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Pyritization in the Gaojiashan Biota

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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

The Late Sinian (Ediacaran) Gaojiashan Biota was a soft-bodied fossil-Lagerstätte dominated by substantial pyritized, three-dimensionally preserved tubular and conotubular fossils. Soft-tissue pyritization is extremely scarce in the fossil records, especially in the Precambrian, therefore it has very important and unique significance for the study of pyritization in the Gaojiashan Biota. Early pyritization played a pivotal role in the fossil preservation and two main factors ensured the successful pyritization of the fossils, namely rapid burial and permineralization. The former was controlled by secular storm deposition, and the latter was achieved by sufficient supply of available iron from sediments. SEM data of Conotubus demonstrate two types of preservation of the tubes (defined as type A and type B, respectively). In type A, pyritization took place relatively earlier and completely preserved both tube wall and coelom, but no detailed structure. While in type B, pyritization took place somewhat later and preserved the integrated tube wall, but partially the coelom. The size frequency distribution of the pyrite framboids suggests that pyritization took place in two different environments with entire different oxygen content.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Early Life Institute, State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710069, China

    Cai YaoPing & Hua Hong

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  1. Cai YaoPing
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  2. Hua Hong
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Correspondence to Hua Hong.

Additional information

Supported by National Basic Science Personnel Training Foundation (Grant No. J0630537), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40272013, 40572015, and 40332016), Ministry of Sciences and Technology, China (Grant Nos. 2006CB806400 and 2003CB716805), Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (PCSIRT), Education Department of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 03JK096) and Innovation Fund of Personnel Training Base, Department of Geology, Northwest University (Grant No. XDCXD04-02)

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Cai, Y., Hua, H. Pyritization in the Gaojiashan Biota. CHINESE SCI BULL 52, 645–650 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0080-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0080-9

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