Aragonitic dasycladalean algae from the Upper Permian of Sichuan, China

Abstract

Exceptionally well-preserved specimens of Mizzia yabei (Karpinsky) were discovered in bituminous packstone intercalations of the early Upper Permian Maokou Formation of Anxian County (Sichuan, China). Staining techniques and x-ray diffraction reveal that the organic encrustation around the central stem and the lateral branches consists of aragonite. Average aragonite contents range between 27% and 40%. The bulk of the remaining 60–73% calcite represents cement. The total Sr-content is 3, 400 ppm, indicating 8,000–10,000 ppm for the aragonite fraction. The organically precipitated aragonite was deposited as closely packed fibres, 10–20 μm long and 0.5–1 μm wide. The fibres are arranged in clinogonal (water-jet) fascicles, which diverge towards the central (spar-filled) stem. This microstructure shows that the mineralization of the mucilage started at the periphery of the extracellular encrustation and progressed toward its interior. Diagenetic alterations of the original aragonite include various stages of breakdown of the fibres into 0.5–1 μm large granules (micritization), minor syntaxial growth of the fibres and local transformation of acicular aragonite into neomorphic calcite. The dasycladaleans from the Permian of Sichuan appear to be by far the oldest representatives of this order with preserved aragonitic mineralogy and microstructure. Comparably well-preserved examples are only known from Eocene and younger deposits.