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Phosphatic Peritidal Limestone of the Neoproterozoic Salitre Formation, Brazil, and Precambrian Economic Phosphorite

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Phosphatic Peritidal Limestone of the Neoproterozoic Salitre Formation, Brazil, and Precambrian Economic Phosphorite PHOSPHATIC PERITIDAL LIMESTONE OF THE NEOPROTEROZOIC SALITRE FORMATION, BRAZIL, AND PRECAMBRIAN ECONOMIC PHOSPHORITE by RENEE ALAYNE DELISLE Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science, Geology Acadia University Spring Convocation 2015 © Renee Alayne Delisle, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE ..................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF DEFENSE ...................................................................... ii PERMISSION FOR REPRODUCTION ....................................................................... iii TABLE OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND .......................................................................................3 2.1 Neoproterozoic climate and P-cycle ..................................................................3 2.2 Phosphorites and phosphogenesis ......................................................................4 2.3 Geochemistry of phosphorites and associated sedimentary rocks .....................9 CHAPTER 3: GENERAL GEOLOGY .........................................................................13 3.1 Tectonic Setting ...............................................................................................13 3.2 Una Group ........................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 4: METHODS ..............................................................................................20 4.1 Field Methods ..................................................................................................20 4.2 Laboratory Methods .........................................................................................21 CHAPTER 5: LITHOFACIES .......................................................................................24 5.1 Facies 1: Tabular bedded intraclast-rich grainstone ........................................24 5.2 Facies 2: Cross-stratified intraclastic grainstone .............................................28 5.3 Facies 3: Flaser to lenticular-bedded packstone ..............................................30 5.4 Facies 4: Hemispheroidal columnar stromatolites ...........................................33 5.5 Facies 5: Tabular phosphatic columnar stromatolites ......................................36 5.6 Facies 6: Hummocky cross-stratified grainstone .............................................39 CHAPTER 6: PERITIDAL CYCLES AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY .........42 6.1 Peritidal cycles and cycle development ...........................................................42 6.2 Sequence Stratigraphy .....................................................................................50 6.2.1 LST .........................................................................................................50 6.2.2 TST .........................................................................................................51 CHAPTER 7: PARAGENESIS OF THE NOVA AMERICA MEMBER .................54 7.1 Stage I: Carbonate deposition ..........................................................................54 7.2 Stage II: Seafloor diagenesis and CFA precipitation .......................................58 7.3 Stage III: Meteoric and shallow-burial diagenesis ...........................................67 iv 7.4 Stage IV: Hydrothermal alteration and secondary enrichment of phosphate ..71 7.5 Stage V: Deep-burial diagenesis ......................................................................78 7.6 Economic phosphorite .....................................................................................84 CHAPTER 8: STABLE ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY .............................................85 8.1 Results ..............................................................................................................85 CHAPTER 9: DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................92 9.1 Depositional model and phosphogenesis .........................................................92 9.1.1 Stromatolites, hydrothermal alteration, and economic phosphorite ......93 9.2 The Neoproterozoic P-cycle ............................................................................96 CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................100 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................103 APPENDIX I: X-RAY DIFFRACTION (XRD) DATA .............................................123 APPENDIX II: STABLE ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY .........................................138 v TABLE OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES Table 5.1 Summary of facies descriptions and environmental interpretations .................25 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 P-cycle and phosphogenesis ..............................................................................5 Figure 2.2 Temporal distribution of phosphorites ..............................................................7 Figure 2.3 Microbial reactions associated with degradation of organic matter ................10 Figure 2.4 Chemical composition of francolite ................................................................11 Figure 3.1 Map of São Francisco Craton ..........................................................................14 Figure 3.2 Map of study area, Irecê Basin ........................................................................15 Figure 3.3 General stratigraphic section of units filling the Irecê Basin ..........................16 Figure 5.1 Facies F1carbonate deposition .........................................................................27 Figure 5.2 Facies F2 tepee structure and evaporites .........................................................29 Figure 5.3 Facies F3 field photographs .............................................................................31 Figure 5.4 Facies F3 thin section photomicrographs ........................................................32 Figure 5.5 Facies F4 Arrecife Ranch stromatolitic reefs ..................................................34 Figure 5.6 Facies F4 evaporite pseudomorphs..................................................................35 Figure 5.7 Facies F5 intertidal columnar stromatolites .....................................................37 Figure 5.8 Facies F5 pristine phosphatic laminae .............................................................38 Figure 5.9 Facies F6 Gabriel deposits ...............................................................................40 Figure 6.1 Fence diagram showing local lateral facies changes of drill cores ..................43 Figure 6.2 Regional fence diagram showing regional stratigraphic relationships ............44 Figure 6.3 Legend for stratigraphic sections .....................................................................45 Figure 6.4 Relative sea level curve of the Nova America and Gabriel members .............46 Figure 6.5 Composite section of the Nova America and Gabriel members .....................47 Figure 6.6 Stromatolitic reef of Arrecife Ranch ...............................................................49 Figure 6.7 Drill core FNC05 stratigraphic column ...........................................................52 Figure 6.8 Composite stratigraphic section through peritidal limestones .........................53 Figure 7.1 Paragenetic pathways and mineralization........................................................55 Figure 7.2 Simplified paragenetic history .........................................................................56 Figure 7.3 Stage 1 carbonate deposition, ooids and detrital input ....................................57 Figure 7.4 Stage 2 evaporite pseudomorphs .....................................................................59 Figure 7.5 Stage 2 pristine phosphorite ............................................................................61 Figure 7.6 Stage 2 coated phosphate grains ......................................................................62 Figure 7.7 Stage 2 phosphatic grains ................................................................................63 Figure 7.8 Stage 2 phosphatic grains ................................................................................64 Figure 7.9 BSE & EDS images of altered phosphate .......................................................65 Figure 7.10 Stage 3 blocky zoned dolomite ......................................................................68 Figure 7.11 Stage 3 sucrosic and subhedral dolomite .......................................................69 Figure 7.12 Stage 4 hydrothermal saddle dolomite ..........................................................73 vi Figure 7.13 Stage 4 saddle dolomite and hydrothermal mineralization ...........................74 Figure 7.14 Stage 4 hydrothermal fluorite ........................................................................75 Figure 7.15 Stage 4 fracture occluded by hydroxylapatite
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