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Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History

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A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Deposits".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2022) | Viewed by 15123

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Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Jarmołowicz-Szulc

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Guest Editor

Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute, 00-975 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: fluid and solid inclusions; isotopes; diagenesis; geochronology

Prof. Dr. Leszek Marynowski

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Interests: geochemistry; organic matter; hydrocarbons; biomarkers; diagenesis

Dr. Peter Modreski

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Guest Editor

United States Geological Survey, Reston, CO 80225-0046, USA
Interests: mineralogy; geochemistry; phase equilibria; parageneses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sedimentary rocks from the different age rock complexes in the European Lowlands (specifically, the Polish Lowlands) have for years been the focus of studies aiming to identify their prospects for the occurrence of mineral and/or non-mineral deposits. Rocks are reached mostly by deep drillings. Only in the Carpathians are they on the surface. Rock complexes have been analyzed from the point of view of the petrographic–mineralogical characteristics of the deposits, their diagenesis, determinations of pressure–temperature conditions of mineral formation, and the mineral and non-mineral deposit occurrences. Research usually comprises macroscopic analysis of logs and sampling, microscopic analysis of rocks and minerals in thin sections and double-sided polished wafers, analyses of rocks and inclusions (fluid and stable), luminescence analysis, microthermometry of fluid inclusions, light isotopic analyses (carbon, oxygen), and Raman studies. Combined analyses lead to distinguishing, e.g., orthochemical components as carbonates, authigenic quartz, anhydrite, chlorite, illite, and kaolinite that occur in the sedimentary rocks, and mineral characterization. Fluid inclusion and isotopic data, and analyses of Raman spectra together with potential FT geochronology provide temperature–pressure–volume constraints for the formation of minerals, result in the characterization of paleofluids, and give an insight into the geological history of the complex. The conditions of paleofluid trapping may be linked to the history of the sedimentary basin. Contributions on such petrologic–mineralogical problems are welcome to this issue.

Prof. Dr. Katarzyna Jarmołowicz-Szulc
Prof. Dr. Leszek Marynowski
Dr. Peter Modreski
Guest Editors

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Keywords

diagenesis
petrologic studies
fluid inclusions
light isotopes
raman analysis
fission tracks

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5128 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of the Ambient Temperatures during the Crystallization of Halite in the Oligocene Salt Deposit in the Shulu Sag, Bohaiwan Basin, China

by Xianfu Zhao, Yanjun Zhao, Mingquan Wang, Yufei Hu, Chenglin Liu and Hua Zhang

Minerals 2022, 12(4), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12040410 - 25 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1499

Abstract

The centimeter-scale halite rhythmites in the first member of the Shahejie Formation in the Shulu Sag of the Bohai Bay Basin are investigated, and the Eocene to early Oligocene paleoenvironmental characteristics of a typical saline lake basin are restored by reconstructing the temperature and compositional information of ancient brines. The obtained homogenization temperatures (Th) of fluid inclusions range from 6.5 to 49.2 °C, with a relative lower Th from transparent halite samples than from gray halite samples. This suggests different temperature conditions and a probable association with seasonal changes. The ion contents of halite fluid inclusions reveal the lake brine is a Na-Mg-K-Ca-Cl type and reached the initial stage of halite deposition. The transparent halite samples plotted within different phase regions than the gray halite samples on plots of ion contents and showed significant change within phase regions. Combined with the observed cm-scale rhythm in the evaporite sequences of the Shulu Sag, these results suggest a shallow water environment and frequent dilution by inflows of fresher water caused by seasonal climate change. The gray halite formed under higher temperatures and increased inflow conditions, and the transparent halite formed under lower temperatures and decreased inflow conditions. Compared with the Jiangling Sag in Hubei Province in southern China, the Shulu Sag may have been less affected by igneous rocks in the Es1 Formation due to the material source, and the concentration of trace elements such as lithium, strontium and boron in the ancient salt lake brine was lower. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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34 pages, 5623 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diagenesis and the Conditions of Deposition of the Middle Jurassic Siderite Rocks from the Northern Margin of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland)

by Aleksandra Kozłowska, Anna Feldman-Olszewska, Marta Kuberska and Anna Maliszewska

Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1353; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11121353 - 30 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1910

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to reconstruct sedimentary conditions of Middle Jurassic rocks that contain siderites to identify the mineral composition of the inserbeds and to recognize the origin of the siderite. Thin inserbeds of siderite rocks occur most frequently within Bajocian siliciclastic deposits and, more rarely, Aalenian and Bathonian. The research material comes from 11 boreholes located in the north and northeastern margins of the Holy Cross Mountains. The research methods included sedimentological analyses, and studies in polarizing and scanning electron microscopes, staining of carbonates, cathodoluminescence, X-ray structural analysis, and stable carbon and oxygen isotopic determinations were used. Middle Jurassic sideritic rocks are most often represented by clayey siderites, which also include muddy and sandy varieties and siderite sandstones. There are also local occurrences of coquinas, claystones, mudstones, and siderite conglomerates. The main component of sideritic rocks is sideroplesite. Berthierine, pistomesite, calcite, and ankerite are important components, too. The action of diagenetic processes of cementation, compaction, replacement, and alteration within the Middle Jurassic deposits was most intense during the eo- and mesodiagenesis. The sedimentological analysis showed that most of the studied siderites were formed in a low-oxygenated marine environment, mainly in the transition zone between the normal and storm wave bases and in the lower and middle shoreface zones. The results of the petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical studies indicated the origin of the sideritic rocks mainly in the marine environment, with the participation of meteoric water. There were slight differences in the chemical composition of sideroplesite depending on the environment it crystallized in. There was no correlation between the values of the carbon isotope determinations in the sideroplesite and the environmental conditions of its crystallization. Slight differences were visible in the case of the average values of δ¹⁸O in the sideroplesite. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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22 pages, 8424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Source of Fracture-Cave Mud Fillings of the Ordovician Yingshan Formation and Its Paleokarst Environment in the Northern Slope of the Tazhong Uplift, Tarim Basin, China: Based on Petrology and Geochemical Analysis

by Yong Dan, Guoquan Nie, Bin Liang, Qingyu Zhang, Jingrui Li, Hongqi Dong and Shaocong Ji

Minerals 2021, 11(12), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11121329 - 27 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1330

Abstract

The karst fracture-cave oil and gas reservoirs of the Yingshan Formation in the northern slope of the Tazhong Uplift are well developed and have achieved good exploration results. However, the karst fracture-cave near the top of the Yingshan Formation is basically filled with mud fillings, which seriously affect the reservoir property, and the source and filling environment of the mud fillings have been unclear. Through the petrological and geochemical analysis of the fracture-cave fillings system in the typical wells of the Yingshan Formation, it has been found that (1) the fracture-cave fillings are mainly composed of a mixture of the bedrock dissolution dissociation particles, clay minerals, and calcite cements of the Yingshan Formation, and the content of each component in the different wells or in the cave interval is quite different. (2) Rare earth element analysis shows that the rare earth distribution pattern of the fracture-cave fillings is similar to the bottom marlstone of the Lianglitage Formation, indicating that the fracture-cave fillings should be mainly derived from the early seawater of the deposition during the Lianglitage Formation. (3) Cathodoluminescence, trace element analysis, and previous studies have shown that the formation and fillings of the fractures and caves mainly occurred in the hypergene period, which had the characteristics of an oxidized environment, and that there are two filling effects. First, the limestone of the Yingshan Formation experienced the formation of karst caves due to meteoric freshwater dissolution during the exposure period, and the limestone of the Yingshan Formation was dissolved, resulting in some insoluble clay and residual limestone gravel particles brought into the cave by the meteoric freshwater for filling. Second, the seawater transgression also played an important role during the deposition of the Lianglitage Formation. The clay content in the seawater was high during the early deposition of the Lianglitage Formation, which led to the clay being brought into the caves by the seawater during the deposition of the Lianglitage Formation for further filling; at the same time, calcite deposited into the caves with the clay. The above research promotes the study of the formation mechanism of the karst cave reservoir in the Yingshan Formation and has important theoretical significance for the guiding of the next oil and gas exploration in this area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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18 pages, 43977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Diagenetic Alteration of the Carbonate Rocks from the Permian Qixia Formation as Response to Two Periods of Hydrothermal Fluids Charging in the Central Uplift of Sichuan Basin, SW China

by Pei Chen, Meiyan Fu, Hucheng Deng, Wang Xu, Dong Wu, Puwei He and Hengwei Guo

Minerals 2021, 11(11), 1212; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11111212 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1813

Abstract

The hydrothermal fluid–carbonate rock reaction is frequently regarded to occur in deep-burial diagenesis, and the hydrothermal dissolution is usually distributed and takes place along the faults. Previous studies have suggested that there was hydrothermal fluid activity locally in the Permian Qixia Formation in Sichuan Basin, likely related to the Emeishan basalt eruption. However, the effect of hydrothermal fluids on the carbonate rocks of the Qixia Formation in the central uplift of Sichuan Basin is still unclear. Based on the characteristics and geochemical parameters of the diagenetic minerals, this study aims to reveal the diagenetic alteration related to the hydrothermal fluid–rock reaction in the Qixia Formation and reestablish the diagenetic evolution by using the timing of diagenetic mineral precipitation. The methods include petrographic observation; trace and rare earth element (REE) analysis; C, O and Sr isotope measurement; fluid inclusion temperature measurement and cathodoluminescence analysis. According to the petrographic characteristics, the dolostones are mainly of crystalline structure, namely fine-medium crystalline dolostone, meso-coarse crystalline dolostone, and coarse crystalline dolostone, with the cathodoluminescence color becoming brighter in that order. The limestones from the Qixia Formation are of the bioclastic limestone type, with no cathodoluminescence color. Compared with dolostones, limestones have higher Sr content, lower Mn content, and heavier oxygen isotopes. With the crystalline size of dolostone becoming coarser, the oxygen isotopes of dolostones tend to become lighter. The meso-coarse crystalline dolostone has the highest Mn content and negative carbon isotope. Both limestones and dolostones have an obvious positive Eu anomaly in the Qixia Formation. However, the REE patterns of fine-medium crystalline dolostones are very different from those of meso-coarse crystalline dolostones. It is credible that there were two periods of hydrothermal fluid charging, with different chemical compositions. The first period of hydrothermal fluids could laterally migrate along the sequence boundary. Fine-medium crystalline dolostones were almost completely distributed below the sequence boundary and were dolomitized during the shallow burial period. As products of the hydrothermal fluid–dolostone reaction, the saddle-shaped dolomites in the meso-coarse crystalline dolostones were the evidence of the second period of hydrothermal fluids. As a result, the dolomitization model was established according to the timing of diagenetic mineral precipitation, which can improve that the geological understanding of the effect of hydrothermal fluid activities on the carbonate rocks in the Qixia Formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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16 pages, 53508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interpretation of Mineralization in the Western Carpathians (Polish Segment)—A Tectonic Mélange Approach

by Katarzyna Jarmołowicz-Szulc and Leszek Jankowski

Minerals 2021, 11(11), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11111171 - 22 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1427

Abstract

Quartz, carbonates and other minerals as e.g., realgar are present in veins and caverns in sedimentary rocks in the Western Carpathians. In the Polish segment, they have been characterized from the mineralogical, petrologic, and geochemical points of view, as well as fluid inclusions. Their characters are discussed from perspective of a description of particular types of chaotic complexes—the tectonic mélange zones, distinguished in the Western Carpathian area over the last two decades. The mélange zones are considered to be geochemical systems open to fluid flow, a site for mineral crystallization and/or migration zones of hydrocarbons and mineralized waters. In this context the tectonic mélange in the Jabłonki/Rabe vicinity (SE Poland, the Bieszczady region) in comparison to that of the Mszana Dolna tectonic window area are proposed as the examples. The trapping conditions of fluids (brine and methane) in the minerals in the mélange zones appear to have been 180–205 °C and ~550–570 bars, and 220 °C and 500 bars for calcite and quartz, respectively. The general trend of the increase in temperatures and pressures from west towards east and south-east in the mélange zones points to an increase in the degree of exhumation of different parts of the Carpathians. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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29 pages, 10983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Formation of Diagenetic Minerals in the Carboniferous Rock Complex from the Fore-Sudetic Monocline (SW Poland): Fluid Inclusion, Isotopic and Raman Constraints

by Aleksandra Kozłowska, Katarzyna Jarmołowicz-Szulc, Marta Kuberska and Krystyna Wołkowicz

Minerals 2021, 11(9), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11090976 - 07 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1688

Abstract

The paper presents the latest state of knowledge on clastic sedimentary rocks from the Carboniferous complex in the SW part of the Polish Lowlands, studied to help determine their potential prospectivity for the occurrence of oil and/or gas deposits. Rocks were analyzed with respect to the petrographic-mineralogical characteristics of the Carboniferous deposits, their diagenesis, determinations of pressure-temperature conditions of mineral formation and the hydrocarbon occurrence. Analyses were carried out on samples from four selected boreholes in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline. After microscopic analysis of rocks and minerals in thin sections, the following techniques were used: luminescence analysis (UV, blue light), microthermometric analysis of fluid inclusions in double-sided polished wafers, cathodoluminescence analysis, electron scanning microscope studies, XRD analyses, stable isotopic analyses (carbon, oxygen) on calcite and dolomite-ankerite and Raman spectra of fluid inclusions. Orthochemical components, such as carbonates and authigenic quartz, that form cements or fill the veins cutting the sample material have been studied. Fluid inclusion data in quartz and carbonates result in homogenization temperatures of 74–233 °C. The Raman analysis gives temperature estimations for the organic matter of about 164 °C and 197 °C, depending on the borehole, which points to a low coalification degree. The post-sedimentary processes of compaction, cementation and diagenetic dissolution under eo- and meso-diagenetic conditions to temperatures of over 160 °C influenced the present character of the deposits. P-T conditions of brines and methane trapping have been estimated to be ~850–920 bars and 185–210 °C (vein calcite) and ~1140 bars and 220 °C (Fe-dolomite/ankerite). Therefore, locally, temperatures might have been higher (>200 °C), which may be a symptom of local regional metamorphism of a very low degree. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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19 pages, 44305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dolomitization Controlled by Paleogeomorphology in the Epicontinental Sea Environment: A Case Study of the 5th Sub-Member in 5 Member of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation in Daniudi Gas Field, Ordos Basin

by Yilin Li, Wang Xu, Meiyan Fu, Hucheng Deng, Dong Wu, Jianhua He, Hengwei Guo and Pei Chen

Minerals 2021, 11(8), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11080827 - 30 Jul 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1850

Abstract

The 5th sub-member in 5 Member Ordovician Majiagou Formation in Daniudi Gas Field, Ordos Basin, is deposited in an environment consisting of an ancient epicontinental sea, where very fine crystalline dolostone reservoir has developed. In this study, based on the petrological and geochemical characteristics, the genesis of the dolomite developed in M₅⁵ were studied by analyzing the properties and sources of the dolomitization fluids, and the influence of the paleogeomorphology differences on the distribution of dolostone was also discussed in order to clarify the distribution of the dolostone developed in the lime flat of the epicontinental sea. The dolostone of the M₅⁵ had a crystal structure, mainly including microcrystalline and very fine crystalline. The content of MgO and CaO in dolomite was negatively correlated, indicating that it was the result of replacement. The dolomite was dark red under cathode luminescence, and the distribution mode of rare earth elements showed the negative anomaly of Ce and Eu, indicating that the dolomitization fluid was sea-sourced fluid. The δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope range of limestone was similar to that of Ordovician seawater in the study area, whereas the δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of dolostone were obviously more positive than that of limestone. The substitute index of the salinity (Z) of the dolomitization fluid was higher than 122, which is higher than limestone (Z = 120.5), indicating that the dolomitization fluid was slightly evaporated seawater. The wormholes observed on the core and the gypsum in the penecontemporaneous period observed in the thin sections indicated that the dolostone was formed in a period when the sea level was relatively low, and it was the result of seepage–reflux dolomitization. By analyzing the correlation between the thickness of dolostone and the paleogeomorphology of the M₅⁵ of the sedimentary period, it was found that the thickness of dolostone at relatively high altitude was significantly larger than that of other areas. The development of dolostone was controlled by sea level, and the local paleogeomorphology controls the distribution of dolostone during the period of low sea level. There were many more limestone–dolostone cycles and larger cumulative thicknesses of dolostone at relatively higher topography. This study provides a theoretical basis for the prediction of the distribution of dolostone reservoirs in the carbonate tidal flat environment dominated by lime flats under the background of the ancient epicontinental sea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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19 pages, 3325 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Fluid Inclusions to Petroleum Basin Recognition—A Case Study from Poland

by Katarzyna Jarmołowicz-Szulc

Minerals 2021, 11(5), 500; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11050500 - 09 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2496

Abstract

Fluid inclusions were studied in rocks from different wells from the Barnówko–Mostno–Buszewo (BMB), the largest oil field in Poland and from the Lubiatów field. Sampling was performed at depths between about 3120–3220 m and 3221–3256 m, respectively. Different minerals (dolomite, calcite, anhydrite, quartz) reveal the presence of aqueous (AQFI) and hydrocarbon (HCFI) inclusions, the differentiation of which was checked by UV fluorescence and microthermometry. Inclusions occur in different abundances and are of variable character. The microthermometric studies of fluid inclusions resulted in the determination of temperatures of eutectic melting, ice melting, and homogenization. Based on the results obtained, three types of inclusions have been found. Two-phase non-fluorescent inclusions (AQFI) contain brines of differentiated salinity (from about 6 to 10 and from about 17 to 22 wt% NaCl equivalent). Two-phase fluorescent inclusions (HCFI 1) contain light mature oil of paraffin character. The oil is characterized by API gravity of about 41–42 degrees. Small one-phase non-fluorescent inclusions (HCFI 2) that homogenize in deep freezing contain methane with admixtures. The abundance of inclusions varies, depending on the mineral or well. They have been discussed in the context of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagenetic and Vein Minerals in Sedimentary Rock Complexes: Formation, Constraints and Significance for Reconstruction of Geological History)

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