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Petrography and stable isotope geochemistry of the cretaceous El Abra Limestones (Actopan), Mexico: Implication on diagenesis

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Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

Petrography and stable isotopes (carbon and oxygen) geochemistry of limestones from the El Abra Formation, Actopan, were studied to identify their digenetic environments. The major petrographic types identified are mudstone, wackestone, grainstone, and boundstone. Most of the studied samples show positive δ13C values, except two samples (2 and 28), which are slightly negative values (−0.27‰ and −0.02‰). The organic remains identified in foraminiferal wackestone type can be responsible for the negative δ13C values. The δ18O values range from −12.41‰ to −4.02‰ and indicate meteoric diagenesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad de Geología Marina y Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, 04510, Mexico D.F., Mexico

    John S. Armstrong-Altrin & Juan J. Kasper-Zubillaga

  2. Estación Regional del Noroeste, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hermosillo, 83000, Sonora, Mexico

    J. Madhavaraju

  3. Nucleo de Estudos Geoquímicos e Laboratório de Isótopos Estáveis (NEG — LABISE), Departmento de Geologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Caixa Posta 7852, 50670-000, Recife, PE, Brazil

    Alcides N. Sial

  4. Department of Applied Geology, School of Engineering and Science, Curtin University of Technology, CDT 250, 98009, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

    R. Nagarajan

  5. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra, Ciudad Universitaria, Carretera Pachuca-Tulancingo Km. 4.5, 42184, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico

    K. Flores-Castro & Janet Luna Rodríguez

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  1. John S. Armstrong-Altrin
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Armstrong-Altrin, J.S., Madhavaraju, J., Sial, A.N. et al. Petrography and stable isotope geochemistry of the cretaceous El Abra Limestones (Actopan), Mexico: Implication on diagenesis. J Geol Soc India 77, 349–359 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-011-0042-3

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