialites in the world's largest, highly alkaline lake; Van Gölü (Lake Van), East Turkey. Results show that microbial systems play a role not only in carbonate precipitation but also in the formation of siliceous mineral phases. Transmitted light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and spectral observations revealed that, within the extracellular polymeric substances excreted by the mats abundant minute aragonite grains precipitated first in vivo. These minute grains were quickly succeeded and/or supplemented in the dead biomass of the cyanobacterial mat by authigenic Al–Mg–Fe siliceous phases. Silicon dioxide is available in large concentrations in the highly alkaline water of Lake Van. Divalent cations (Ca and Mg) are delivered to the microbialites mostly by groundwater springs. The precipitation of the fine‐grained siliceous phases is probably mediated by bacteria degrading the cyanobacterial biomass and complexing the excessive cations with their extracellular polymeric envelopes. The bacteria serve as nucleation centres for the subsequent precipitation of siliceous mineral phases. Generally, the biphasic (calcareous and siliceous) mineralization – characterizing Lake Van microbialites – is controlled by their interior highly dynamic hydrogeochemical situation. There, the dramatically different alkaline lake water and the Ca–Mg‐charged groundwater mix at various rates. The early diagenetic replacement of the in vivo aragonite by authigenic siliceous phases significantly increases the fossilization potential of the mat‐forming cyanobacteria. Lake Van and its giant microbialite tufa towers act as a model explaining the transformation of early diagenetic mineral phases observed in many modern and ancient carbonate marine deposits, particularly those influenced by diffusion of silica‐enriched and metal‐enriched pore waters from below the water–sediment interface.  相似文献   

3.
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.  相似文献   

4.
Freshwater carbonates (tufas) develop today from the Arctic to the tropics, many being localized about springs and upper water courses. Some Quaternary tufas, especially in the Mediterranean region, extend over tens of square kilometres and exceed 30 m in thickness. Radiometric dating of Holocene deposits shows that many have accumulated at an average rate of 1 mm year?1. However, local precipitation may be much faster and some Holocene deposits may even have outpaced their tropical marine carbonate counterparts. Recently, the study of active sites has attempted to quantify the precipitation mechanisms which lead to tufa deposition. However, field observation and sampling procedures suffer from the inherent disadvantages of uncontrolled fluctuations in environmental conditions during the study programme. These disadvantages compromise any interpretations, particularly where controls on spar versus micrite precipitation are concerned. Many of these problems have been overcome in the current study by the construction and operation of laboratory mesocosm flumes which simulate the natural conditions (e.g. pH, flow rate, ambient temperature and daylight) in which freshwater carbonate (tufa) is deposited. Three mesocosms were supplied with natural river water from tufa precipitating streams and two mesocosms were supplied with UV‐treated (sterile) river water from the same source. One of the untreated flume mesocosms was linked with a calcium reactor, which replaced calcium ions removed during the precipitation process in order to maintain tufa growth over extended experimental runs. Low‐magnesium calcite precipitates (both rhombic sparite grown from long‐crystallite dendrites and short‐crystallite dendrite triad precursors) and micrite peloids (grown from spherulitic precursors) were precipitated in intimate association with biofilm (extracellular polymeric substances) within the four mesocosms supplied with natural river water. Virtually, no tufa‐like precipitate was obtained from the flumes supplied with UV‐treated river water. A second extended run flume experiment was also carried out for comparison purposes using a calcium hydroxide solution in deionized water. Collectively, these experiments provide convincing evidence confirming that the presence of a microbial biofilm strongly influences the precipitation of carbonates in riverine freshwater settings. In particular, experimental results show that micro‐peloidal micrite and short‐crystallite calcite dendrites are only produced in the presence of microbial extracellular polymeric substances.  相似文献   

5.
Microbialites (benthic microbial carbonate deposits) were discovered in a hypersaline alkaline lake on Eleuthera Island (Bahamas). From the edge towards the centre of the lake, four main zones of precipitation could be distinguished: (1) millimetre‐sized clumps of Mg‐calcite on a thin microbial mat; (2) thicker and continuous carbonate crusts with columnar morphologies; (3) isolated patches of carbonate crust separated by a dark non‐calcified gelatinous mat; and (4) a dark microbial mat without precipitation. In thin section, the precipitate displayed a micropeloidal structure characterized by micritic micropeloids (strong autofluorescence) surrounded by microspar and spar cement (no fluorescence). Observations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with a cryotransfer system indicate that micrite nucleation is initiated within a polymer biofilm that embeds microbial communities. These extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are progressively replaced with high‐Mg calcite. Discontinuous EPS calcification generates a micropeloidal structure of the micrite, possibly resulting from the presence of clusters of coccoid or remnants of filamentous bacteria. At high magnification, the microstructure of the initial precipitate consists of 200–500 nm spheres. No precipitation is observed in or on the sheaths of cyanobacteria, and only a negligible amount of precipitation is directly associated with the well‐organized and active filamentous cyanobacteria (in deeper layers of the mat), indicating that carbonate precipitation is not associated with CO2 uptake during photosynthesis. Instead, the precipitation occurs at the uppermost layer of the mat, which is composed of EPS, empty filamentous bacteria and coccoids (Gloeocapsa spp.). Two‐dimensional mapping of sulphate reduction shows high activity in close association with the carbonate precipitate at the top of the microbial mat. In combination, these findings suggest that net precipitation of calcium carbonate results from a temporal and spatial decoupling of the various microbial metabolic processes responsible for CaCO3 precipitation and dissolution. Theoretically, partial degradation of EPS by aerobic heterotrophs or UV fuels sulphate‐reducing activity, which increases alkalinity in microdomains, inducing CaCO3 precipitation. This degradation could also be responsible for EPS decarboxylation, which eliminates Ca2+‐binding capacity of the EPS and releases Ca2+ ions that were originally bound by carboxyl groups. At the end of these processes, the EPS biofilm is calcified and exhibits a micritic micropeloidal structure. The EPS‐free precipitate subsequently serves as a substrate for physico‐chemical precipitation of spar cement from the alkaline water of the lake. The micropeloidal structure has an intimate mixture of micrite and microspar comparable to microstructures of some fossil microbialites.  相似文献   

6.
The Pleistocene speleothems of Sa Bassa Blanca cave, Mallorca, are excellent indicators of palaeoclimate variations, and are samples that allow evaluation of the products and processes of mixing‐zone diagenesis in an open‐water cave system. Integrated stratigraphic, petrographic and geochemical data from a horizontal core of speleothem identified two main origins for speleothem precipitates: meteoric‐marine mixing zone and meteoric‐vadose zone. Mixing‐zone precipitates formed at and just below the water–air interface of cave pools during interglacial times, when the cave was flooded as a result of highstand sea‐level. Mixing‐zone precipitates include bladed and dendritic high‐Mg calcite, microporous‐bladed calcite with variable Mg content, and acicular aragonite; their presence suggests that calcium‐carbonate cementation is significant in the studied mixing‐zone system. Fluid inclusion salinities, δ13C and δ18O compositions of the mixing‐zone precipitates suggest that mixing ratio was not the primary control on whether precipitation or dissolution occurred, rather, the proximity to the water table and degassing of CO2 at the interface, were the major controls on precipitation. Thus, simple two‐end‐member mixing models may apply only in mixing zones well below the water table. Meteoric‐vadose speleothems include calcite and high‐Mg calcite with columnar and bladed morphologies. Vadose speleothems precipitated during glacial stages when sea level was lower than present. Progressive increase in δ13C and δ18O of the vadose speleothems resulted from cooling temperatures and more positive seawater δ18O associated with glacial buildup. Such covariation could be considered as a valid alternative to models predicting invariant δ18O and highly variable δ13C in meteoric calcite. Glacio‐eustatic oscillations of sea‐level are recorded as alternating vadose and mixing‐zone speleothems. Short‐term climatic variations are recorded as alternating aragonite and calcite speleothems precipitated in the mixing zone. Fluid‐inclusion and stable‐isotope data suggest that aragonite, as opposed to calcite, precipitated during times of reduced meteoric recharge.  相似文献   

7.
N. L. WATTS 《Sedimentology》1980,27(6):661-686
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8.
Some species of sulphate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) are known to mediate the formation of dolomite and Mg‐calcite. However, their exact role in the mineralization process remains elusive. Here, we present the result of a laboratory experiment that was designed to test whether formation of carbonate minerals by SRB can occur in the absence of living cells, through passive mineralization of their exopolymeric substances (EPS). SRB capable of mediating dolomite were cultivated in the laboratory, allowing them to secrete EPS. Microbial activity within the cultures was subsequently inhibited with antibiotics. Only after this step, Ca2+ and Mg2+ were added to the solution and carbonate minerals could form. Mg‐calcite and disordered Ca‐dolomite precipitated in association with EPS. The mol.% of Mg2+ in the crystals increased with longer incubation times. This result demonstrates that organic compounds produced by SRB can mediate the formation of Ca‐Mg carbonates in the absence of an active metabolism.  相似文献   

9.
The x-ray powder diffraction identification of clay minerals both in bulk samples and in separated clay fraction confirmed the presence of palygorskite in samples of cave sediments from Wadi Haqil (the western slopes of Musandam Mountains; Ras Al-Khaimah Emirate, UAE). Samples contain quartz, gypsum, smectite, kaolinite, calcite, and palygorskite, some of them chlorite, illite, feldspars, and goethite. Calcite dominates in most samples; smectite prevails in clay fraction. After heating, the 001 reflection of chlorite shifts to higher diffraction angles and its intensity decreases; these features indicate that the chlorite represent a Fe-dominant species. Unit-cell dimensions of major phases as refined by the Rietveld method are in agreement with literature data. Chemical composition of palygorskite was derived from unit-cell dimensions as follows: MgO content is 11–14 wt% and Al2O3 10–13 wt%. Clay mineralogy is only hard to ascertain from the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images even after being combined with the energy-dispersive spectrometer data. The SEM was also used to characterize gypsum grains; they often display flow deformation features. Studied cave sediments represent palygorskite-bearing weathering products and desert soils re-deposited from the cave surroundings by slope processes and wind and/or surface runoff. The mixture with other clay minerals, quartz, feldspars, etc. supports this interpretation. Fine-grained quartz fraction is probably wind-blown. Gypsum and calcite are the precipitates (crusts and/or cements), although gypsum can also be re-deposited from omnipresent gypsum-cemented surface sediments.  相似文献   

10.
In a multi‐scale approach to the study of the organic and mineral components in an active barrage‐type tufa system of southern Italy, neo‐formed deposits, in both natural depositional sites and on inorganic substrates placed in the stream for this study, were observed and compared through one year of monitoring. Dams and lobes representing the basic morpho‐facies of the deposits are composed of two depositional facies: vacuolar tufa (a mixture of phytoclastic and framestone tufa) and stromatolitic tufa (phytoherm boundstone tufa). Three petrographic components comprise both facies: micrite and microsparite, often forming peloidal to aphanitc, laminar and dendrolitic fabrics, and sparite, which occurs as isolated to coalescent fan‐shaped crystals forming botryoids or continuous crusts. All fabrics occurring in all depositional facies are organized into layers with a more or less well‐developed cyclicity, which has its best expression in stromatolitic lamination. The precipitation of all types of calcite (with Mg 1·0 to 3·2 mole % and Sr 0·5 to 0·8 mole %) takes place more or less constantly during all seasons, in spite of the low saturation state of the water (the saturation index range is 0·75 to 0·89) within the active depositional zone; the latter extends for a few hundred microns through the external surface of the deposit. The active depositional zone has a particular micro‐morphology composed of porous micro‐columns (50 to 150 μm in size), separated by interstitial channels. Mineral precipitation occurs upon both external surfaces and within internal cavities of the micro‐columns, while further point sites of precipitation occur suspended within the masses of cyanobacterial tufts. Sub‐spherical mineral units, ‘nano‐spheres’ (10 to 20 nm in diameter) are the basic biotic neo‐precipitate; they commonly form by replacing non‐living degrading organic matter and at point sites along the external surface of living cyanobacterial sheaths. Nano‐spheres agglutinate to form first rod‐shaped aggregates (100 to 200 nm) which then evolve into triads of fibres or polyhedral structures. Successively, both triads and polyhedral solids coalesce to form larger calcite crystals (mainly tetrahedrons tens of microns in size) that represent the fundamental bricks for the construction of the micro‐columns in the active depositional zone. Precipitation is attributed to the presence of a widespread biofilm that occurs in the active depositional zone; this is composed of a heterogeneous community comprising epilithic and endolithic filamentous cyanobacteria, green algae, unicellular prokaryotes, actinobacteria and fungi, with a variable amount of extracellular polymeric substances. No precipitation takes place where the biofilm is absent, indicating that the biological activities of the biofilm are crucial, with its living organisms and non‐living organic matter. Basic aggregates of neo‐precipitates do not form in association with any one particular type of organic matter substrate, but appear to be related to the seasonal temperature variation: polyhedral micro‐crystals mainly precipitate in the colder season, short triads in the intermediate seasons, and long triads in the warmest conditions. These three basic crystal aggregates have a petrographic counterpart, respectively, in the spar, microspar and micrite.  相似文献   

11.
Structural diversity of biogenic carbonate particles in microbial mats   总被引：4，自引：0，他引：4  
Non-skeletal carbonate particles in microbial mats were studied using thin sections and scanning electron microscopy. The microbial mats form biolaminated units (so-called potential stromatolites) in salterns. This study emphasizes the coexistence of different particle forms and makes a genetic connection between the heterogeneity of the organic substrate built by bacteria and diatoms and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Whereas allochthonous particles are scarce, Lanzarote microbial mats provide various autochthonous surfaces for the attachment of cells and EPS, including sheaths and capsules of cyanobacteria, frustules of diatoms, metabolic products such as gas bubbles, liquid globules and faecal pellets, as well as the carbonate precipitates themselves. Morphologically different carbonate precipitates are: (i) calcified organic clumps (peloids), (ii) particles composed of concentric aragonite and biofilm laminae (ooids and oncoids), (hi) isolated particles floating in gel-supported mats and coated by rims of fibrous cement (cortoids), (iv) particles bound by cryptocrystalline matrices or cement, resulting in aggregate grains and (v) lobate cement which fills out spaces and pores and fixes the particles. Peloids are suggested to represent faecal pellets although microbial systems also generate cell clumps by non-faecal processes. Ooid and oncoid constructions clearly record alternating processes of biofilm accumulation and aragonite encrustation. Further characteristic features of carbonate particles generated within a microbial mat are: (i) an irregular distribution ranging from isolated particles floating within the gel-like matrix to closely packed particles, (ii) the amalgamation of different particle types (e.g. peloids and ooids) in aggregate grains, (iii) the heterogeneous nature of nuclei comprising bacterial clumps, intraclasts, individual cells, cell colonies and bubbles, (iv) the enrichment of remains, casts and imprints of cells within precipitates and (v) deformation (e.g. truncated cortices) of particles.  相似文献   

12.
Palygorskite is a fibrous, magnesium‐bearing clay mineral commonly associated with Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic dolomites. The presence of palygorskite is thought to be indicative of warm, alkaline fluids rich in Si, Al and Mg. Palygorskite has been interpreted to form in peritidal diagenetic environments, either as a replacement of detrital smectite clay during a dissolution–precipitation reaction or solid‐state transformation, or as a direct precipitate from solution. Despite a lack of evidence, most diagenetic studies involving these two minerals posit that dolomite and palygorskite form concurrently. Here, petrological evidence is presented from the Umm er Radhuma Formation (Palaeocene–Eocene) in the subsurface of central Qatar for an alternative pathway for palygorskite formation. The Umm er Radhuma is comprised of dolomitized subtidal to peritidal carbonate cycles that are commonly capped by centimetre‐scale beds rich in palygorskite. Thin section, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analyses demonstrate that palygorskite fibres formed on both the outermost surfaces of dissolved euhedral dolomite crystals and within partially to completely dissolved dolomite crystal cores. These observations suggest that dolomite and palygorskite formed sequentially, and support a model by which the release of Mg2+ ions and the buffering of solution pH during dolomite dissolution promote the formation of palygorskite. This new diagenetic model explains the co‐occurrence of palygorskite and dolomite in the rock record, and provides valuable insight into the specific diagenetic conditions under which these minerals may form.  相似文献   

13.
Environmentally friendly options for restoring limestone using microorganisms have attracted recent attention. The governing principle of this technique is to use the metabolism of microorganisms to precipitate carbonate in the gaps of mineral particles; this process is known as microbial carbonate precipitation (MCP). Here, an outcrop associated with MCP under natural conditions at the Giza cliff in Okinawa, Japan was investigated. Colonies of photoautotrophic microorganisms containing chlorophyll were found inhabiting a layer of limestone 2–4 mm below the surface of the outcrop. These microorganisms survived and photosynthesised within the limestone under favorable conditions that include an effective photon flux density of 15–75 µmol/m2/s, and some fresh calcium carbonates (i.e., calcite) were precipitated around the cell walls and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the microorganisms. Furthermore, the results of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) suggest that the synthetic calcite within the limestone may improve the mechanical strength of the outcrop. These in situ and laboratory findings indicate that these microbial functions may be applicable to some weathered rock surfaces as a self-organizing surface protection and conservation technology.  相似文献   

14.
The Bianbianshan deposit, the unique gold-polymetal (Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn) veined deposit of the polymetal metallogenic belt of the southern segment of Da Hinggan Mountains mineral province, is located at the southern part of the Hercynian fold belt of the south segment of Da Hinggan Mountains mineral province, NE China. Ores at the Bianbianshan deposit occur within Cretaceous andesite and rhyolite in the form of gold-bearing quartz veins and veinlet groups containing native gold, electrum, pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite. The deposit is hosted by structurally controlled faults associated with intense hydrothermal alteration. The typical alteration assemblage is sericite + chlorite + calcite + quartz, with an inner pyrite - sericite - quartz zone and an outer seicite - chlorite - calcite - epidote zone between orebodies and wall rocks. δ34 S values of 17 sulfides from ores changing from –1.67 to +0.49‰ with average of –0.49‰, are similar to δ34 S values of magmatic or igneous sulfide sulfur. 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/ 204Pb data of sulfide from ores range within 17.66–17.75, 15.50–15.60, and 37.64–38.00, respectively. These sulfur and lead isotope compositions imply that ore-forming materials might mainly originate from deep sources. H and O isotope study of quartz from ore-bearing veins indicate a mixed source of deep-seated magmatic water and shallower meteoric water. The ore formations resulted from a combination of hydrothermal fluid mixing and a structural setting favoring gold-polymetal deposition. Fluid mixing was possibly the key factor resulting in Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn deposition in the deposit. The metallogenesis of the Bianbianshan deposit may have a relationship with the Cretaceous volcanic-subvolcanic magmatic activity, and formed during the late stage of the crust thinning of North China.  相似文献   

15.
Previous studies on early submarine diagenesis of periplatform carbonates have implied that these originally polymineralic (aragonite, magnesian calcite, calcite) sediments are susceptible to early diagenesis only in current-swept open seaways or where surficially exposed by erosion on the seafloor. It has also been proposed that while in the shallow subsurface, periplatform oozes retain their original mineralogy for at least 200,000–400,000 yr and remain unlithified for tens of millions of years. Evidence is reported here for extensive calcitization and selective lithification of periplatform oozes of late Pleistocene age in two piston cores collected from water depths of ～ 1,000 m north of Little Bahama Bank. It is shown that shallow (<30 m) subsurface diagenesis can significantly alter the original mineralogy of periplatform oozes to predominantly calcite in less than 440,000 yr, and that cementation by calcite can produce chalk-ooze sequences within the same time-frame. Periplatform oozes that originally contain a high percentage of bank-derived magnesian calcite appear to have a higher diagenetic potential than those originally low in magnesian calcite. Shallow subsurface calcitization and fithification greatly reduce the diagenetic potential of periplatform carbonates, and chalk-ooze sequences apparently can persist for tens of millions of years and to burial depths of at least 300 m. Shallow subsurface diagenesis, at water depths > 1,000 m, proceeds via dissolution of magnesian calcite and aragonite and reprecipitation of calcite as allochem fillings, exterior overgrowths and cement. It is speculated that density-driven ‘Kohout convection‘, where seawaters under-saturated with respect to magnesian calcite and aragonite and saturated/supersaturated with respect to calcite flow through the margins of carbonate platforms, is the primary driving mechanism for shallow subsurface diagenesis. Removal of Mg during early stages of deep seafloor and shallow subsurface diagenesis should increase the Mg content of interstitial waters which is likely to increase the ‘dolomitizing potential’ of Kohout convection fluid flow.  相似文献   

16.
Dendritic calcite forms in an active cold-water tufa system in association with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that discontinuously coat bryophytes and cyanobacteria. Dendrites consist of 100–200 nm thick calcite fibres that form 3D lattice-like domains. In each dendrite domain, fibres have three structurally equal orientations, which correspond in disposition to radii from the centre of a calcite unit cell to the convex triple face junctions on its surface. Fibres do not form in the orientation of the c-axis. The external form of each dendrite has the shape of half of a shortened octahedron, with an upper triangular surface parallel to the substrate. Dendrite nucleation takes place on or in microbial EPS, whether microbial cells are present or not, and is probably effected by attraction of Ca2+ cations to negatively charged EPS, together with CO2-degassing and concomitant pH increase of supersaturated spring water in stream splash zones. Ensuing dendrite growth is abiogenic and controlled by diffusion. Dendrite c-axes are perpendicular to the substrate, probably because the negative charge of EPS forces the orientation of Ca2+ and CO planes within the developing dendrite crystal to be parallel to the EPS film surface. Dendrites are eventually filled and overgrown by solid, syntaxial calcite, which gradually and completely obliterates the dendrites as more familiar calcite crystal forms develop. No trace of the dendritic nucleus remains in the rock record. Calcite crystal nucleation may take place by this mechanism in many marine and meteoric settings, given that microbial EPS is now assumed to be virtually ubiquitous in these environments. This phenomenon could contribute to the development of familiar fabrics such as marine micrite cement and fibrous calcite cement, radial ooids, peloids, ‘abiogenic’ stromatolites, sea floor precipitates, microbialites, tufa, travertine, speleothems, and some meteoric cements. It may also contribute to the substrate-normal orientation of c-axes of common cement fabrics.  相似文献   

17.
The uncommon Mg-rich and Ti-poor Zhaoanzhuang serpentine-magnetite ores within Taihua Group of the North China Craton(NCC) remain unclear whether the protolith was sourced from ultramafic rocks or chemical sedimentary sequences. Here we present integrated petrographic and geochemical studies to characterize the protoliths and to gain insights on the ore-forming processes. Iron ores mainly contain low-Ti magnetite(TiO_2 ~0.1 wt%) and serpentine(Mg#=92.42–96.55), as well as residual olivine(Fo=89–90), orthopyroxene(En=89–90) and hornblende. Magnetite in the iron ores shows lower Al, Sc, Ti, Cr, Zn relative to that from ultramafic Fe-Ti-V iron ores, but similar to that from metamorphic chemical sedimentary iron deposit. In addition, interstitial minerals of dolomite, calcite, apatite and anhydrite are intergrown with magnetite and serpentine, revealing they were metamorphic, but not magmatic or late hydrothermal minerals. Wall rocks principally contain magnesian silicates of olivine(Fo=83–87), orthopyroxene(En=82–86), humite(Mg#=82–84) and hornblende [XMg=0.87–0.96]. Dolomite, apatite and anhydrite together with minor magnetite, thorianite(Th-rich oxide) and monazite(LREE-rich phosphate) are often seen as relicts or inclusions within magnesian silicates in the wall rocks, revealing that they were primary or earlier metamorphic minerals than magnesian silicates. And olivine exists as subhedral interstitial texture between hornblende, which shows later formation of olivine than hornblende and does not conform with sequence of magmatic crystallization. All these mineralogical features thus bias towards their metamorphic, rather than magmatic origin. The dominant chemical components of the iron ores are SiO_2(4.77–25.23 wt%), Fe_2O_3 T(32.9–80.39 wt%) and MgO(5.72–27.17 wt%) and uniformly, those of the wall rocks are also SiO_2(16.34–48.72 wt%), Mg O(16.71–33.97 wt%) and Fe_2O_3 T(6.98–30.92 wt%). The striking high Fe-Mg-Si contents reveal that protolith of the Zhaoanzhuang iron deposit was more likely to be chemical sedimentary rocks. The distinct high-Mg feature and presence of abundant anhydrite possibly indicate it primarily precipitated in a confined seawater basin under an evaporitic environment. Besides, higher contents of Al, Ti, P, Th, U, Pb, REE relative to other Precambrian iron-rich chemical precipitates(BIF) suggest some clastic terrestrial materials were probably input. As a result, we think the Zhaoanzhuang iron deposit had experienced the initial Fe-Mg-Si marine precipitation, followed by further Mg enrichment through marine evaporated process, subsequent high-grade metamorphism and late-stage hydrothermal fluid modification.  相似文献   

18.
The well‐known Erzberg site represents the largest siderite (FeCO3) deposit in the world. It consists of various carbonates accounting for the formation of prominent CaCO3 (dominantly aragonite) precipitates filling vertical fractures of different width (centimetres to decimetres) and length (tens of metres). These commonly laminated precipitates are known as ‘erzbergite’. This study focuses on the growth dynamics and environmental dependencies of these vein fillings. Samples recovered on‐site and from mineral collections were analyzed, and these analyses were further complemented by modern water analyses from different Erzberg sections. Isotopic signatures support meteoric water infiltration and sulphide oxidation as the principal hydrogeochemical mechanism of (Ca, Mg and Fe) carbonate host rock dissolution, mobilization and vein mineralization. Clumped isotope measurements revealed cool formation temperatures of ca 0 to 10°C for the aragonite, i.e. reflecting the elevated altitude Alpine setting, but unexpectedly low for aragonite nucleation. The 238U–234U–230Th dating yielded ages from 285·1 ± 3·9 to 1·03 ± 0·04 kyr bp and all samples collected on‐site formed after the Last Glacial Maximum. The observed CaCO3 polymorphism is primarily controlled by the high aqueous Mg/Ca ratios resulting from dissolution of Mg‐rich host rocks, with Mg/Ca further evolving during prior CaCO3 precipitation and CO2 outgassing in the fissured aquifer. Aragonite represents the ‘normal’ mode of erzbergite formation and most of the calcite is of diagenetic (replacing aragonite) origin. The characteristic lamination (millimetre‐scale) is an original growth feature and mostly associated with the deposition of stained (Fe‐rich) detrital particle layers. Broader zonations (centimetre‐scale) are commonly of diagenetic origin. Petrographic observations and radiometric dating support an irregular nature for most of the layering. Open fractures resulting from fault tectonics or gravitational mass movements provide water flow routes and fresh chemical reaction surfaces of the host rock carbonates and accessory sulphides. If these prerequisites are considered, including the hydrogeochemical mechanism, modern water compositions, young U‐Th ages and calculated precipitation rates, it seems unlikely that the fractures had stayed open over extended time intervals. Therefore, it is most likely that they are geologically young.  相似文献   

19.
At Tylicz, near Krynica Spa (Polish Carpathians), spelean deposits fill fissures and caverns in Eocene flysch rocks. They occur as: (1) clastic cave sediments transformed into hard crusts due to cementation by finely crystalline low-Mg calcite, (2) drusy calcite that covers crust surfaces and fills voids in the crust and (3) colloform calcite. Two varieties of drusy calcite are distinguished: acicular and columnar. The acicular calcite is built up of crystallites forming spherulitic fans or cones. In places it is syntaxially covered with colloform calcite. The drusy calcite is low-Mg ferroan calcite with non-ferroan subzones, whereas the colloform calcite is a low-Mg non-ferroan variety. The columnar calcite crystals form fan-like bundles. Cross-sections cut perpendicular to the c-axes of columnar crystals are equilateral triangular in shape, although some have slightly curved edges. The columnar crystals have steep rhombic terminations and most have curved triangular faces, i.e. gothic-arch calcite. Saddle crystals have also been observed. The columnar crystals are composed of radially orientated crystallites whose long dimension is parallel to the c-axis. The curved crystal faces of such polycrystals are interpreted as a result of differential growth rates of the crystallites. The spelean calcites precipitated from CO2-saturated water. The high rate of CaCO3 precipitation is thought to be responsible for the formation of radial structures. Finely crystalline calcite formed within pore spaces of clastic sediments close to the water-air interface, drusy calcite crystallized beneath the water-air interface, and colloform calcite precipitated from thin films of water.  相似文献   

20.
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.  相似文献   

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