Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites

Abstract Offshore facies of the Mesoproterozoic Sulky Formation, Dismal Lakes Group, arctic Canada, preserve microbialites with unusual morphology. These microbialites grew in water depths greater than several tens of meters and correlate with high‐relief conical stromatolites of the more proximal S...

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Published in:Geobiology
Main Authors: Bartley, J. K., Kah, L. C., Frank, T. D., Lyons, T. W.
Other Authors: NSF
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12114
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fgbi.12114
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spelling crwiley:10.1111/gbi.12114 2024-09-15T17:42:26+00:00 Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites Bartley, J. K. Kah, L. C. Frank, T. D. Lyons, T. W. NSF 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12114 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fgbi.12114 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gbi.12114 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Geobiology volume 13, issue 1, page 15-32 ISSN 1472-4677 1472-4669 journal-article 2014 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12114 2024-08-06T04:20:28Z Abstract Offshore facies of the Mesoproterozoic Sulky Formation, Dismal Lakes Group, arctic Canada, preserve microbialites with unusual morphology. These microbialites grew in water depths greater than several tens of meters and correlate with high‐relief conical stromatolites of the more proximal September Lake reef complex. The gross morphology of these microbial facies consists of ridge‐like vertical supports draped by concave‐upward, subhorizontal elements, resulting in tent‐shaped cuspate microbialites with substantial primary void space. Morphological and petrographic analyses suggest a model wherein penecontemporaneous upward growth of ridge elements and development of subhorizontal draping elements initially resulted in a buoyantly supported, unlithified microbial form. Lithification began via precipitation within organic elements during microbialite growth. Mineralization either stabilized or facilitated collapse of initially neutrally buoyant microbialite forms. Microbial structures and breccias were then further stabilized by precipitation of marine herringbone cement. During late‐stage diagenesis, remaining void space was occluded by ferroan dolomite cement. Cuspate microbialites are most similar to those found in offshore facies of Neoarchean carbonate platforms and to unlithified, buoyantly supported microbial mats in modern ice‐covered Antarctic lakes. We suggest that such unusual microbialite morphologies are a product of the interaction between motile and non‐motile communities under nutrient‐limiting conditions, followed by early lithification, which served to preserve the resultant microbial form. The presence of marine herringbone cement, commonly associated with high dissolved inorganic carbon ( DIC ), low O 2 conditions, also suggests growth in association with reducing environments at or near the seafloor or in conjunction with a geochemical interface. Predominance of coniform stromatolite forms in the Proterozoic—across a variety of depositional environments—may thus reflect a combination ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Wiley Online Library Geobiology 13 1 15 32
institution Open Polar
collection Wiley Online Library
op_collection_id crwiley
language English
description Abstract Offshore facies of the Mesoproterozoic Sulky Formation, Dismal Lakes Group, arctic Canada, preserve microbialites with unusual morphology. These microbialites grew in water depths greater than several tens of meters and correlate with high‐relief conical stromatolites of the more proximal September Lake reef complex. The gross morphology of these microbial facies consists of ridge‐like vertical supports draped by concave‐upward, subhorizontal elements, resulting in tent‐shaped cuspate microbialites with substantial primary void space. Morphological and petrographic analyses suggest a model wherein penecontemporaneous upward growth of ridge elements and development of subhorizontal draping elements initially resulted in a buoyantly supported, unlithified microbial form. Lithification began via precipitation within organic elements during microbialite growth. Mineralization either stabilized or facilitated collapse of initially neutrally buoyant microbialite forms. Microbial structures and breccias were then further stabilized by precipitation of marine herringbone cement. During late‐stage diagenesis, remaining void space was occluded by ferroan dolomite cement. Cuspate microbialites are most similar to those found in offshore facies of Neoarchean carbonate platforms and to unlithified, buoyantly supported microbial mats in modern ice‐covered Antarctic lakes. We suggest that such unusual microbialite morphologies are a product of the interaction between motile and non‐motile communities under nutrient‐limiting conditions, followed by early lithification, which served to preserve the resultant microbial form. The presence of marine herringbone cement, commonly associated with high dissolved inorganic carbon ( DIC ), low O 2 conditions, also suggests growth in association with reducing environments at or near the seafloor or in conjunction with a geochemical interface. Predominance of coniform stromatolite forms in the Proterozoic—across a variety of depositional environments—may thus reflect a combination ...
author2 NSF
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Bartley, J. K.
Kah, L. C.
Frank, T. D.
Lyons, T. W.
spellingShingle Bartley, J. K.
Kah, L. C.
Frank, T. D.
Lyons, T. W.
Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
author_facet Bartley, J. K.
Kah, L. C.
Frank, T. D.
Lyons, T. W.
author_sort Bartley, J. K.
title Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
title_short Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
title_full Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
title_fullStr Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
title_full_unstemmed Deep‐water microbialites of the Mesoproterozoic Dismal Lakes Group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
title_sort deep‐water microbialites of the mesoproterozoic dismal lakes group: microbial growth, lithification, and implications for coniform stromatolites
publisher Wiley
publishDate 2014
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12114
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fgbi.12114
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gbi.12114
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