The calcite tests of foraminifera lie in marine sediments for thousands to millions of years, before being analyzed to generate trace element and isotope paleoproxy records. These sediments constitute a distinct physio-chemical environment from the conditions in which the tests formed. Storage in sediments can modify the trace element and isotopic content of foraminiferal calcite through diagenetic alteration, which has the potential to confound their paleoceanographic interpretation. A previous study of Globorotalia tumida from the Ontong Java Plateau, western equatorial Pacific, found that preferential dissolution of higher-Mg chamber calcite and the preservation of a low-Mg crust on the tests significantly reduced whole-test Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca. Here we revisit specimens with a combination of synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (sXCT) and electron probe microanalyses to reevaluate the nature of their diagenetic alteration. The dissolution of higher-Mg calcite with depth was directly observed in the sXCT data, confirming the inference of the previous study. The sXCT data further reveal a thickening of the chemically and structurally distinct calcite crust with depth. We propose that these crusts have a diagenetic origin, driven by the simultaneous dissolution of high-Mg chamber calcite and precipitation of low-Mg crust from the resulting modified pore water solution. While the breadth of the study is limited by the nature of the techniques, the observation of both dissolution and reprecipitation of foraminiferal calcite serves to demonstrate the action of two simultaneous diagenetic alteration processes, with significant impacts on the resulting paleoproxy signals.
Abstract. We have used STXM and PEEM to reveal the underpinning chemistry and nanoscale structure behind palaeo-climate geochemical signatures, such as trace Mg in shells-proposed proxies for palaeo-ocean temperature. This has allowed us to test the chemical assumptions and mechanisms underpinning the use of such empirical proxies. We have determined the control on driving chemical variations in biogenic carbonates using STXM at the absorption edge of Mg, B, and Na in the shells of modern plankton. The power of these observations lies in their ability to link changes in chemistry, microstructure, and growth process in biogenic carbonate to environmental influences. We have seen that such changes occur at length scales of tens of nanometres and demonstrated that STXM provides an invaluable route to understanding chemical environment and key heterogeneity at the appropriate length scale. This new understanding provides new routes for future measurements of past climate variation in the sea floor fossil record.
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