Neogene biogenic sediments of onshore Peru. Part 2. Geochemistry and diagenesis

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:6576272

Baker, P A; Dunbar, R B; Marty, R C

The Neogene sediments of coastal Peru are comprised in part of biogenic silica, phosphorites, and authigenic dolomites. The authors have studied these sediments in the Pisco Basin of southern Peru. In this region the sediments have escaped large-scale post-depositional structural or thermal overprinting. The phosphorites of the Middle Member of the Miocene Pisco Formation occur as 5 to 10 cm. thick beds of phosphatic sediments separated by meters of siliceous, tuffaceous, or dolomitic muds and silts. The phosphatic grains are usually colitic and the depositions are often channeled and reworked on a small scale. Many of these colitic beds disconformably overlie phosphatized dolomitic beds. The dolomites of the Pisco Formation occur as authigenic beds and nodules a few centimeters to over one meter in diameter. They occur at intervals of one to tens of meters. The dolomites are well-ordered and calcite-free. The mole percent calcium varies from 47.3 to 57.4, iron from 0.12 to 2.18, and manganese from 0.03 to 0.62. Strontium varies from 90 to 837 ppm, zinc from 12 to 124 ppm, and sulfate from 100 to 2000 ppm. The carbon isotopic composition of the Pisco dolomites is usually negative, varying from +7.05 to -21.86 per mil PDB. The oxygen isotopic compositions vary from -0.18 to +4.16 per mil PDB. These chemical signatures are consistent with rapid authigenic formation of the dolomite: (1) within a few meters of the sea floor, (2) at shallow water depths, (3) in sediments undergoing microbial sulfate reduction but in the presence of some dissolved sulfate, and (4) in the absence of thermal or fresh water diagenetic overprinting.

• Research Organization: Duke Univ., Durham, NC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6576272
• Report Number(s): CONF-8510489-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 17
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580300 -- Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics-- (-1989)
580400* -- Geochemistry-- (-1989)
CARBON ISOTOPES
CENOZOIC ERA
CHEMISTRY
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DIAGENESIS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
LATIN AMERICA
LITHOLOGY
MIOCENE EPOCH
OFFSHORE SITES
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
PERU
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEDIMENTS
SOUTH AMERICA
STRATIGRAPHY
TERTIARY PERIOD