Possible biogenic structures from the Lower Cambrian strata in Yunnan Province, South China

Microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are microbial traces in sandy deposits. They have been formed by various modes of microbial behaviour in response to the prevailing physical dynamics in shallow-marine environments since early Archaean time. An association of fossils, phosphatic stru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geological magazine 2017-11, Vol.154 (6), p.1285-1293
Main Authors: LIU, WEI, ZHANG, XINGLIANG
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asia
Bacteria
Baideng China
biogenic structures
Cambrian
carbonate rocks
China
Cyanobacteria
Dian Lake
Dolomite
Dolostone
Dynamics
EDS spectra
electron microscopy data
Far East
Fossils
Geobiology
Geology
Leveling
Levelling
Lithology
Lower Cambrian
Marine environment
Mats
Meishucun Formation
Microbial mats
microfossils
Microorganisms
Microscopy
mineral composition
Offshore structures
Original Articles
Paleozoic
problematic fossils
problematic microfossils
sed rocks, sediments
Sedimentary petrology
sedimentary rocks
Sedimentary structures
Sediments
SEM data
southern China
spectra
Strata
Stromatolites
textures
Valleys
X-ray spectra
Yunnan China
Zhongyicun Member
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Summary:Microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS) are microbial traces in sandy deposits. They have been formed by various modes of microbial behaviour in response to the prevailing physical dynamics in shallow-marine environments since early Archaean time. An association of fossils, phosphatic structures and grains, stromatolites and microbial laminated levelling structures is documented from the Zhongyicun Member of Lower Cambrian strata in the Baideng section dated close to 535 Ma. SEM examination demonstrates that microbial laminated levelling structures are the result of the development of microbial mats composed of filamentous structures. We propose that there was a short hiatus after the dolomite layer deposited when the dolomite layer was weathered to form centimetre-scale valleys firstly, and then microbes accumulated in these valleys and formed the microbial laminated levelling structures.
ISSN:0016-7568
1469-5081
DOI:10.1017/S0016756817000139