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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS1987

Gray whale and walrus feeding excavation on the Bering Shelf, Alaska

Sidescan sonar has been used to delineate benthic feeding structures of the California gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus ) and Pacific walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) on the northeastern Bering Shelf. The gray whales (average mouth length, 2.0 m), when suction feeding on infaunal amphipods, create shallow pits in the sea floor, typically 2.5 m x 1.5 m x 10 cm deep, which are distinct and mappable on sidescan sonographs. Similarly, walrus, when foraging for shallow clams, create long, linear feeding furrows that average 47 x 0.4 x 0.1 m (length-width-depth). The distribution of the whale pits over 22,000 km 2 of the Bering Shelf closely matches 1) sightings of feeding whales identified by mud plumes; 2) the distribution of ampeliscid amphipods, the gray whale's main prey; and 3) the distribution of a transgressive inner-shelf fine sand that serves as a substrate for the amphipods. The walrus' furrows are recognized over 6,600 km 2 of variable muddier or coarser-grained substrate with clam-rich benthic communities that surround the fine sand substrate of whale feeding areas. The whale feeding pits are commonly enlarged and oriented by seasonal storm-related scour. Nonenlarged pits (less than 5.3 m 2 in area) form a discrete statistical population that we define as fresh . We estimate that a minimum of 5.6 percent (1,200 km 2 ) of the feeding area of the northeastern Bering Shelf (22,000 km 2 ) was covered by fresh pits made by whales during the 1980 feeding season. Assuming that the average pit depth is 10 cm, a minimum of 120 x 10 6 m 3 (172 x 10 6 metric tons) of sediment, equivalent to about three times the yearly sediment load of the Yukon River, is excavated and injected into the water column by as many as 16,000 gray whales feeding in northeastern Bering Sea each season. As a result of 1) sediment resuspension by whales, 2) average current speeds of 10.7 cm/s northward during the feeding season, and 3) enhanced post-feeding current scour because of bottom roughening, the following occur: the majority of the clay fraction (4.3 x 10 6 metric tons) of resuspended sediment is advected to the Chukchi Sea each year; sand gradually is transported northward and fills old feeding pits; modern mud does not accumulate in this region; and the whale-disturbed sand lacks physical sedimentary structures and matrix mud. Walrus feeding features are smaller, formed in higher-energy environments, and modified more rapidly than whale feeding pits. The amount of sediment reworking by walrus feeding may nearly equal that of whale feeding, but this cannot be quantified accurately.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1987

Lungfish burrows in the Upper Triassic Chinle and Dolores Formations, Colorado Plateau

Vertical-to-inclined, cylindrical trace fossils that occur in the Upper Triassic Chinle and Dolores Formations on the Colorado Plateau are interpreted to be the casts of lungfish burrows. The casts, which are as much as 11 cm in diameter and as much as 1.6 m long, were formed by passive silicilastic and carbonate sedimentation into apparently abandoned lungfish burrows. Locally, the burrow fillings are overwhelmingly abundant, and many intersect and have destroyed former burrow fillings. Superposition of bioturbation episodes has obliterated most primary sedimentary structures. This bioturbation has contributed to the mottled coloration and the knobby-weathering texture of the rocks. The burrow-fillings occur ubiquitously in three lithofacies, comprising 1) purple- and white-mottled, silicified sandstone and siltstone, 2) red and brown siltstone and mudstone, and 3) pink and green limestone. These strata were deposited in a continental environment that included fluvial channels and floodplains, sand sheets and playa mudflats, and lacustrine basins, marshes, and deltas. The identification of the trace fossils as the positive casts of lungfish burrows is based on their morphologic similarity to previously identified lungfish burrows and to available hand specimens. The widespread occurrence of the lungfish burrows in the Chinle and Dolores Formations attests to the extensive habitat that supported lungfish in the Late Triassic and to conditions favorable for burrow preservation. Analogy with the environments that support modern lungfish populations suggests that the Late Triassic climate in the study area provided sufficient moisture to support large populations of lungfish and that this climate was probably punctuated by seasonally dry periods.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1987

Integration of channel and floodplain suites. I. Developmental sequence and lateral relations of alluvial paleosols.

The lower Eocene Willwood Formation of the Bighorn Basin, northwest Wyoming, consists of about 770 m of alluvial rocks that exhibit extensive mechanical and geochemical modifications resulting from Eocene pedogenesis. Willwood paleosols vary considerably in their relative degrees of maturity; maturity is defined as stage of development as a function of the amount of time required to form. Five arbitrary stages are proposed to distinguish these soils of different maturities in the Willwood Formation. Stage 1 soils, the least mature, are entisols; stage 2 and stage 3 soils are intermediate in maturity and are probably alfisols; and stage 4 and stage 5 soils, the most mature, are spodosols. These stages are not only time-progressive elements of an in situ maturation sequence for Willwood soil formation, but, in the lateral dimension, they are also usually distributed sequentially. Study of Willwood paleosols indicates that an inverse relationship exists between soil maturity and short-term sediment accumulation rate. The least mature Willwood paleosols formed in areas of relatively high net rates of sediment accumulation on 1) channel, levee, and crevasse-splay sediments of the proximal alluvial ridge, and 2) deposits filling large and small paleovalleys formed by major episodes of gullying (lowered baselevels). In contrast, the fine-grained sediments of the distal floodplain, where net sediment accumulation rates were relatively low, experienced development of much more mature soils. Soils of intermediate maturities occur in the order of their stage on intervening proximal floodplain and distal alluvial ridge sediments. Adjacent bodies of sedimentary rock that differ in their ancient soil properties because of distance from areas of relatively high sediment accumulation are denoted by the new term pedofacies . The remarkable sequence of paleosols in the Willwood Formation clearly illustrates several important principles of soil-sediment interrelationships in aggrading alluvial systems that have broad application to other deposits. This is especially true in view of the widespread distribution of paleosols in nearly all ancient fluvial rocks. Further study of Willwood paleosols will not only enable precise lateral correlation of coeval alluvial sediments, and thereby fluvial sedimentary events, from the distal to the proximal realms of the floodplain but will also contribute to increasingly informative evaluations of the nature, tempo, and mode of alluvial succession.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1989

Significance of loessite in the Maroon Formation (Middle Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian), Eagle Basin, northwest Colorado

Quaternary loess deposits are widespread on the earth's surface, yet pre-Quaternary loess deposits have rarely been reported. The Maroon Formation (Middle Pennsylvanian to Lower Permian) of the Eagle Basin, northwest Colorado, includes a siltstone-dominated facies interpreted as loessite (lithified loess) along its downwind basin margin. The section of inferred loessite in the Maroon Formation is locally at least 490 m thick and consists in large part of structureless and nearly structureless beds of homogeneous sandy siltstone. Bed contacts are generally planar to undulatory and are either horizontal or are characterized by gentle relief. Loessite beds are separated by common claystone drapes and weakly developed paleosols, and by rare pond deposits, channel deposits, and eolian-ripple-laminated deposits. The loess interpretation is based on 1) the homogeneity and dominance of the sandy silt grain-size; 2) the relative lack of primary sedimentary structures; 3) the gentle character of most bedding contacts and the common mantling of irregular depositional topography; 4) the inferred paleogeographic setting; and 5) the absence of suitable alternative interpretations. The loessite grades laterally into mixed fluvial-eolian deposits of the Maroon Formation in the main part of Eagle Basin, which served as the loessite sediment source. Deposition of the Maroon Formation was probably strongly affected by cyclic climatic changes synchronous with fluctuations in late Paleozoic continental ice sheets. The paleogeography and paleoclimatology of the Maroon Formation depositional system are not unique, suggesting that there are probably many other ancient loessites that have gone unrecognized.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1990

Eocene diatom chert from Adak Island, Alaska

Bedded quartz cherts that contain recognizable diatoms are rare in the geologic record and are described here for the first time. The Eocene Andrew Lake Formation on Adak Island, Alaska consists of about 800 m of sedimentary and volcanogenic rocks. Quartz cherts containing diatoms occur in the upper part of the Andrew Lake Formation and crop out on the northern part of the island. The quartz chert formed at about 70 degrees C as determined by its oxygen isotopic composition. The diatoms were preserved in the chert because early and rapid alteration of ubiquitous volcanic glass in the section released silica and saturated the pore waters with respect to opal-A. Then, temperature rapidly increased with burial and the pore waters became undersaturated with respect to opal-A (biogenic silica), which occurred at a temperature greater than that needed to convert opal-CT to quartz. At this stage, delicate species of diatoms dissolved and quartz precipitated around the remaining more robust diatoms, forming diatom theft. Subsequently, grain-growth occurred and quartz replaced the frustules on a very fine scale.

Alaska↗
USGS1956

Heavy-mineral suites in unconsolidated Paleocene and younger sands, western Tennessee

Heavy-mineral suites from unconsolidated sands of Wilcox and Claiborne age (Eocene) in the subsurface of western Tennessee were tabulated and compared with heavy-mineral suites obtained from outcropping sands known to be of Midway (Paleocene) and Wilcox age and younger. In the subsurface at Memphis, both pink and colorless garnet are relatively abundant in the Claiborne but rare in the Wilcox. Garnet, however, is very rare in both the Claiborne and the Wilcox in the subsurface 35 miles northeast of Memphis. The mineral is very rare also in the terrace sands of western Tennessee and in samples of the Pliocene(?) and Pleistocene deposits of the Tennessee River in eastern and western Tennessee. It is possible, therefore, that the relative abundance of the mineral garnet is related to the quantity of sediment received from differing source areas in Wilcox and Claiborne times, but that, owing to the shifting of the axis of the embayment, no one source area furnished all the sediment for any formation. Heavy-mineral suites from Pliocene(?) and Pleistocene terrace deposits of the Tennessee River in both eastern and western Tennessee, and heavy-mineral suites from Pliocene(?) deposits of the Mississippi River are much alike, and the only isotropic mineral noted in these sediments was a very rare green mineral. Heavy-mineral suites from Recent deposits of the Mississippi River at Memphis and reported heavy-mineral suites from Cambrian sandstones of Wisconsin and Minnesota differ greatly from heavy-mineral suites of Pliocene(?) terrace deposits of the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers and include much pink and colorless garnet. The possibility, therefore, is suggested that the Pliocene(?) terrace deposits of the Mississippi River in western Tennessee were derived largely from the basin of the Tennessee River.

Tennessee↗
USGS1964

Bottom sediments of Saginaw Bay, Michigan

Saginaw Bay is a southwest extension of Lake Huron on the east shore of the Southern Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shallow-water derivative of the Pleistocene Lake Saginaw. Sixty-one bottom samples were collected on a semigrid pattern and analyzed physically. Findings were treated statistically. Sediments range in size from large pebbles to clay. Medium- to fine-grained clear quartz sand is common to all parts of the bay. Currents and wave action are primarily responsible for both median diameter and sorting distribution patterns. Only a very general correlation can be established between depth and median diameter. Heavy minerals occur in abundance locally and show an affinity to shallow-water areas subject to prevailing currents. Shape also locally determines heavy mineral concentrations. Only general conclusions can be established from roundness and sphericity and acid-soluble content. Increased organic content is correlative with quiet water environments. The shallow-water, heterogeneous nature of Saginaw Bay is not conducive to the recognition of sedimentary criteria suitable for correlations in other than a local environment.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1966

Color variations within glacial till, east-central North Dakota--A preliminary investigation

Color variations (orange zones within buff-colored till) in drift in east-central North Dakota are believed to represent two tills of separate origin. Mean size, standard deviation, and number and type of pebbles show greater difference between the two tills than do skewness, kurtosis, and partial chemical analyses. Probably blocks of older till were moved by the last glacier crossing the area and were redeposited in a matrix of younger till.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1991

Modern sedimentary environments in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts

Analyses of sidescan-sonar records supplemented by available bathymetric, sedimentary, subbottom, and bottom-current data reveal the distributions of the following three categories of sedimentary environments within the glaciated, topographically complex Boston Harbor estuary in Massachusetts. 1) Environments of erosion appear on the sonographs either as patterns with isolated strong reflections or as uniform patterns of strong reflectivity. These patterns define outcrops of bedrock or till and coarse lag deposits that are being scoured and winnowed by tidal- and wave-induced currents. Erosional areas are located primarily along mainland and insular shores, within large channels that have strong tidal currents, atop submerged ridges and knolls, and across much of the harbor entrance. 2) Environments of deposition are depicted on the sidescan-sonar records as smooth, featureless surfaces that have low to moderate reflectivity. Depositional environments are found predominantly over shallow subtidal flats and in broad bathymetric lows where tidal currents are weak. Sediments within depositional areas are organic-rich sandy and clayey silts that are accumulating at rates ranging from 0.01 to 0.11 g/cm 2 /yr or 4000 to 46,100 metric tons/yr. The cumulative mass of modern mud in harbor depocenters is 24.3 million metric tons. 3) Environments of sediment reworking constitute areas affected by a combination of erosional and depositional processes. They are characterized on the sonographs by mosaics of light and dark patches produced by relatively subtle and gradational changes in reflectivity. Reworked sediments have diverse grain sizes that overlap and are transitional between those of the other two sedimentary environments, and they are indicative of highly variable bottom currents.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1991

Porosity trends of the Lower Cretaceous J Sandstone, Denver Basin, Colorado

This study examines relationships between porosity and time-temperature history, and the influence of rock properties upon porosity, for the Lower Cretaceous J Sandstone in the Colorado portion of the Denver basin. The J Sandstone is classified as a quartzarenite to litharenite and was deposited in nearshore-marine, deltaic, and fluvial-estuarine (valley-fill) settings. Principal elements of its paragenetic sequence include quartz cementation and pressure solution, carbonate cementation and dissolution, dissolution of feldspar and rock fragments, and formation of authigenic clays. Porosity versus vitrinite reflectance (R 0 ) regression lines of the form Phi = A(R 0 )Beta (where B is a negative number) depicting the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th porosity percentiles of the J Sandstone were derived from 963 core-plug measurements representing 31 wells. The data span a thermal maturity range of R 0 = 0.41%-1.14%. Porosity distributions at different locations within the basin can be estimated as a function of thermal maturity on the basis of these regression lines. Porosity trends of the J Sandstone, if considered as a function of R 0 , are similar to those of broad, composite data sets representing sandstones in general. The petrographic factors that most affect J Sandstone porosity variability at a given level of thermal maturity are carbonate cementation and clay content. Carbonate cement, where present, reduces porosity. If previously more widespread, carbonate cement could also introduce porosity heterogeneity by temporarily preserving the pore network relative to uncemented intervals. Abundant detrital and authigenic clay reduces porosity by occupying pores. Low clay content indirectly reduces porosity because the inhibiting effects of clay upon quartz cementation and pressure solution are largely absent.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1992

Role of microbial processes in linking sandstone diagenesis with organic-rich clays

Numerous chemical reactions within clay sequences have been proposed to produce dissolved material for diagenesis of deeply-buried sands. However, reactions responsible for solubilizing inorganic and organic constituents in clays at intermediate depths, and their importance to sandstone diagenesis, have not been evaluated. Results from this study show that the processes of microbial organic-acid production (via fermentation) in clays and microbial organic-acid consumption (via sulfate reduction) in sands effectively link organic-rich clays to sandstone diagenesis in the Black Creek Formation of South Carolina. Diagenetic processes have resulted in the formation of 10 volume percent calcite cement, 0.1 volume percent authigenic pyrite, and 1.5 volume percent secondary porosity in Black Creek sands. However, the distribution of these diagenetic processes is not uniform, resulting in net destruction of porosity in some parts of the sand and net porosity enhancement in other parts. Mass balance-derived rates of microbial organic-acid production (10 (super -5) mmole carbon 1 (super -1) yr (super -1) ) and microbial CO 2 production (4 x 10 (super -5) mmole l (super -1) yr (super -1) ) show that microbial processes can account for all organic carbon in the calcite cements (at least 11% of carbonate carbon based on isotope-balance calculations), all observed authigenic pyrite, and all observed secondary porosity. These findings show that microbial processes can serve to link organic-rich clays with sandstone diagenesis at intermediate depths.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1992

Lithofacies analysis of colluvial sediments - an aid in interpreting the recent history of Quaternary normal faults in the Basin and Range Province, western United States

Inferring the frequency and magnitude of past earthquakes from the stratigraphy in exposures of normal-faulted sediments is difficult because colluvial lithofacies assemblages adjacent to faults are complex. Similarities in facies assemblages adjacent to young fault scarps in arid to semiarid areas, such as the Basin and Range province, allow lithofacies to be grouped into two genetic architectural elements: debris and wash elements. Upper and lower facies associations can commonly be recognized within each element. A lithofacies code scheme, similar to those used in the analysis of fluvial and glacial lithofacies sequences, provides a concise way of illustrating lithofacies relations in fault exposures. The source lithology of colluvial lithofacies is shown in the code, and soil-horizon symbols can be included. The architecture of lithofacies assemblages near fault scarps in semiarid areas is explained by a model of colluvial sedimentation in response to a single surface faulting event. Analysis of lithofacies assemblages exposed in three trenches across normal faults in the eastern Basin and Range shows how the model can be used to interpret fault histories. Similar facies analysis methods may be useful in interpreting colluvial sequences formed by non-tectonic processes.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗
USGS1962

Stability relations of the ferruginous biotite, annite

Annite , KFe 3 AISi 3 O 10 (OH) 2 a member of the iron biotites and the ferrous analogue of phlogopite, has been synthesized and its phase relations have been determined as functions of temperature, fugacity of oxygen (fo 2 ), and total pressure (P total ≈PH 2 O+PH 2 ). A method for controlling fo 2 at high total pressures is described, and data for the 'oxygen buffers' used are given. Buffers range from quartz+iron+fayalite assemblages (low fo 2 ) to magnetite-hematite assemblages (high fo 2 ). Optical properties and unit-cell dimensions of synthetic annites depend on the conditions of synthesis.By recalculating published analyses of natural iron-rich biotites it can be shown that one cannot assume a constant hydrogen content for such biotites. Oxidation may have occurred by drying at 115°C. Octahedral occupancy therefore cannot be calculated from such data.Phase relations of annite are presented in 2,070 and 1,035 bar sections. Depending on fo 2 -T values annite was found to decompose to one of the following assemblages: hematite+ sanidine, magnetite+sanidine, fayalite+leucite+kalsilite, iron+sanidine. All decompositions are dehydration and redox reactions and are sensitive to changes in fH 2 0 and fo 2 (or fH 2 0 and fH 2 ). At 2, 070 bars total pressure annite +magnetite+sanidine can coexist between 425°C and 825° C, depending upon the magnitude of fo 2 .In the presence of quartz the stability field of annite is more restricted. Phase equilibria in the system KAlSiO 4 -SiO 2 -Fe-O 2 -H 2 have been summarized schematically.Wherever possible, thermodynamic extrapolations are made to test the internal consistency of the data. Enthalpies of formation are calculated for both annite and phlogopite. Ranges of fo 2 values in nature as well as mechanisms for changes in fo 2 are investigated. It is useful to distinguish between assemblages which are internally buffered with respect to fo 2 changes and those which are not buffered. The applications of individual reactions involving annite to specific geologic problems are discussed with respect to igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.

Journal of Petrology↗
USGS2022

Characterization of bituminite in Kimmeridge Clay by confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy

This work investigates bituminite (amorphous sedimentary organic matter) in Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay source rock via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These petrographic tools were used to provide better understanding of the nature of bituminite, which has been historically difficult to identify and differentiate from similar organic matter types in source rocks. As part of an International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology (ICCP) working group, an immature (0.42% vitrinite reflectance), organic-rich (44.1 wt% total organic carbon content) sample of Kimmeridge Clay was distributed to multiple laboratories for CLSM characterization. The primary observations from CLSM imaging and spectroscopy include: 1) the interpreted presence of Botryococcus algae as a contributor to bituminite precursors; 2) color red-shift of sulfide reflectance and bituminite auto-fluorescence from below the sample surface; 3) positive alteration of bituminite from laser-induced photo-oxidation of the sample surface, including fluorescence blue-shift; 4) fluorescence blue-shift associated to higher fluorescence intensity regions in bituminite indicative of compositional (fluorophore) differences; 5) the need for fluorescence spectroscopy standardization as applied via CLSM; and 6) the suitability of CLSM fluorescence spectroscopy to predict solid bitumen reflectance from bituminite spectral emission via calibration to an extant dataset. Secondary CLSM observations include detection of reflected laser light from highly reflective inclusions in bituminite, including sulfides and fusinite, and radiolytic alteration of bituminite caused by substitution of U for Fe in sulfides. Findings from AFM include the observation that surface roughening or surface flattening of bituminite are induced by differential broad ion beam (BIB) milling and are dependent on the location and scale of AFM topology measurement. This result highlights our still limited understanding of the effects of BIB milling on sedimentary organic matter and indicates the need for further research before this technique can be advanced as a standard practice in petrographic sample preparation. Collectively, the results of this study illustrate the general applicability and versatility of AFM and CLSM as tools for organic petrology research, specifically for better understanding of the nature and properties of the bituminite maceral.

Kimmeridge↗
USGS1977

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks from the Gravina-Nutzotin belt, Alaska

The Gravina-Nutzotin belt of Middle (?) Jurassic to middle Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks in south and southeastern Alaska includes concentrically zoned ultramafic complexes known to contain platinum-group metals. Previous isotopic, petrologic, and geologic studies suggested a close relation in time and space between the volcanic rocks and the ultramafic complexes. Interpretation of 40 analyses for platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks of the belt indicates a strong geochemical correlation between the two groups of rocks and is in support of their being cogenetic either from directly connected magma chambers and flows or indirectly by selective concentration processes from similar mantle material.

Alaska↗
USGS2012

Review and update of the applications of organic petrology: Part 1, geological applications

Organic petrology developed as coal petrology at the beginning of the 20th century dedicated mainly to the study of coals because of their utilization in industry. Coal petrology was then considered a branch of coal science. Later, with the development of specialized nomenclature, classification of coal components, and the standardization and improvement of analytical (microscopical) methods, this discipline expanded in interests and name, becoming organic petrology. Organic petrology carries a broader context, being as well a tool applied in the study of dispersed organic matter in sedimentary rocks due to its importance in exploration for fossil fuel resources. At present, organic petrology is a discipline widely recognized for its role in fundamental and applied research with respect to both coal utilization and in geosciences. Throughout the 20th century several important monographs have been published on the discipline of organic petrology, including “Stach's textbook of coal petrology” (1st edition 1935, 2nd 1975, 3rd 1982), updated as the more general “Organic petrology” by Taylor et al. (1998). More recently, the text “Applied coal petrology: the role of petrology in coal utilization” was published by Suárez-Ruiz and Crelling (2008). This review is the first in a two-part review series that describes and updates the role of organic petrology in geosciences. A second part complementing this one and focused on the applications of organic petrology to other scientific fields will follow.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS1997

Organic geochemical study of sequences overlying coal seams; example from the Mansfield Formation (Lower Pennsylvanian), Indiana

Roof successions above two coal seams from the Mansfield Formation (Lower Pennsylvanian) in the Indiana portion of the Illinois Basin have been studied with regard to sedimentary structures, organic petrology and organic geochemistry. The succession above the Blue Creek Member of the Mansfield Formation is typical of the lithologies covering low-sulphur coals (< 1%) in the area studied, whereas the succession above the unnamed Mansfield coal is typical of high-sulphur coals (>2.%). The transgressive-regressive packages above both seams reflect the periodic inundation of coastal mires by tidal flats and creeks as inferred from bioturbation and sedimentary structures such as tidal rhythmites and clay-draped ripple bedforms. Geochemistry and petrology of organic facies above the Blue Creek coal suggest that tidal flats formed inland in fresh-water environments. These overlying fresh water sediments prevented saline waters from invading the peat, contributing to low-sulphur content in the coal. Above the unnamed coal, trace fossils and geochemical and petrological characteristics of organic facies suggest more unrestricted seaward depositional environment. The absence of saline or typically marine biomarkers above this coal is interpreted as evidence of very short periods of marine transgression, as there was not enough time for establishment of the precursor organisms for marine biomarkers. However, sufficient time passed to raise SO 4 2− concentration in pore waters, resulting in the formation of authigenic pyrite and sulphur incorparation into organic matter.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗