CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 154Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeochemistry and Elemental AnalysisGeological formations and processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record.

Carbonate precipitation and oxygen stratification in late Archean seawater as deduced from facies and stratigraphy of the Gamohaan and Frisco formations, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa

Open access
Sumner, D. Y.·1997·American Journal of Science
DOI 10.2475/ajs.297.5.455
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

The correlative 2521+ or -3 Ma Gamohaan and Frisco formations, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa, consist of peritidal and subtidal carbonate lithofacies that pass conformably upward into the deep subtidal Kuruman and Penge iron-formations. The stratigraphic setting and lithofacies transitions demonstrate that the Gamohaan and Frisco formations were deposited in open marine environments during a transgression that resulted in drowning of the underlying Campbellrand-Malmani carbonate platform. The Gamohaan and Frisco formations contain complex microbial structures associated with abundant sea floor-encrusting and void-filling calcite. In a 40 m section of the Gamohaan Formation, more than 35 percent of the rock consists of marine calcite that precipitated as crystals directly on the sea floor or in primary voids. Individual beds of precipitated, sea floor-encrusting calcite are up to 30 cm thick and are laterally continuous for the entire 7000 km ^2^ of good stratigraphic control. The abundance of precipitated carbonate and the lateral continuity of individual beds demonstrate that deep subtidal seawater was supersaturated with respect to calcite, that carbonate precipitation was controlled by regional seawater chemistry, and that in situ calcite precipitation directly on the sea floor was an important rock-forming process in late Archean oceans. Transitions from the Gamohaan Formation to basinal equivalents laterally and to the Kuruman Iron Formation vertically show a progressive change from precipitated calcite to shale to siderite-facies iron-formation mixed with oxide-facies iron-formation deposition. This facies succession can be attributed to an increase in \[Fe (super 2+) \] with depth: As \[Fe (super 2+) \] increases, calcite precipitation slows, and siderite becomes supersaturated resulting in a change from limestone to iron-formation accumulation. This gradient probably ranges from several 100 mu mol/1 Fe (super 2+) in deep seawater to a few mu mol/1 Fe (super 2+) in the mixed zone of the oceans. The presence of any Fe (super 2+) in the mixed layer of late Archean oceans requires low atmospheric \[O ~2~ \].

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.2475/ajs.297.5.455

Cites

Statistics

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

Cites

Still being checked.

Research works printed but not linked: 31

  1. Bathurst, R. G. C., 1975, Carbonate Sediments and Their Diagenesis: Amsterdam, Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, 658 p.
  2. Beukes, N. J., 1980, Stratigrafie en litofasies van die Campbellrand-subgroep van die Proterofitiese Ghaap-groep, noord-Kaapland: Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa, v. 83, p.141–170.
  3. - 1983, Paleoenvironmental setting of iron-formations in the depositional basin of the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa, in Trendall, A. F., and Morris, R. C., editors, Iron-formation: Facts and Problems: Amsterdam, Elsevier, p. 131–198.
  4. Beukes, N. J., and Smit, C. A., 1987, New evidence for thrusting in Griqualand West, South Africa: implications for stratigraphy and the age of red beds: South African Journal of Geology, v. 90, p. 378–394.
  5. Broecker, W. S., and Takahashi, T., 1966, Calcium carbonate precipitation on the Bahama Banks: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 71, p.p. 1575–1602.
  6. Boss, S. K., and Wilkinson, B. H., 1991, Planktongenic/eustatic control on cratonic/oceanic carbonate accumulation: Journal of Geology, v. 99, p. 497–513.
  7. Buczynski, C., and Chafetz, H. S., 1991, Habit of bacterially induced precipitates of calcium carbonate and the influence of medium viscosity on mineralogy: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 61, p. 226–233.
  8. Button, A., 1973, The stratigraphic history of the Malmani dolomite in the eastern and north-eastern Transvaal: Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa, v. 76, p. 229–247.
  9. Ellis, J. P., and Milliman, J. D., 1986, Calcium carbonate suspended in Arabian Gulf and Red Sea waters: biogenic and detrital, not 'chemogenic': Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 55, p. 805–808.
  10. Eriksson, K. A., 1972, Cyclic sedimentation in the Malmani Dolomite, Potchefstroom Synclinorium: Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa, v. 75, p. 85–97.
  11. Eriksson, K. A., and Truswell, J. F., 1974, Stratotypes from the Malmani Subgroup northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa: Transactions of the Geological Society of South Africa, v. 77, p. 211-222.
  12. Ewers, W. E., 1983, Chemical factors in the deposition and diagenesis of banded iron-formation, in Trendall, A. F., and Morris, R. C., editors, Iron-formation Facts and Problems: Amsterdam, Elsevier, p. 491–512.
  13. 1990, Geochemical model for Proterozoic stromatolite decline: American Journal of Science, v. 290-A, p. 80-103.
  14. Holland, H. D., 1984, The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans: Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 582 p.
  15. - 1992, Models relating to Proterozoic atmospheric and oceanic chemistry, in Schopf, W.J., and Klein, C., editors, The Proterozoic Biosphere: Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, p. 1185-1187.
  16. Li, T. H., Takahashi, T., and Broecker, W. S., 1969, The degree of saturation of CaCO3 in the oceans: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 74, p. 5507–5525.
  17. Knoll, A. H., and Swett, K., 1990, Carbonate deposition during the later Proterozoic Era: an example from Spitsbergen: American Journal of Science, v. 290-A, p. 104–132.
  18. Marshall, H. G., Walker, J.'C. G., and Kuhn, W. R., 1988, Long-term climate change and the geochemical cycle of carbon: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 93, p. 791–801.
  19. Meyer, H. J., 1984, The influence of impurities on the growth rate of calcite: Journal of Crystal Growth, v. 66, p. 639–646.
  20. Morse, J. W., and Mackenzie, F. T., 1990, Geochemistry of Sedimentary Carbonates: Developments in Sedimentology 48: New York, Elsevier, 707 p.
  21. Mullins, H. T., Neumann, Å. C., Wilber, R. J., and Boardman, M. R., 1980, Nodular carbonate sediment on Bahamian slopes; possible precursors to nodular limestones: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 50, p. 117–131.
  22. Pentecost, A., 1991, Calcification processes in algae and cyanobacteria, in Riding, R., editor, Calcareous Algae and Stromatolites: Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 3-20.
  23. Neumann, A. C., and Land, L. S., 1975, Lime mud deposition and calcareous algae in the bight of Abaco, Bahamas: A budget: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 45, p. 763–786.
  24. Shinn, E. A., Steinen, R. P., Lidz, B. H., and Swart, R. K., 1989, Whitings, a sedimentologic dilemma: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 59, p.p. 147–161.
  25. Sami, T. T., and James, N. P., 1994, Peritidal carbonate platform growth and cyclicity in an early Proterozoic foreland basin, Upper Pethei Group, northwest Canada: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. B64, p. 111–131.
  26. Simkiss, K., and Wilbur, K. M., 1989, Biomineralization: Cell Biology and Mineral Deposition: San Diego, California, Academic Press, Inc., 338 p.
  27. Simonson, B. M., 1985, Sedimentological constraints on the origins of Precambrian ironformations: Geological Society of Ámerica Bulletin, v. 96, p. 244–252.
  28. Stockman, K. W., Ginsburg, R. N., and Shinn, E. A., 1967, The production of lime mud by algae in south Florida: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 37, p.p. 633–648.
  29. Sumner, D. Y., ms, 1995, Facies, Paleogeography, and Carbonate Precipitation on the Archean (2520 Ma) Campbellrand-Malmani Carbonate Platform, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa: Ph.D. thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 514 p.
  30. - 1997, Late Archean calcite-microbe interactions: Two morphologically distinct microbial communities that affected calcite nucleation differently: Palaios, in press.
  31. Sumner, D. Y., and Grotzinger, J. P., 1996a, Herringbone calcite: Petrography and environmen. tal significance: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 66, p. 419-429.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

See all

Metadata

Authors
Sumner, D. Y.
Corresponding author
Sumner, D. Y.
ORCID
Sumner, D. Y.
Venue
American Journal of Science
Publisher
American Journal of Science (AJS)
Published
1997-05-01
Volume
297
Issue
5
Pages
455-487
ISSN
0002-9599 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2475/ajs.297.5.455
OpenAlex
W2108140179
Cited by
153
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
FWCI
4.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
American Journal of Science (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Earth-Surface Processes › Geological formations and processes
Keywords
carbonate precipitation, oxygen stratification, Transvaal Supergroup, calcite supersaturation, siderite, iron-formation, transgression, carbonate platform drowning, microbial structures, atmospheric oxygen, Precambrian stratigraphy

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review