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Application of sequential alkaline amorphous silica extraction for Cenozoic and early Paleozoic rocks

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Abstract

The study of amorphous biogenic silica content in marine sediments makes it possible to evaluate changes in the silicon cycle in the world ocean, while periods of intense silicon deposition record changes in the water chemistry and the atmosphere. The technique of sequential leaching of silica with subsequent calculation of the contribution of clay minerals is actively used by researchers for Quaternary deposits. This study used sediments that differ in age (Neogene, Cambrian), composition (clay minerals content from 0 to 27%, quartz content from 9 to 88%), and paleoenvironment (oxic and anoxic conditions, marine and coastal environments). Three rock types were taken for comparison: Miocene siltstones (N1s2, Sarmatian regional stage, Taman, Russia), bituminous limestone, flint, and rocks of the mixed siliceous–clay–carbonate composition of the Inikan Formation of the Lower-Middle Cambrian (Є1-2in), and Middle-Upper Cambrian siltstones of the Evenki Formation (Є2-3ev) (Eastern Siberia, Russia). The alkaline leaching method has been improved to prevent possible changes in the reaction kinetics and to account for the heterogeneity of the sample at low estimated amorphous silica content. As a result of these studies, it has been found that the Si/time and Si/Al are the most optimal among the considered methods for calculating the content of amorphous silica in Neogene and Cambrian rocks with low amorphous silica content. When there is little discrepancy between the average values of conditionally biogenic silica, the Si/Al method is preferable for terrigenous rocks. The amount of amorphous silica available for extraction in the rocks of the Inikan (Є1-2) and Evenki (Є2-3) formations was estimated at 0–2.0 wt% and 1.6–3.0 wt%, respectively.

Research Highlights

  • Sedimentary rocks of different ages (Neogene, Cambrian), composition (clay minerals content from 0 to 27%, quartz content from 9% to 88%), and paleoenvironment (oxic and anoxic conditions, marine and coastal environments) were studied.

  • The alkaline leaching method has been improved to prevent possible changes in the reaction kinetics and to account for the heterogeneity of the sample at low estimated amorphous silica content. As a result of these studies, it has been found that the Si/time and Si/Al are the most optimal among the considered methods for calculating the content of amorphous silica in Neogene and Cambrian rocks with low amorphous silica content.

  • Methodological issues related to the calculation of the contribution of clay minerals were discussed, as well as the role of catagenetic transformation for Paleozoic rocks.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to M A Levitan for helping in choosing a method for determining the amount of biogenic silica. Besides, we would like to thank the Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University Associate Professor I F Seregina and Professor M A Bolshov for the opportunity to conduct research and interest in cooperation. Also, we would like to thank Senior Lecturer V L Kosorukov (Faculty of Geology, Lomonosov Moscow State University) for carrying out the XRD and Professor A Yu Bychkov (Faculty of Geology, Lomonosov Moscow State University) for consultations on interesting issues of the geochemistry of silicates. We would like to express special thanks to Professor V S Savenko (Faculty of Geography of Lomonosov Moscow State University) for consultations and interesting discussions on the geochemistry of silica. Also, we would like to earnestly acknowledge A G Matul (Head of Laboratory, Paleoecology, and Biostratigraphy Laboratory) for article proofreading and support throughout the study. We would like to thank Dr Pallabi Basu and an anonymous reviewer for their critical reading, thoughtful comments, and efforts toward improving our manuscript. This work was carried out within the framework of state assignment, subject No. FMWE-2021-0006 (Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS). The study of microstructure was carried out at the Center for Collective Use ‘Electron Microscopy in Life Sciences’ of Lomonosov Moscow State University (3D Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 36, Nakhimovskiy prospect, Moscow, 117997, Russia

    Sofia I Merenkova

  2. Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russia

    Sofia I Merenkova, Ivan V Mikheev, Georgii A Kalmykov, Ruslan R Gabdullin & Maria M Suslenkova

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  1. Sofia I Merenkova
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  2. Ivan V Mikheev
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Contributions

Sofia I Merenkova: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, visualization, writing – original draft preparation. Ivan V Mikheev: Investigation, writing – review and editing. Georgii A Kalmykov: Resources, writing – review and editing. Ruslan R Gabdullin: Supervision. Maria M Suslenkova: Investigation.

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Correspondence to Sofia I Merenkova.

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Communicated by Ramananda Chakrabarti

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Merenkova, S.I., Mikheev, I.V., Kalmykov, G.A. et al. Application of sequential alkaline amorphous silica extraction for Cenozoic and early Paleozoic rocks. J Earth Syst Sci 132, 99 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-023-02113-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-023-02113-1

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