Abstract
The concept, classification, genesis, and significance of microbialites have been constantly improving for over a century, but they are still hot spots in the field of geology because of the strong attractions and many unsolved mysteries such as the mechanism of the microbial deposition process, the microbial induced sedimentary structures, and so on. At the same time doubt and confusion arises among students and beginners because of the mysteries. Generally, any findings of various stromatolites, oncolites, and thrombolites are all classified under microbialites. Moreover, microbialites have also been discovered from the middle Ordovician Majiagou formation in Liujiang Basin, Hebei, China. As an important geological practice base for thousands of students and beginners every year, in order to enhance the interest in geosciences the further research of the microbialites found in Liujiang Basin is necessary. In this study, the classification scheme of microbialites has been summarized. On this basis, the study shows that the main microbialites in the study area are microbial carbonate rocks, which include wavy, columnar, conical-shaped stromatolite carbonate rocks and oncolite carbonate rocks. The variety, macroscopic characteristics, and clear internal features of microbialite carbonate rocks are all have considerable significance in judging hydrodynamic conditions, sedimentary environment, paleogeographic characteristics, and biological evolution. And the evolutionary process of different kinds of microbialites has been discussed. However, the roles of microbialites in the formation mechanism and ecological significance are still need further study. With the new discovery of microbialites from the middle Ordovician Majiagou formation in Liujiang Basin, a new window of study microbialites has been opened for everyone. More findings and detailed characteristics of microbialites in this area are urgently needed during geological practice.
Highlights
Microbial rocks have been studied by geologists for more than one hundred years
The authors of this paper found that the microbialites developed in the mid-lower strata of the middle Ordovician Majiagou formation are predominantly composed of microbial carbonate rocks
Wavy-shaped Stromatolite Rocks The wavy-shaped stromatolite carbonate rocks found in the middle Ordovician Majiagou formation of the Liujiang Basin are mainly developed in the bottom (3rd-4th thin layer) of the profile
Summary
Microbial rocks research started with stromatolite, a term proposed by Kalkowsky [1]. The term microbialite mainly refers to sediments or sedimentary rocks formed in situ by capturing and binding debris sediments from benthic microbial communities or by inorganic or organic-induced mineralization associated with microbial activities [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Many types of microbialites that developed in the middle Ordovician strata have been under observation by the authors of the present work; these data contribute to the teachings and research on Liujiang Basin, which is located in the Northeastern Hebei province of China. It is hoped that the new discovery and view of this paper will advance the study of microbiolites
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