Abstract
The Precambrian stratigraphic record dating back to 3.2 billion years is replete with examples of interpreted tidal facies. This chapter discusses relevant qualitative as well as quantitative criteria that support tidal interpretations. Qualitative criteria include herringbone cross bedding, bimodal-bipolar paleocurrent patterns, tidal bedding and modified ripples. Quantitative criteria in the form of tidal rhythmites which display semidiurnal, fortnightly and monthly hierarchical bundling patterns provide the best evidence for tidal processes during the Precambrian Era. Banded iron-formations (BIF’s), which are unique to the Precambrian rock record, may record evidence of tidal modulation in the form of Earth-tidal rather than ocean-tidal rhythms. Preservation of tidal and particularly tidal-flat facies in the Precambrian was enhanced by sediment stabilization as recorded in microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS). Tidal facies in the Precambrian record are preserved in both transgressive and highstand systems tracts, the latter as progradational delta front-prodelta deposits. Data from the Precambrian record reveal that despite a closer Earth-Moon distance, at the least in the Archean Era, bedforms were of comparable scale to those existing today and tidal ranges were probably mostly macrotidal but not extreme.
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Eriksson, K.A., Simpson, E. (2012). Precambrian Tidal Facies. In: Davis Jr., R., Dalrymple, R. (eds) Principles of Tidal Sedimentology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0123-6_15
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