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A contribution to the reconstruction of Miocene seepage from authigenic carbonates of the northern Apennines (Italy)

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Abstract

Authigenic carbonates from outcrops of the northern Apennines consist of small and irregular lenses and exhibit numerous features indicative of cold-seep settings. Detailed petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical studies from two Miocene deposits are presented. The first carbonate outcrop, named Fosso Riconi, is located in the foredeep basin of the Apenninic chain, whereas the second deposit represents a satellite basin called Sarsetta. The stable isotope data from specific carbonate minerals show a wide range of values well known from other palaeoseeps of the Apennine Mountains. The majority of seep carbonates are formed by low-Mg calcite and ankerite. Those minerals have δ13C values between −7 and −23‰ V-PDB, suggesting variable amounts of carbonate derived from oxidized methane, seawater (dissolved inorganic carbon) and sedimentary organic matter. Dolomite samples have the lowest δ13C values (−30.8 to −39.0‰ V-PDB), indicating methane as the main carbon source. The findings suggest an evolutionary formation of the seeps and development of authigenic carbonates influenced by the activity of chemosynthetic organisms, of which large lucinid clams are preserved. Bioirrigation by the clams controlled the sediment–water exchange, and is here considered as an explanation for the anomalous Mg content of the calcite. We hypothesize that the seep carbonates were formed during periods of active methane-rich seepage, whereas during periods of slow seepage carbonate formation was reduced. Despite different geological settings, the two examined deposits of Sarsetta and Fosso Riconi show similar features, suggesting that a common pattern of fluid circulation played a major role in carbonate formation at both seep sites.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the guest editor Gerhard Bohrmann and to the reviewers for the very accurate and useful reviewing of the manuscript. We thank Roberto Barbieri and Giuliana Panieri for having made available the samples and thin sections of Sarsetta seep carbonates. This research was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR).

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via S. Eufemia 19, 41100, Modena, Italy

    Stefano Conti, Daniela Fontana & Silvia Mecozzi

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  1. Stefano Conti
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  2. Daniela Fontana
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  3. Silvia Mecozzi
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Correspondence to Silvia Mecozzi.

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Table 1

Quantitative mineralogical composition of the analysed samples (DOC 26 kb)

Table 2

Chemical compositions of the examined samples (DOC 352 kb)

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Conti, S., Fontana, D. & Mecozzi, S. A contribution to the reconstruction of Miocene seepage from authigenic carbonates of the northern Apennines (Italy). Geo-Mar Lett 30, 449–460 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-010-0196-9

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