Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites
While stromatolites, and to a lesser extent thrombolites, have been extensively studied in order to unravel Precambrian (>539 Ma) biological evolution, studies of clastic-dominated microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are relatively scarce. The lack of a consolidated record of clas...
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ODU Digital Commons
2024
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Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/510 https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12601 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/oeas_fac_pubs/article/1521/viewcontent/Noffke_2024_InterpretinganArchaeanPaleoenvironmentThroughOCR.pdf |
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ftolddominionuni:oai:digitalcommons.odu.edu:oeas_fac_pubs-1521 2024-06-23T07:55:25+00:00 Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites Howard, Cecilia M. Sheldon, Nathan D. Smith, Selena Y. Noffke, Nora 2024-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/510 https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12601 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/oeas_fac_pubs/article/1521/viewcontent/Noffke_2024_InterpretinganArchaeanPaleoenvironmentThroughOCR.pdf unknown ODU Digital Commons https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/510 doi:10.1111/gbi.12601 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/oeas_fac_pubs/article/1521/viewcontent/Noffke_2024_InterpretinganArchaeanPaleoenvironmentThroughOCR.pdf © 2024 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License , which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. OES Faculty Publications Abiotic synthesis Archaea Barberton greenstone-belt Carbon isotopic signatures Dresser formation Early life Fossils GA dresser formation Geologic sediments - microbiology Imaging three-dimensional Induced sedimentary structurees Microbial mats Miss Moodies group Organic-compounds North-pole area Pilbara cration Sulfate reduction μCT scan Western Australia X-ray microtomography Paleontology Sedimentology article 2024 ftolddominionuni https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12601 2024-06-11T14:08:27Z While stromatolites, and to a lesser extent thrombolites, have been extensively studied in order to unravel Precambrian (>539 Ma) biological evolution, studies of clastic-dominated microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are relatively scarce. The lack of a consolidated record of clastic microbialites creates questions about how much (and what) information on depositional and taphonomic settings can be gleaned from these fossils. We used μCT scanning, a non-destructive X-ray-based 3D imaging method, to reconstruct morphologies of ancient MISS and mat textures in two previously described coastal Archaean samples from the ~3.48 Ga Dresser Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia. The aim of this study was to test the ability of μCT scanning to visualize and make 3D measurements that can be used to interpret the biotic–environmental interactions. Fossil MISS including mat laminae with carpet-like textures in one sample and mat rip-up chips in the second sample were investigated. Compiled δ¹³C and δ³â´S analyses of specimens from the Dresser Fm. are consistent with a taxonomically diverse community that could be capable of forming such MISS. 3D measurements of fossil microbial mat chips indicate significant biostabilization and suggest formation in flow velocities >25 cm s−¹. Given the stratigraphic location of these chips in a low-flow lagoonal layer, we conclude that these chips formed due to tidal influence, as these assumed velocities are consistent with recent modeling of Archaean tides. The success of μCT scanning in documenting these microbialite features validates this technique both as a first step analysis for rare samples prior to the use of more destructive techniques and as a valuable tool for gaining insight into microbialite taphonomy. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Pole Old Dominion University: ODU Digital Commons North Pole Geobiology 22 3 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Old Dominion University: ODU Digital Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftolddominionuni |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Abiotic synthesis Archaea Barberton greenstone-belt Carbon isotopic signatures Dresser formation Early life Fossils GA dresser formation Geologic sediments - microbiology Imaging three-dimensional Induced sedimentary structurees Microbial mats Miss Moodies group Organic-compounds North-pole area Pilbara cration Sulfate reduction μCT scan Western Australia X-ray microtomography Paleontology Sedimentology |
spellingShingle |
Abiotic synthesis Archaea Barberton greenstone-belt Carbon isotopic signatures Dresser formation Early life Fossils GA dresser formation Geologic sediments - microbiology Imaging three-dimensional Induced sedimentary structurees Microbial mats Miss Moodies group Organic-compounds North-pole area Pilbara cration Sulfate reduction μCT scan Western Australia X-ray microtomography Paleontology Sedimentology Howard, Cecilia M. Sheldon, Nathan D. Smith, Selena Y. Noffke, Nora Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites |
topic_facet |
Abiotic synthesis Archaea Barberton greenstone-belt Carbon isotopic signatures Dresser formation Early life Fossils GA dresser formation Geologic sediments - microbiology Imaging three-dimensional Induced sedimentary structurees Microbial mats Miss Moodies group Organic-compounds North-pole area Pilbara cration Sulfate reduction μCT scan Western Australia X-ray microtomography Paleontology Sedimentology |
description |
While stromatolites, and to a lesser extent thrombolites, have been extensively studied in order to unravel Precambrian (>539 Ma) biological evolution, studies of clastic-dominated microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are relatively scarce. The lack of a consolidated record of clastic microbialites creates questions about how much (and what) information on depositional and taphonomic settings can be gleaned from these fossils. We used μCT scanning, a non-destructive X-ray-based 3D imaging method, to reconstruct morphologies of ancient MISS and mat textures in two previously described coastal Archaean samples from the ~3.48 Ga Dresser Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia. The aim of this study was to test the ability of μCT scanning to visualize and make 3D measurements that can be used to interpret the biotic–environmental interactions. Fossil MISS including mat laminae with carpet-like textures in one sample and mat rip-up chips in the second sample were investigated. Compiled δ¹³C and δ³â´S analyses of specimens from the Dresser Fm. are consistent with a taxonomically diverse community that could be capable of forming such MISS. 3D measurements of fossil microbial mat chips indicate significant biostabilization and suggest formation in flow velocities >25 cm s−¹. Given the stratigraphic location of these chips in a low-flow lagoonal layer, we conclude that these chips formed due to tidal influence, as these assumed velocities are consistent with recent modeling of Archaean tides. The success of μCT scanning in documenting these microbialite features validates this technique both as a first step analysis for rare samples prior to the use of more destructive techniques and as a valuable tool for gaining insight into microbialite taphonomy. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Howard, Cecilia M. Sheldon, Nathan D. Smith, Selena Y. Noffke, Nora |
author_facet |
Howard, Cecilia M. Sheldon, Nathan D. Smith, Selena Y. Noffke, Nora |
author_sort |
Howard, Cecilia M. |
title |
Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites |
title_short |
Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites |
title_full |
Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites |
title_fullStr |
Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interpreting an Archaean Paleoenvironment Through 3D Imagery of Microbialites |
title_sort |
interpreting an archaean paleoenvironment through 3d imagery of microbialites |
publisher |
ODU Digital Commons |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/510 https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12601 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/oeas_fac_pubs/article/1521/viewcontent/Noffke_2024_InterpretinganArchaeanPaleoenvironmentThroughOCR.pdf |
geographic |
North Pole |
geographic_facet |
North Pole |
genre |
North Pole |
genre_facet |
North Pole |
op_source |
OES Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_fac_pubs/510 doi:10.1111/gbi.12601 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/context/oeas_fac_pubs/article/1521/viewcontent/Noffke_2024_InterpretinganArchaeanPaleoenvironmentThroughOCR.pdf |
op_rights |
© 2024 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License , which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12601 |
container_title |
Geobiology |
container_volume |
22 |
container_issue |
3 |
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1802648018128732160 |