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Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks
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Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 January 2022) | Viewed by 15443

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marcello Natalicchio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Interests: sedimentology and petrography of evaporites; geomicrobiology; paleoenvironments
Prof. Dr. Francesco Dela Pierre

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
Interests: stratigraphic architecture of sedimentary basins; sedimentology, petrography, and geochemistry of carbonates and evaporites

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are collecting original contributions for this Special Issue devoted to marine evaporitic rocks. Since the Proterozoic, the geological record has been punctuated by sedimentary basins whose evolution has experienced the deposition of thick and widespread saline deposits, the so-called “Salt Giants”. Following its definition, an evaporite mineral forms when the “liquid water loss from a brine mass exceeds inflow and the brine concentration process is driven by solar evaporation” (Warren, 2006). Evaporite rocks are indeed the result of a complex interaction between basin scale tectonic, climatic change, and oceanic circulation. The fluctuations of such parameters in the Earth history gave rise to extremely heterogeneous marine evaporitic facies assemblages and architectures, characterized by different textures and mineralogies, mostly consisting of carbonates, sulfates, halite, and the potash-rich bittern salts. As such, evaporitic rocks still retaining their primary texture are known to be exceptional archives of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental information, and their study has great potential for helping to reconstruct the chemistry and temperature of ancient oceans and atmospheric conditions. Moreover, the fast growth of evaporite minerals (halite and gypsum) has been demonstrated to preserve organic materials for millions of years. The organic matter, occurring as solid inclusion (permineralized body fossils), molecular fossils, and dormant microorganism within fluid inclusions entrapped during crystal growth, may contribute to decipher the early life thriving under extreme conditions.

Since evaporite minerals are easily soluble, they can readily change their texture and composition after burial. For these reasons, diagenesis makes the interpretation of secondary evaporites controversial and the comprehension of the processes behind their formation can be tackled only using a multiproxy approach.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions on all sedimentological, petrographical, and geochemical (organic and inorganic) aspects of marine primary and secondary evaporite rocks.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Basinal architecture of evaporite deposits;
  • The control of water stratification, circulation, and mixing on evaporite deposition;
  • Evaporites as an archive of ancient life;
  • The role of evaporites (sulfates) in the global sulfur cycle;
  • Primary versus secondary origin of evaporites;
  • Evaporites as source rocks.

Dr. Marcello Natalicchio
Prof. Dr. Francesco Dela Pierre
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • evaporites
  • salt giant
  • evaporite facies
  • seawater chemistry
  • paleoclimate
  • organic matter
  • microorganisms
  • evaporite geochemistry
  • marine sulfur cycle

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 10711 KiB  
Article
Stratigraphy, Paleogeography and Depositional Setting of the K–Mg Salts in the Zechstein Group of Netherlands—Implications for the Development of Salt Caverns
by Alexandre Pichat
Minerals 2022, 12(4), 486; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12040486 - 16 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4430
Abstract
The 1 km thick evaporitic Permian Zechstein group in the Netherlands is subdivided into 5 halite rich evaporitic sequences including K–Mg salts (polyhalite, kieserite, sylvite, carnallite and bischofite) for which the position in the Zechstein stratigraphy is still poorly constrained. Understanding the repartition [...] Read more.
The 1 km thick evaporitic Permian Zechstein group in the Netherlands is subdivided into 5 halite rich evaporitic sequences including K–Mg salts (polyhalite, kieserite, sylvite, carnallite and bischofite) for which the position in the Zechstein stratigraphy is still poorly constrained. Understanding the repartition of K–Mg salts is especially important for the development of salt caverns which require a salt as pure as possible in halite. By compiling well log and seismic data in the offshore and onshore domains of the Netherlands, regional cross-sections and isopach maps were performed in order to update the lithostratigraphy of the Zechstein group by including the K–Mg salts. Results enable (i) to propose paleogeographic maps representing the spatial repartition and the thickness variations of one to two K–Mg rich intervals in each evaporite cycle, (ii) to constrain the depositional setting of the different type of salts and the hydrological conditions which influenced the Zechstein stratigraphic architecture and (iii) to develop over the Netherlands risking maps assessing the risk of encountering K–Mg salts in salt pillows or salt diapirs eligible in term of depth and thickness for the development of salt caverns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks)
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14 pages, 3677 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Mineralogical Characterization of Branching Selenite Gypsum: New Insights for the Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction and Mechanical Characterization
by Chiara Caselle, Linda Pastero, Simona Cavagna and Sabrina Bonetto
Minerals 2022, 12(3), 378; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12030378 - 19 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1823
Abstract
The present study proposes a characterization of textural and mineralogical features of branching selenite gypsum lithofacies from the Monferrato area (NW Italy). This facies is considered to have appeared during the sequence of the primary lower gypsum of the Messinian Salinity Crisis starting [...] Read more.
The present study proposes a characterization of textural and mineralogical features of branching selenite gypsum lithofacies from the Monferrato area (NW Italy). This facies is considered to have appeared during the sequence of the primary lower gypsum of the Messinian Salinity Crisis starting from the sixth stratigraphical cycle, providing a useful tool for stratigraphic correlation throughout the Mediterranean. It is often associated with thick and continuous beds that are exploited by open-pit and underground quarries. We provide the results of a characterization of the non-gypsum minerals that represent approximately 10% in weight of the rock. Mineralogical data were collected with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) techniques. In addition, a detailed characterization of clay families was performed through dedicated XRPD analyses. Results highlight the presence of detrital minerals (quartz, feldspars and clay minerals), calcite, dolomite and epsomite. Clay analysis registered the existence of five different families (illite, chlorite, smectite and two mixed layers). These mineralogical data suggest that the origin of this lithofacies is connected to both depositional processes and in situ precipitation processes under different conditions of saturation of the brine (respectively undersaturated and supersaturated in sulfates). The mineralogical and textural heterogeneity also represents an important element in controlling the mechanical response of the material and the consequent stability of quarry sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks)
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38 pages, 26498 KiB  
Article
Petrographic Record and Conditions of Expansive Hydration of Anhydrite in the Recent Weathering Zone at the Abandoned Dingwall Gypsum Quarry, Nova Scotia, Canada
by Adrian Jarzyna, Maciej Bąbel, Damian Ługowski and Firouz Vladi
Minerals 2022, 12(1), 58; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12010058 - 31 Dec 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3418
Abstract
In the Dingwall gypsum quarry in Nova Scotia, Canada, operating in 1933–1955, the bedrock anhydrite deposits of the Carboniferous Windsor Group have been uncovered from beneath the secondary gypsum beds of the extracted raw material. The anhydrite has been subjected to weathering undergoing [...] Read more.
In the Dingwall gypsum quarry in Nova Scotia, Canada, operating in 1933–1955, the bedrock anhydrite deposits of the Carboniferous Windsor Group have been uncovered from beneath the secondary gypsum beds of the extracted raw material. The anhydrite has been subjected to weathering undergoing hydration (gypsification), transforming into secondary gypsum due to contact with water of meteoric derivation. The ongoing gypsification is associated with a volume increase and deformation of the quarry bottom. The surface layer of the rocks is locally split from the substrate and raised, forming spectacular hydration relief. It shows numerous domes, ridges and tepee structures with empty internal chambers, some of which represent unique hydration caves (swelling caves, Quellungshöhlen). The petrographic structure of the weathering zone has been revealed by macro- and microscopic observations. It was recognized that gypsification commonly starts from a developing network of tiny fractures penetrating massive anhydrite. The gypsification advances from the fractures towards the interior of the anhydrite rocks, which are subdivided into blocks or nodules similar to corestones. Characteristic zones can be recognized at the contact of the anhydrite and the secondary gypsum: (1) massive and/or microporous anhydrite, (2) anhydrite penetrated by tiny gypsum veinlets separating the disturbed crystals and their fragments (commonly along cleavage planes), (3) gypsum with scattered anhydrite relics, and (4) secondary gypsum. The secondary gypsum crystals grow both by replacement and displacement, and also as cement. Displacive growth, evidenced by abundant deformation of the fragmented anhydrite crystals, is the direct cause of the volume increase. Crystallization pressure exerted by gypsum growth is thought to be the main factor generating volume increase and, consequently, also the formation of new fractures allowing water access to “fresh” massive anhydrite and thus accelerating its further hydration. The expansive hydration is taking place within temperature range from 0 to ~30 °C in which the solubility of gypsum is lower than that of anhydrite. In such conditions, dissolving anhydrite yields a solution supersaturated with gypsum and the dissolution of anhydrite is simultaneous with in situ replacive gypsum crystallization. Accompanying displacive growth leads to volume increase in the poorly confined environment of the weathering zone that is susceptible to upward expansion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks)
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16 pages, 10361 KiB  
Article
A Messinian Gypsum Deposit in the Ionian Forearc Basin (Benestare, Calabria, Southern Italy): Origin and Paleoenvironmental Indications
by Mara Cipriani, Rocco Dominici, Alessandra Costanzo, Massimo D'Antonio and Adriano Guido
Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1305; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min11121305 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2192
Abstract
This study reports the first accurate record of the Messinian Resedimented Gypsum in the forearc and back-arc basins connected to the Calabrian-Peloritan orogen. A multidisciplinary approach has been used to investigate a gypsum deposit located in the Benestare’s area (Calabria, Southern Italy). Such [...] Read more.
This study reports the first accurate record of the Messinian Resedimented Gypsum in the forearc and back-arc basins connected to the Calabrian-Peloritan orogen. A multidisciplinary approach has been used to investigate a gypsum deposit located in the Benestare’s area (Calabria, Southern Italy). Such deposit is made of bedded gypsrudites displaying clastic selenite with chaotical textures. On the top, the gypsrudites are interspersed with gypsum lenses belonging to the branching-like facies. Despite these two facies seem different macroscopically, they show petrographic features, fluid inclusions, organic matter and Strontium isotopic values very similar to each other. On the other hand, both facies show fractured and folded crystals. Crystals are only locally corroded and preserve primary structure relict as well as allochthonous (organic debris) and autochthonous putative microbial remains. All crystals are rich in fluid inclusions but these are visibly affected by stretching and leaking (re-equilibration processes) suggesting a moderate plastic deformation during re-sedimentation and subsequent burial. Minimal transport of the deposit is testified by subangular shapes of the gypsum crystals. The gypsrudite and branching-like facies reveal an 87Sr/86Sr average value of 0.709045 and 0.709082, respectively. These values suggest a strong connection with the global Ocean and reduced freshwater input. The Benestare’s deposit originated from the partial to complete dismantling of selenite crystals related to the first stage (5.97–5.60 Ma) of the Messinian Salinity Crisis through gravitational collapse due to local controlling factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks)
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26 pages, 10152 KiB  
Article
Paleoenvironment of the Lower–Middle Cambrian Evaporite Series in the Tarim Basin and Its Impact on the Organic Matter Enrichment of Shallow Water Source Rocks
by Mingyang Wei, Zhidong Bao, Axel Munnecke, Wei Liu, G. William M. Harrison, Hua Zhang, Demin Zhang, Zongfeng Li, Xiting Xu, Kai Lu and Zheng Shen
Minerals 2021, 11(7), 659; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min11070659 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2459
Abstract
Just as in deep-water sedimentary environments, productive source rocks can be developed in an evaporitic platform, where claystones are interbedded with evaporites and carbonates. However, the impact of the paleoenvironment on the organic matter enrichment of shallow water source rocks in an evaporite [...] Read more.
Just as in deep-water sedimentary environments, productive source rocks can be developed in an evaporitic platform, where claystones are interbedded with evaporites and carbonates. However, the impact of the paleoenvironment on the organic matter enrichment of shallow water source rocks in an evaporite series has not been well explored. In this study, two wells in the central uplift of the Tarim Basin were systematically sampled and analyzed for a basic geochemical study, including major elements, trace elements, and total organic carbon (TOC), to understand the relationship between TOC and the paleoenvironmental parameters, such as paleosalinity, redox, paleoclimate, paleo-seawater depth, and paleoproductivity. The results show that the Lower–Middle Cambrian mainly developed in a fluctuating salinity, weak anoxic to anoxic, continuous dry and hot, and proper shallow water environment. The interfingering section of evaporites, carbonates, and claystones of the Awatag Fm. have higher paleoproductivity and higher enrichment of organic matter. Paleosalinity, redox, paleoclimate, paleo-seawater depth, and paleoproductivity jointly control the organic matter enrichment of shallow water source rocks in the evaporite series. The degree of enrichment of organic matter in shallow water source rocks first increases and then decreases with the increase in paleosalinity. All the samples with high content of organic matter come from the shallower environment of the Awatag Fm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sedimentology, Petrography, Geochemistry and Geobiology of Marine Evaporitic Rocks)
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