Neoproterozoic Carbonate Shrubs: Interplay of Microbial Activity and Unusual Environmental Conditions in Post-Snowball Earth Oceans

Abstract

Other| October 01, 2003 Neoproterozoic Carbonate Shrubs: Interplay of Microbial Activity and Unusual Environmental Conditions in Post-Snowball Earth Oceans MARGARET L. FRAISER; MARGARET L. FRAISER 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, fraiser@usc.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar FRANK A. CORSETTI FRANK A. CORSETTI 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, fraiser@usc.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information MARGARET L. FRAISER 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, fraiser@usc.edu FRANK A. CORSETTI 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, fraiser@usc.edu Publisher: SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology Accepted: 15 Jun 2003 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1938-5323 Print ISSN: 0883-1351 Society for Sedimentary Geology PALAIOS (2003) 18 (4-5): 378–387. https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2003)018<0378:NCSIOM>2.0.CO;2 Article history Accepted: 15 Jun 2003 First Online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation MARGARET L. FRAISER, FRANK A. CORSETTI; Neoproterozoic Carbonate Shrubs: Interplay of Microbial Activity and Unusual Environmental Conditions in Post-Snowball Earth Oceans. PALAIOS 2003;; 18 (4-5): 378–387. doi: https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2003)018<0378:NCSIOM>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Abstract A previously undescribed carbonate-shrub facies has been discovered in the lower member of the Noonday Dolomite—a Neoproterozoic post-glacial cap carbonate. This unusual facies consists of centimeter-scale structures composed of micrite and encased in early-marine cement, and exhibits an overall clotted, mottled appearance. Shrub architecture is characterized by occurrence of a central stalk with diverging branches that are composed of micrite leaves. A combination of biological, environmental, and diagenetic influences contributed to the growth and present appearance of Noonday Dolomite carbonate shrubs. Comparison with modern and ancient known abiogenic and biogenic shrub-like structures indicates that microbial communities were most likely responsible for at least localizing and initiating calcium carbonate growth in the Noonday Dolomite shrubs, although no undisputable microbial fossils have yet been discovered. Diagenetic processes may have obliterated Noonday Dolomite shrub microstructure and obscured any former fossil evidence. Unusual seawater conditions (high alkalinity/extreme calcium carbonate supersaturation) were vital for shrub growth. This research highlights a possible biologic component in Neoproterozoic post-glacial cap carbonates where most studies have focused on abiogenic processes. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.