Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin
Abstract The form of microbialite accumulations is largely the product of environmental processes and microbial activity. Recent work has largely concentrated on the identification and classification of microbialites with little attention being paid to their environmental significance. This study de...
Published in: | Geological Magazine |
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2013
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756813000290 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756813000290 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0016756813000290 2024-09-15T18:04:16+00:00 Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin ANDREWS, S. D. TREWIN, N. H. 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756813000290 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756813000290 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Geological Magazine volume 151, issue 3, page 414-429 ISSN 0016-7568 1469-5081 journal-article 2013 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756813000290 2024-07-31T04:03:56Z Abstract The form of microbialite accumulations is largely the product of environmental processes and microbial activity. Recent work has largely concentrated on the identification and classification of microbialites with little attention being paid to their environmental significance. This study describes the environmental distribution of the varied stromatolite forms recorded from the Middle Old Red Sandstone sequences of the Orcadian Basin. Comparisons are made with Triassic examples from East Greenland and modern microbialite accumulations. The Middle Old Red Sandstone of Northern Scotland was deposited in a predominantly lacustrine setting. Stromatolites are recorded from both steep basin margin coincident settings and lower gradient settings where the lake margin was distant from the basin margin. In the latter case stromatolite development is largely restricted to transgressive lacustrine sequences, during the deposition of which reduced rates of sedimentation resulted from the migration of sediment input points towards the basin margin. Stromatolite sheets, domal mounds, aligned mounds (and associated runnels), sand-cored stromatolite mounds and reefal stromatolite accumulations have been identified representing the transition from more sheltered to more exposed environments. In basin margin coincident settings stromatolite accumulation is restricted to areas of low sedimentation where microbialites coat boulders and pebbles. A model for the palaeoenvironmental distribution of the stromatolite forms described is proposed and is shown to be applicable to similar examples from the Triassic of East Greenland. It is suggested that this model may be more widely applicable to stromatolitic accumulations in similar lacustrine settings through large portions of the Phanerozoic. Article in Journal/Newspaper East Greenland Greenland Cambridge University Press Geological Magazine 151 3 414 429 |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
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English |
description |
Abstract The form of microbialite accumulations is largely the product of environmental processes and microbial activity. Recent work has largely concentrated on the identification and classification of microbialites with little attention being paid to their environmental significance. This study describes the environmental distribution of the varied stromatolite forms recorded from the Middle Old Red Sandstone sequences of the Orcadian Basin. Comparisons are made with Triassic examples from East Greenland and modern microbialite accumulations. The Middle Old Red Sandstone of Northern Scotland was deposited in a predominantly lacustrine setting. Stromatolites are recorded from both steep basin margin coincident settings and lower gradient settings where the lake margin was distant from the basin margin. In the latter case stromatolite development is largely restricted to transgressive lacustrine sequences, during the deposition of which reduced rates of sedimentation resulted from the migration of sediment input points towards the basin margin. Stromatolite sheets, domal mounds, aligned mounds (and associated runnels), sand-cored stromatolite mounds and reefal stromatolite accumulations have been identified representing the transition from more sheltered to more exposed environments. In basin margin coincident settings stromatolite accumulation is restricted to areas of low sedimentation where microbialites coat boulders and pebbles. A model for the palaeoenvironmental distribution of the stromatolite forms described is proposed and is shown to be applicable to similar examples from the Triassic of East Greenland. It is suggested that this model may be more widely applicable to stromatolitic accumulations in similar lacustrine settings through large portions of the Phanerozoic. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
ANDREWS, S. D. TREWIN, N. H. |
spellingShingle |
ANDREWS, S. D. TREWIN, N. H. Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin |
author_facet |
ANDREWS, S. D. TREWIN, N. H. |
author_sort |
ANDREWS, S. D. |
title |
Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin |
title_short |
Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin |
title_full |
Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin |
title_fullStr |
Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin |
title_full_unstemmed |
Palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the Middle Old Red Sandstone of the Orcadian Basin |
title_sort |
palaeoenvironmental significance of lacustrine stromatolite forms from the middle old red sandstone of the orcadian basin |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0016756813000290 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0016756813000290 |
genre |
East Greenland Greenland |
genre_facet |
East Greenland Greenland |
op_source |
Geological Magazine volume 151, issue 3, page 414-429 ISSN 0016-7568 1469-5081 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0016756813000290 |
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Geological Magazine |
container_volume |
151 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
414 |
op_container_end_page |
429 |
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1810441774015971328 |