Carbonate petrology of an Upper Ordovician—Silurian section at the Lone Mountain, Eureka County, Nevada

Abstract

This preliminary petrographic study of a Paleozoic carbonate section (Upper Ordovician to Silurian) in the Lone Mountain district in east-central Nevada provides new information on its microfacies and dolomitization. The occurrence of diversified microfacies in rocks from this section reveals the complex nature of their depositional history, as well as the subsequent diagenesis. Most microfacies from these rocks fall into two general groups: (1) dolomite facies which predominates in the Hanson Creek Formation (Upper Ordovician to Lowest Silurian) and the Lone Mountain Unit 1; and (2) dolomitized limestone facies which is common in the Lone Mountain Formation (Upper Silurian). The dolomite in the mid-Paleozoic carbonate section of the Lone Mountain is overwhelmingly diagenetic in origin. The early diagenetic dolomite is characterized by its homogeneous texture, uniform medium-to-coarse grain size and poorly preserved fossil impressions. The fossil content in this type of dolomite indicates its original calcareous nature. On the other hand, the late-diagenetic dolomite is characterized by its heterogeneous texture, non-uniform grain-size, detrital-quartz content and the presence of partly or incompletely altered fossil structures.