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Marine to mixing zone dolomitization in peritidal carbonates: The Gordon Group (Ordovician), Mole Creek, Tasmania, Australia

  • Dolomitization in peritidal carbonates
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Abstract

Dolomite is a common mineral in the Gordon Group, occurs in most of the stratigraphic sequences, is abundant in intertidal and supratidal carbonates and extends into some subtidal carbonates. Three major types of dolomitization common are: a) dolomitized burrows; b) mottled or dispersed dolomite; and c) laminar dolomite. Dolomite is predominantly subhedral, equigranular, fine-grained (submicron to 150 microns) and coarser than associated micrite. It is randomly distributed and replaces micrite extensively, and some oolites, peloids, intraclasts and rarely fossils. Sparry calcite cement and spar in veins are not replaced by dolomite. These features confirm that dolomite formed mainly during early diagenesis before and during spar cementation but prior to development of spar in veins. The former presence of evaporites is indicated in a few samples. Where dolomite is abundant, evidence of former evaporites is lacking, indicating that dolomites formed in normal marine to mixed-marine waters.

The ranges of Sr and Na concentrations are similar to those of marine to mixing zone dolomites. The Mn and Fe concentrations in the dolomite indicate oxidizing to reducing conditions and influence of continental water during dolomitization. The decrease of Sr and increase of Mn with increasingly lighter values of both δ18O and δ13C in dolomite and associated micrite indicate meteoric diagenesis during their formation.

Mole Creek dolomites are enriched in both δ18O (≈+2%∞) and δ13C (≈+0.5o/∞) relative to coexisting calcites. The δ13C values of dolomites and micrites are mostly parallel to each other in the stratigraphic sequence as a result of inheritance of δ13C from the micrite replacement. The δ18O values of dolomites and micrites are generally opposed to each other because δ18O of dolomite is derived mainly from the dolomitizing fluids.

The Mole Creek dolomite isotopic field falls at the edge of the mixing zone dolomite isotope fields and overlaps that of the Ordovician-Silurian dolomite of Nevada because of the light δ18O of seawater and related meteoric water. The dolomitization is characterized by variable isotopic composition of marine and meteorically altered sediment and variable water composition. For this reason the dolomite isotopic field ranging from marine to mixing zone, overlaps marine calcite fields, extends toward meteoric calcite fields and is far removed from the burial calcite field. Dolomitization occurred simultaneously with or slightly after the transformation of metastable CaCO3 to calcite during early diagenesis. The major mechanisms of dolomitization are tidal pumping of seawater mixing with continental waters and mixing of seawater by torrential rains, reflux and capillary movements.

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    C. Prasada Rao

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Rao, C.P. Marine to mixing zone dolomitization in peritidal carbonates: The Gordon Group (Ordovician), Mole Creek, Tasmania, Australia. Carbonates Evaporites 5, 153–178 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03174846

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