Sedimentology of Carboniferous Cementstone Facies, British Isles and Eastern Canada

Belt, Edward S.; Freshney, E. C.; Read, W. A.

doi:10.1086/627295

Cited by 38 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Cementstones, siltstones and palaeosols are the more continuous flat‐lying beds that dominate the formation. Cementstones from the early Carboniferous of the Scottish Borders were deposited in a range of environments from floodplain lakes (Andrews et al ., ) to marginal marine deposits (Belt et al ., ) and are associated with gypsum evaporites (Scott, ). The depositional character of the Ballagan Formation alternates between fluvial channels and alluvial plains, lakes and sabkhas, with only rare fossil evidence (orthocones and brachiopods) of marine incursions (Williams et al ., ).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Mississippian sandy siltstones preserve rare vertebrate fossils in seasonal flooding episodes

et al. 2016

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Mississippian sandy siltstones preserve rare vertebrate fossils in seasonal flooding episodes

et al. 2016

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“…59 floodplain (Anderton, 1985; Andrews and Nabi, 1998; Andrews et al, 1991;Scott, 1986; 84 Stephenson et al, 2002Stephenson et al, , 2004aTurner, 1991). The formation comprises grey siltstone which 85 is reddened in parts, along with sporadic nodules and many thin beds of ferroan dolostone, 86 averaging 30 cm thick, and locally known as 'cementstones' (Belt et al, 1967). Bennett et al 87 (2016) identified ten facies and three facies associations, the latter comprising a fluvial facies 88 association, an overbank facies association and a saline-hypersaline lake facies association.…”

Section: Introduction 40mentioning

confidence: 99%

The terrestrial landscapes of tetrapod evolution in earliest Carboniferous seasonal wetlands of SE Scotland

Kearsey

Bennett

Millward

et al. 2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…In general, we interpret the dolostones to have formed in the reducing muds of coastal floodplain lakes, which rarely, if ever, dried out. A similar depositional environment has been invoked for these rocks by Scott & Rex (1987) and Greig (1988), and for their lateral equivalents in Berwickshire (Anderton, 1985) and the Midland Valley of Scotland (Belt et al, 1967). It is, however, important to stress that no trace of evaporite minerals has been found in the Eastern Hole beds, suggesting that highly saline waters were not associated with these cementstones.…”

Section: Facies Analysis-i N T E R P R E T a T I O Nmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…Within this province the cementstones are often associated with evaporite minerals (e.g. Scott, 1986) and some are laminated and clearly primary (Belt, Freshney & Read, 1967), probably formed in playa-like lakes. Others, however, are concretionary and of early diagenetic origin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The anatomy of an early Dinantian terraced floodplain: palaeo‐environment and early diagenesis

et al. 1991

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The lowermost Carboniferous rocks in the Cockburnspath area of east Berwickshire (southern Scotland) are interpreted as coastal floodplain sediments. A lower mudstone‐dominated unit is composed of silty mudstones and shales with subordinate sandstones and argillaceous ferroan dolomites (cementstones). These are interpreted as distal floodplain sediments with periodic crevasse‐splay deposition. The dark grey colour of the mudrocks suggests deposition in reducing conditions, probably in floodplain lakes. Most of the cementstones are concretionary, some with septarian cracks, suggesting an early diagenetic origin. An immature palaeosol suggests periodic pedogenesis under improved drainage. A synsedimentary erosion surface indicates incision of a valley into the floodplain, presumably in response to base‐level lowering. An upper sandstone‐dominated unit starts with fine‐grained rippled sandstones, cut by small channel sandstones. These are interpreted as floodplain lake deposits fed by crevasse channels. A distinctive conglomerate with cementstone clasts, wood fragments and fish remains is interpreted as a major overbank deposit, dumped into a pre‐existing floodplain lake. A bivalve fauna was established in the overlying mudstones, followed by a thin limestone with a restricted marine fossil assemblage, showing that seawater flooding of the lakes occurred at times. Mudrocks throughout the sequence contain no pyrite, except for the marine band which has an organic‐carbon/sulphur ratio and degree of pyritization value typical of marine sediments. The concretionary cementstones have δ13C values around —4 to —6%0/00 PDB which are interpreted as indicative of anaerobic oxidation of organic matter. The combined geochemical data suggest a significant involvement of iron reduction in cementstone formation, although the δ13C values are ambiguous in assessing the relative involvement of methanogenesis and methane oxidation. Limited seawater inundation of the floodplains might have supplied magnesium and calcium ions for dolomite formation assuming that any H2S derived as a result of sulphate reduction was oxidized by iron reduction. Alternatively a weathering source for solutes might have been involved.

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Sedimentology of Carboniferous Cementstone Facies, British Isles and Eastern Canada

Cited by 38 publications

References 10 publications

Early Mississippian sandy siltstones preserve rare vertebrate fossils in seasonal flooding episodes

Early Mississippian sandy siltstones preserve rare vertebrate fossils in seasonal flooding episodes

The terrestrial landscapes of tetrapod evolution in earliest Carboniferous seasonal wetlands of SE Scotland

The anatomy of an early Dinantian terraced floodplain: palaeo‐environment and early diagenesis

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