Sulfur Diagenesis in Everglades Peat and Origin of Pyrite in Coal

Abstract

The pattern of sulfur transformation in peat across the Everglades basin indicates that pyrite formation in organic-rich swamps depends on the use of organic oxysulfur compounds in dissimilatory respiration by sulfur-reducing bacteria. This paragenesis explains the primary distribution of sulfur compounds in low-sulfur coals and possibly in most coals and many organic-rich soils and sediments. It also accounts for the occurrence of framboidal pyrite bound in fossil tissue in coal and sediments.

An evaluation of wet chemical methods for quantifying sulfur fractions in freshwater wetland peat1

“…Although the analytical methods used by Altschuler et al (1983) were substantially different from ours, many of the methods used by Casagrande et al ( 1977) were similar. Casagrande et al removed SOa2--S (using 0.1 M LiCl) and SO-S (using CHC13) before dividing their samples and subjecting one subsample to HI reduction and another subsample to the Zn-HCl procedure.…”

“…Values are means + SE. For comparison, data are also shown for freshwater peat from the Okefenokee Swamp (Casagrande et al 1977; values are the means of the Minnie's Lake and Chesser Prairie sites) and from the Florida Everglades (Altschuler et al 1983; values are the means of core 2, 20-25 cm, and core 8, 14-19 cm). of S from all of the inorganic S compounds except So (68% recovery) and FeS, (2% recovery).…”

“…In both salt marshes and coastal marine sediments, the cycling of sulfur and carbon is linked by the process of bacterial sulfate reduction, which may account for a considerable proportion of organic matter mineralization (Howarth and Teal 1979;Skyring et al 1978;Jorgensen 1982). Sulfur diagenesis in both freshwater and marine peats bears on the origin of sulfur in coal (Casagrande et al 1977;Altschuler et al 1983). In addition, the phenomenon of acid precipitation has led to the investigation of sulfur cycling in freshwater wetland (Gorham et al 1984), freshwater lake Kelly et al 1982;Mitchell et al 1984), terrestrial (Johnson et al 1982;Fitzgerald et al 1982;McFee 1983), and agronomic (Olson 1983;Mortvedt 1983) ecosystems.…”

“…Data from the Okefenokee Swamp (Casagrande et al 1977) and the Florida Everglades (Altschuler et al 1983) in Table 3 were obtained from the analysis of dried peat samples. Although the three sites differ considerably in total S concentration, in all sites most of the S (between 76 and 94%) is present in an organic form.…”

Sulfur constituents and cycling in waters, seston, and sediments of an oligotrophic lake

“…Mitchell et al (198 1,1984) have shown that organic S usually constituted >80% of the total S in the sediments of three New York lakes. King and Klug (1982) found in hypereutrophic Wintergreen Lake sediments, where low redox conditions and high carbon levels would seem to favor pyrite formation, that organic S was still >80% of total S and that pyrite was < 10% oftotal S. Altschuler et al (1983) found organic S predominant in peat deposits across the Everglades basin and indicated that pyritic S formation in this reduced substrate was dependent on the use of organic S compounds in dissimilatory respiration by S-reducing bacteria. Mitchell et al (1984) and Landers and Mitchell (unpubl.…”