Controls on the pyritization of exceptionally preserved fossils; an analysis of the Lower Devonian Hunsrueck Slate of Germany

Briggs, Deg; Raiswell, R.; Bottrell, Simon H.; Hatfield, D.B.; Bartels, Christoph

doi:10.2475/ajs.296.6.633

Cited by 134 publications

(82 citation statements)

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“…Further, pyritization-conducive sediments typically have low organic carbon content and abundant reactive iron, serving to focus BSR and pyrite precipitation on decaying carcasses 8,9,13,14,27 . While the Gaojiashan biota is similar to these younger deposits in that pyritized fossils are found in sediments deposited by rapid burial events 11 , there are some key differences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two of these pathways-Beecher's Trilobite-type pyritization (threedimensional pervasive pyritization) and Burgess Shale-type kerogenization (two-dimensional carbonaceous compression)-are particularly important. Pervasive pyritization is commonly facilitated by rapid burial, minimal ambient organic material, periodic or persistent anoxia/dysoxia, reactive iron and sulfate availability, low bioturbation and bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR)-mediated decay 1,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] (BSR: CH 3 COO À þ SO 4 2--2 HCO 3 -þ HS -). By and large, kerogenization has been attributed to many of the same facilitating conditions, mostly related to rapid burial into anoxic/dysoxic palaeoenvironments 15 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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A unifying model for Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic exceptional fossil preservation through pyritization and carbonaceous compression

et al. 2014

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A unifying model for Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic exceptional fossil preservation through pyritization and carbonaceous compression

et al. 2014

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“…Several observations by Briggs et al (1996), who investigated controls on the pyritization of exceptionally preserved fossils, can be compared to our modelling results. Their work proposed that high dissolved Fe concentrations are the key factor in the preservation of these fossils.…”

Section: Relevance Of Microniche Fes Deposition To Paleoenvironmentalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, we recognise that significantly restricted diffusion to/from a niche may also result in well defined localised FeS deposition. Briggs et al (1996) measured enrichments in 34 S isotope fractionation within pyritized fossils compared to the surroundings. This enrichment can be explained by either the restricted diffusion or the rapid sulfate consumption hypotheses.…”

Section: Relevance Of Microniche Fes Deposition To Paleoenvironmentalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of iron sulfide at faecal pellets and other microniches within suboxic surface sediment

Stockdale

Davison

Zhang

2010

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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Faecal pellet deposition and bioturbation may lead to heterogeneously distributed particles of localized highly reactive organic matter (microniches) being present below the oxygen penetration depth. Where O 2 , NO 3 -, and Fe/Mn oxyhydroxides become depleted within these microniches or where they exist in zones of sulfate reduction, significant localized peaks in sulfide concentration can occur. These discrete zones of sulfide evolution can cause formation of iron sulfides that would not be predicted by analysis of the bulk sediment.Using a reaction-transport model developed specifically for investigating spherical microniches, and incorporating 3D diffusion, we investigated how the rate constants of organic matter (OM) degradation, particle porosity and niche lifetime, affect dissolved sulfide and iron concentrations, and formation of iron sulfide at such niches. For all of the modelled scenarios the saturation index for iron sulfide is positive, indicating favourable conditions for FeS precipitation in all niches. Those simulations within the microniche lifetime range of 2.5 to 5 days gave comparable concentration ratios of sulfide to iron in solution within the niche to experimentally observed values. Our model results provide insight into the mechanisms of preservation of OM, including soft tissue, in the paleo record, by predicting the conditions that result in preferential deposition of precipitates at the edge of microniches. Decreases in porosity, shorter niche lifetimes and increases in OM degradation rate constants, all tend to increase the likelihood that FeS precipitation will preferentially occur at the edges of a niche, rather than uniformly throughout the niche volume.3

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“…[81] Pyritization, like phosphatization, although relatively rare, can preserve the original three-dimensional morphology of structures that normally decay. Examples include the appendages and eggs of trilobites and ostracods in Beecher's Trilobite Bed in the Ordovician of New York State (Figure 2F), [25,90] the soft parts of a diversity of marine animals in the Devonian Hunsruck Slate of Germany [91] and of the polychaete Arkonips from the Devonian of Ontario ( Figure 3B). [92] Pyritization of soft tissues occurs in finegrained siliciclastic sediments that are otherwise poor in organic matter but enriched in iron.…”

Section: Authigenic Mineralization Saves Tissues Apparently Doomed Tomentioning

confidence: 99%

Soft‐Bodied Fossils Are Not Simply Rotten Carcasses – Toward a Holistic Understanding of Exceptional Fossil Preservation

et al. 2017

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Exceptionally preserved fossils are the product of complex interplays of biological and geological processes including burial, autolysis and microbial decay, authigenic mineralization, diagenesis, metamorphism, and finally weathering and exhumation. Determining which tissues are preserved and how biases affect their preservation pathways is important for interpreting fossils in phylogenetic, ecological, and evolutionary frameworks. Although laboratory decay experiments reveal important aspects of fossilization, applying the results directly to the interpretation of exceptionally preserved fossils may overlook the impact of other key processes that remove or preserve morphological information. Investigations of fossils preserving nonbiomineralized tissues suggest that certain structures that are decay resistant (e.g., the notochord) are rarely preserved (even where carbonaceous components survive), and decay-prone structures (e.g., nervous systems) can fossilize, albeit rarely. As we review here, decay resistance is an imperfect indicator of fossilization potential, and a suite of biological and geological processes account for the features preserved in exceptional fossils.

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Controls on the pyritization of exceptionally preserved fossils; an analysis of the Lower Devonian Hunsrueck Slate of Germany

Cited by 134 publications

References 0 publications

A unifying model for Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic exceptional fossil preservation through pyritization and carbonaceous compression

A unifying model for Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic exceptional fossil preservation through pyritization and carbonaceous compression

Formation of iron sulfide at faecal pellets and other microniches within suboxic surface sediment

Soft‐Bodied Fossils Are Not Simply Rotten Carcasses – Toward a Holistic Understanding of Exceptional Fossil Preservation

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