Biomarker records and mineral compositions of the Messinian halite and K–Mg salts from Sicily

Isaji, Yuta; Yoshimura, Toshihiro; Kuroda, Junichiro; Tamenori, Y.; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco Jose; Lugli, Stefano; Manzi, Vinicio; Roveri, Marco; Kawahata, Hodaka; Ohkouchi, Naohiko

doi:10.1186/s40645-019-0306-x

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 59 publications

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“…This approach is a valuable tool to unveil the conditions in the water column during the MSC. Organic geochemical investigations targeting abyssal evaporites (Christeleit et al 2015) and Messinian salts (Isaji et al 2019b) revealed that evaporites were deposited under a stratified water column during the latest MSC phases. These results agree with recent hydrological models (de Lange & Krijgsman, 2010;Simon & Meijer, 2017;García-Veigas et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of water column and sedimentary environments to the advent of the Messinian salinity crisis: insights from an onshore deep-water section (Govone, NW Italy)

et al. 2020

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During Messinian time, the Mediterranean underwent hydrological modifications culminating 5.97 Ma ago with the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC). Evaporite deposition and alleged annihilation of most marine eukaryotes were taken as evidence of the establishment of basin-wide hypersalinity followed by desiccation. However, the palaeoenvironmental conditions during the MSC are still a matter of debate, chiefly because most of its sedimentary record is buried below the abyssal plains of the present-day Mediterranean Sea. To shed light on environmental change at the advent and during the early phase of the MSC, we investigated the Govone section from the Piedmont Basin (NW Italy) using a multidisciplinary approach (organic geochemical, petrographic, and carbon and oxygen stable isotope analyses). The Govone section archives the onset of the crisis in a succession of organic-rich shales and dolomite-rich marls. The MSC part of the succession represents the deep-water equivalent of sulphate evaporites deposited at the basin margins during the first phase of the crisis. Our study reveals that the onset of the MSC was marked by the intensification of water-column stratification, rather than the establishment of widespread hypersaline conditions. A chemocline divided the water column into an oxygen-depleted, denser and more saline bottom layer and an oxygenated, upper seawater layer influenced by freshwater inflow. Vertical oscillations of the chemocline controlled the stratigraphic architecture of the sediments pertaining to the first stage of the MSC. Accordingly, temporal and spatial changes of water masses with different redox chemistries must be considered when interpreting the MSC event.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of water column and sedimentary environments to the advent of the Messinian salinity crisis: insights from an onshore deep-water section (Govone, NW Italy)

et al. 2020

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The transition toward the Messinian evaporites identified by biomarker records in the organic-rich shales of the Tripoli Formation (Sicily, Italy)

Nádudvari

Forzese

Maniscalco

et al. 2022

International Journal of Coal Geology

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It’s a trap!: Modern and ancient halite as Lagerstätten

Gibson,

Benison

2023

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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Chemical sediments, such as bedded halite (NaCl), are strongly influenced by environmental conditions during deposition and, if unaltered, may preserve microorganisms, microfossils, and organic compounds for hundreds of millions of years. Recent studies show that halite is an excellent repository for organic materials, as well as a variety of environmental data. Halite is a perfect trap. Due to its rapid growth, parent brine, gas, crystals of other minerals, and any organic material are encased within primary fluid inclusions or as solid inclusions along growth bands. These inclusions function as “snapshot” repositories of the hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. However, organic material in halite is still relatively unknown in the sedimentological and paleontological communities. Here, we present highlights of preservation in halite to showcase the diversity of life that has been documented within it. We also discuss: 1) the properties of halite that give it such excellent preservation potential, 2) the challenges to and strategies for studying organic material in halite, 3) preservation in other salt minerals such as gypsum, and 4) implications for astrobiological research. Recommendations for the future study of organic material in halite include collaboration amongst chemical sedimentologists, paleontologists, and microbiologists.

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Biomarker records and mineral compositions of the Messinian halite and K–Mg salts from Sicily

Cited by 4 publications

References 59 publications

The response of water column and sedimentary environments to the advent of the Messinian salinity crisis: insights from an onshore deep-water section (Govone, NW Italy)

The response of water column and sedimentary environments to the advent of the Messinian salinity crisis: insights from an onshore deep-water section (Govone, NW Italy)

The transition toward the Messinian evaporites identified by biomarker records in the organic-rich shales of the Tripoli Formation (Sicily, Italy)

It’s a trap!: Modern and ancient halite as Lagerstätten

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