Phosphatic Concretions and Ichnofossil Preservation
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PHOSPHATIC CONCRETIONS AND ICHNOFOSSIL PRESERVATION IN A MARINE LAGERSTÄTTE, RIPLEY FORMATION, CENTRAL ALABAMA Except where reference is made to the work of others, the work described in this thesis is my own or was done in collaboration with my advisory committee. This thesis does not include proprietary or classified information. ______________________________ Jonathan Trent Hall Certificate of Approval: ______________________ ______________________ David T. King, Jr. Charles E. Savrda, Chair Professor Professor Geology Geology ______________________ ______________________ Ronald D. Lewis Stephen L. McFarland Associate Professor Acting Dean Geology Graduate School PHOSPHATIC CONCRETIONS AND ICHNOFOSSIL PRESERVATION IN A MARINE LAGERSTÄTTE, RIPLEY FORMATION, CENTRAL ALABAMA Jonathan Trent Hall A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Auburn, Alabama May 11, 2006 PHOSPHATIC CONCRETIONS AND ICHNOFOSSIL PRESERVATION IN A MARINE LAGERSTÄTTE, RIPLEY FORMATION, CENTRAL ALABAMA Jonathan Trent Hall Permission is granted to Auburn University to make copies of this thesis at its discretion, upon request of individuals or institutions and at their expense. The author reserves all publication rights. _________________________ Signature of Author _________________________ Date of Graduation iii VITA Jonathan Trent Hall, son of Noah Hall and Judy Ellenburg, was born on January 24, 1973, in Fort Ogelthorpe, Georgia. He graduated from Chattooga High School, in Summerville, Georgia, in 1992. He married Meredith Cunningham on July 20, 2001. He attended the State University of West Georgia, in Carrollton, Georgia, and graduated in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. Immediately after graduation he entered the Graduate School at Auburn University in the Fall of 2003. On June 20, 2004, he became the proud father of Harper Grace Hall. iv THESIS ABSTRACT PHOSPHATIC CONCRETIONS AND ICHNOFOSSIL PRESERVATION IN A MARINE LAGERSTÄTTE, RIPLEY FORMATION, CENTRAL ALABAMA Jonathan Trent Hall Master of Science, May 11, 2006 (B.S., State University of West Georgia, 2003) 122 Typed Pages Directed by Charles E. Savrda Phosphate concretions are common in the Upper Cretaceous Ripley Formation exposed along Dry Cedar Creek, Lowndes County, Alabama. Sedimentologic and ichnologic studies of concretions and host sediments were undertaken to investigate the origins of concretions and the role of phosphatization in trace fossil preservation. The concretion-bearing interval is composed of bioturbated, fossiliferous, calcareous, carbonaceous mud and sandy mud. Deposition occurred on a shallow shelf between fair-weather and storm wave bases and beneath moderately oxygenated waters of relative high organic productivity. Preservation state of body fossil nuclei and textural and geochemical evidence indicate that concretions formed during very early diagenesis v at shallow substrate depths prior to significant compaction. Phosphate likely was derived from biodegradation of organic matter and precipitated near the oxic/anoxic boundary, perhaps during periods of lower sedimentation rates and/or hypoxia. Trace fossils are poorly preserved in unmineralized Ripley sediments owing to limited textural and compositional contrast, lack of three-dimensional expression, and compactional deformation. However, trace fossils are commonly preferentially preserved on or within phosphate concretions. The preserved assemblage, reflecting the work of both deposit- and suspension-feeding organisms, represents an impoverished Cruziana ichnofacies. Phosphatization enhanced ichnofossil visibility by limiting compaction and by providing partial three-dimensional views of ichnofossils. Ichnofossils locally formed microenvironments favorable for phosphatization, serving as the nuclei for concretion growth. More commonly, trace fossils were preserved by collateral mineralization on the interiors and exteriors of concretions with body-fossil (e.g., crabs, ammonites, vertebrate remains) and enigmatic nuclei. Preservation is best on concretion exteriors where, owing to differential migration of mineralization fronts, trace fossils were preserved in partial relief. Because concretions provide ichnologic information that is otherwise not available from unmineralized host sediments, they represent a form of conservation-lagerstätte. Based on observations made in this study and by previous workers, a set of terms is proposed for describing the relationships between diagenetic mineralization and trace fossil preservation. These terms refer to the relative timing of concretion growth and trace fossil production, type of mineralization, spatial relationships between concretion nuclei and preserved trace fossils, and modes of trace fossil expression relative to concretion interiors and exteriors. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author would like to thank the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies and the Geological Society of America for grants-in-aid that supported this research. Numerous individuals provided help that was essential to the completion of this thesis. Fellow Auburn University geology students, Olivia Buchan, John Counts, Robert Monrreal, Rick Urash, and Jamey Turner, assisted in the field. John Simms (AU Department of Geology and Geography) assisted with XRD analyses. Subscribers to Paleonet supplied valuable information regarding pertinent literature. The author’s thesis committee members, especially Dr. Charles E. Savrda, provided guidance with field work, laboratory analyses, and writing. The author’s family provided their love and support. The author dedicates this thesis and M.S. Degree to his wife Meredith and daughter Harper for their inexhaustible patience, encouragement, and love. vii Journal style used: Palaios Computer software used: Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Adobe Photoshop 8.0, Endnote 5 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................xiii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... xvi 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 2.0 STRATIGRAPHIC CONTEXT ................................................................................... 3 2.1 SELMA GROUP ........................................................................................................... 3 2.2 RIPLEY FORMATION ................................................................................................... 3 2.2.1 General Stratigraphy .......................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Sequence Stratigraphy ....................................................................................... 6 2.2.3 Lithologies and Depositional Facies.................................................................. 9 2.2.4 Ripley Formation Ichnology............................................................................ 12 2.2.5 Ripley Concretions........................................................................................... 14 3.0 LOCATION AND METHODS .................................................................................. 15 3.1 FIELD INVESTIGATIONS ............................................................................................ 15 3.2 SEDIMENTOLOGIC STUDIES ...................................................................................... 17 3.2.1 Textural Analysis............................................................................................. 18 3.2.2 Petrographic Analyses ..................................................................................... 18 3.2.3 Carbonate and Organic Carbon Analyses........................................................ 18 3.2.4 Whole-Rock Analyses ..................................................................................... 19 3.2.5 Ichnofabric Studies .......................................................................................... 19 ix 3.3 CONCRETION STUDIES ............................................................................................. 20 3.3.1 Ichnologic Analysis ......................................................................................... 20 3.3.2 Textural and Compositional Analyses............................................................. 21 4.0 DISTRIBUTION OF RIPLEY EXPOSURES, STREAM BARS, AND CONCRETIONS......................................................................................................... 23 4.1 RIPLEY EXPOSURES.................................................................................................. 23 4.2 STREAM BARS.......................................................................................................... 25 5.0 RIPLEY SEDIMENTS ............................................................................................... 26 5.1 GENERAL FIELD OBSERVATIONS.............................................................................. 27 5.2 TEXTURAL ANALYSES.............................................................................................. 27 5.3 PETROGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 30 5.4 CARBONATE AND ORGANIC CARBON CONTENTS....................................................