Microbial influence on the accumulation of Precambrian aeolian deposits (Neoproterozoic, Venkatpur Sandstone Formation, Southern India)

Basílici, Giorgio; Soares, Marcus Vinícius Theodoro; Mountney, Nigel P.; Colombera, Luca

doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105854

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…The following types of qualitative data regarding super-bounding surfaces (supersurfaces) are considered here: (i) a classification of surface type (i.e., environmental significance) according to the schemes of Fryberger (1993) and Kocurek (1996); (ii) the association of features (sedimentary structures) indicative of substrate conditions (e.g., dry, damp, wet) and associated with the state of the surface; and (iii) the occurrence of features indicative of surface stabilization (e.g., Ahlbrandt et al, 1978;Loope, 1988;Basilici et al, 2009Basilici et al, , 2020Dal' Bo et al, 2010;Krapovickas et al, 2016).…”

Section: Methodology Case Studies and Associated Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Van Wagoner et al, 1990), potentially associated with surface stabilization resulting from colonization by vegetation or microbial communities, by chemical precipitates, or by fluvial inundation (Fig. 10D; Loope, 1988;Kocurek, 1991;Dott, 2003;Basilici et al, 2009Basilici et al, , 2020Eriksson et al, 2000;Dal' Bo et al, 2010;Simpson et al, 2013). The timing of eolian supersurface formation can span a protracted length of time, and its culmination can vary in timing from late in a glacial episode to a point of maximum humidity during an ensuing interglacial episode (i.e.…”

Section: A Sequence Of Eolian Accumulation and Deflationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As such, accumulating eolian successions are less likely to be permanently sequestered beneath the water table, and are therefore prone to deflation by strengthened low-latitude trade winds (Kocurek and Havholm, 1993). Such episodes are also generally associated with a reduced presence of stabilizing agents on the Earth's surface (e.g., vegetation and biogenic and evaporitic crusts), leaving eolian deposits exposed to potential erosion (Loope, 1988;Kocurek, 1991;Basilici et al, 2009Basilici et al, , 2020Dal' Bo et al, 2010).…”

Section: Icehouse Deflationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elevated water tables interact with the accumulation surface to generate damp and wet substrates that inhibit the deflation of eolian sand deposits; greater threshold velocities are required to entrain wet or damp sand due to capillary water tension (Chepil, 1956;Bisal and Hsieh, 1966;Azizov, 1977). Humid, shallow water-table conditions may also promote the colonization of eolian substrates by vegetation or biogenic films or crusts in some paleoenvironmental settings (Basilici et al, 2020). Vegetation can limit the mobility of channelized river systems, which can potentially erode contiguous adjacent eolian deposits (Davies and Gibling, 2010;Santos et al, 2017Santos et al, , 2020.…”

Section: Greenhouse Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can therefore be inferred that vegetation may play a contributing, but not crucial, role in determining eolian element thickness. Prior to the evolution of land plants, other biotic stabilizing agents likely played a role in limiting eolian winnowing, notably the presence of microbial films and crusts (e.g., Basilici et al, 2020).…”

Section: Greenhouse Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantitative analysis of the sedimentary architecture of eolian successions developed under icehouse and greenhouse climatic conditions

2021

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The continental terrestrial record preserves an archive of how ancient sedimentary systems respond to and record changes in global climate. A database-driven quantitative assessment reveals differences in the preserved sedimentary architectures of siliciclastic eolian systems with broad geographic and stratigraphic distribution that developed under icehouse versus greenhouse climatic conditions. Over 5600 geological entities, including architectural elements, facies, sediment textures, and bounding surfaces, have been analyzed from 34 eolian systems of Paleoproterozoic to Cenozoic ages. Statistical analyses have been performed on the abundance, composition, preserved thickness, and arrangement of different eolian lithofacies, architectural elements, and bounding surfaces. Results demonstrate that preserved sedimentary architectures of icehouse and greenhouse systems differ markedly. Eolian dune, sand sheet, and interdune architectural elements that accumulated under icehouse conditions are significantly thinner relative to their greenhouse counterparts; this is observed across all basin settings, supercontinents, geological ages, and dune field physiographic settings. However, this difference between icehouse and greenhouse eolian systems is exclusively observed for paleolatitudes <30°, which suggests that climate-induced changes in the strength and circulation patterns of trade winds may have partly controlled eolian sand accumulation. These changes acted in combination with variations in water table levels, sand supply, and sand transport, ultimately influencing the nature of long-term sediment preservation. During icehouse episodes, Milankovitch cyclicity resulted in deposits typified by glacial accumulation and interglacial deflation. Greenhouse conditions promoted the accumulation of eolian elements into the geological record due to elevated water tables and biogenic- and chemical-stabilizing agents, which could protect deposits from wind-driven deflation. In the context of a rapidly changing climate, the results presented here can help predict the impact of climate change on Earth surface processes.

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