Limestones and Red Soils of Bermuda

Blackburn, G; Taylor, R. M.

doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1969)80[1595:larsob]2.0.co;2

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Soils from the Whalebone Bay area do not plot squarely in either parent material field, but fall closest to shallow Bermuda volcanic rocks, indicating this as the most likely parent material. Previous workers [ Blackburn and Taylor , 1969, 1970; Bricker and Mackenzie , 1970; Herwitz et al , 1996] have noted that the modern beach sands and Quaternary aeolianites at Whalebone Bay have an unusually large number of volcanic particles, appearing as distinct black bands. Thus, sediments at Whalebone Bay have a larger proportion of local volcanic particles compared to all other localities on Bermuda.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This mineral suite is similar to that of Prognon et al [2011], who identified sand-sized grains within the paleosols as quartz, perovskite, titanite, garnet, leucite, diopside, magnetite, spinel, chromite, and a phosphate mineral. At Whalebone Bay, the marine facies of the Town Hill Formation contains abundant volcanic (i.e., non-carbonate) minerals, as noted by Blackburn and Taylor [1969], Bricker and Mackenzie [1970], Herwitz et al [1996] and Prognon et al [2011]. A sample we collected from this unit yielded only $9.7% carbonate.…”

Section: Mineralogy Of Potential Parent Materialsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The origin of soils and paleosols on Bermuda has been debated vigorously for more than a century. Thompson [1878], Verrill [1902], Sayles [1931], Bretz [1960], Blackburn and Taylor [1969], and Prognon et al [2011]all considered the soils on Bermuda to be residual, the products of significant aeolianite dissolution and accumulation of the non‐carbonate minerals. On Bermuda, the non‐carbonate component of the aeolianites consists of volcanic particles derived from the underlying basement rock of the island Ruhe et al [1961], Land et al [1967], Bricker and Mackenzie [1970], Herwitz and Muhs [1995],.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil genesis on the island of Bermuda in the Quaternary: The importance of African dust transport and deposition

et al. 2012

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[1] The origin of terra rossa, red or reddish-brown, clay-rich soils overlying high-purity carbonate substrates, has intrigued geologists and pedologists for decades. Terra rossa soils can form from accumulation of insoluble residues during dissolution of the host limestones, addition of volcanic ash, or addition of externally derived, long-range-transported (LRT) aeolian particles. We studied soils and paleosols on high-purity, carbonate aeolianites of Quaternary age on Bermuda, where terra rossa origins have been debated for more than a century. Potential soil parent materials on this island include sand-sized fragments of local volcanic bedrock, the LRT, fine-grained (<20 mm) component of distal loess from the lower Mississippi River Valley, and LRT dust from Africa. These parent materials can be characterized geochemically using trace elements that are immobile in the soil-forming environment. Results indicate that local volcanic bedrock on Bermuda has Sc-Th-La, Cr-Ta-Nd, and Eu/Eu*, La N /Yb N , Gd N /Yb N that can be distinguished from African dust and lower Mississippi River valley loess. Bermuda soils have Sc-Th-La, Cr-Ta-Nd, and Eu/ Eu*, La N /Yb N , Gd N /Yb N that indicate derivation from a combination of LRT dust from Africa and local volcanic bedrock. Our results indicate that soils on islands in a very broad latitudinal belt of the western Atlantic margin have been influenced by African LRT dust inputs over much of the past $500 ka.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mineralogy Of Potential Parent Materialsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil genesis on the island of Bermuda in the Quaternary: The importance of African dust transport and deposition

et al. 2012

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“…Lagoonal red terrigenous mud on the Bermudas has a phosphorous content as high as 14% (Blackburn and Taylor, 1969). The source of both clays and phosphorous in the Bermudas was deduced to be related to soil erosion, and the phosphorous was shown to be derived from guano.…”

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 98%

The lost paleosols: Masked evidence for emergence and soil formation on the Kimmeridgian Jura platform (NW Switzerland)

Waite

Marty²,

Strasser

et al. 2013

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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Lagoonal carbonates of Kimmeridgian age in NW Switzerland formed in a tropical epeiric sea and exhibit indicators of subaerial emergence such as tidal biolaminites, desiccation cracks, flat pebble conglomerates, and fenestral structures. Additionally, 30 dinosaur tracksites from at least six stratigraphic intervals indicate repeated formation of land bridges between the platform and adjacent massifs. Populations of herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs necessitate substantial vegetation and consequently a soil cover, but no striking evidence of paleosols have been found within the track bearing sequences. However, two stratigraphic levels exposed in nine outcrops exhibit distinctive hardgrounds that experienced early meteoric diagenesis during times of emergence. Initial induration began with the precipitation of thin micritic meniscus cements. Contemporaneously meteoric waters completely dissolved all aragonite leaving large voids. Iron-hydroxides were precipitated in the uppermost 7-10 cm where they impregnated the porous micrite and constituted a separate cement generation, which caused a penetrative dark red staining. These aspects are suggestive of the formation of Mediterranean-type red soils on the emerged platform. During transgression, the soil was eroded and wavecut hardgrounds were superimposed on the hardgrounds formed during regression. Erosion is evidenced by micro-karst, truncated Gastrochaenolites isp. borings and the physical removal of steinkerns. The eroded material including floral remains provided surplus nutrients leading to eutrophication. This food-rich environment supported the mass-occurrence of gastropods in the nerineoid limestones and oysters (Nanogyra sp.) in the Virgula Marls.

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“…The following hypotheses are typical: (1) soil washed in from nearby (Ahmad et al 1966); (2) simple erosion (Sinclair 1967;Bosch et al 1982); (3) weathering of volcanic ash (Comer et al 1980); (4) weathering of aeolian dust (Land et al 1967;Blackburn & Taylor 1969, 1970Bricker & Mackenzie 1970;Macleod 1980;Rapp 1983;Muhs et al 1987Muhs et al ,1990.…”

Section: G91017 Received 17 July 1992; Accepted 22 December 1992mentioning

confidence: 99%

The elemental content of Niue Island soils as an indicator of their origin

Whitehead

Hunt

Leslie

et al. 1993

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics

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The major and trace element contents of 241 Niue Island lateritic soils were determined, mainly by X-ray fluorescence, to deduce soil origins. The analyses showed very low SiO 2 content, and a high content of Mg, P, V, Cr, Sr, Y, Hg, and α-counts, compared with other laterites worldwide. The distribution patterns are consistent with derivation by weathering from calcite and dolomite rather than from deposited volcanic ash. Weathering is a particularly novel explanation for the origin of the relatively high content of P in these soils. The soils contain a negative Ce anomaly, consistent with an origin from seawater or coral, but not volcanic ash. If recent results showing in situ formation of magnetite in soils are applicable, the soil mineralogy is wholly consistent with an origin from calcite/dolomite. An origin from calcite is also consistent with the relative lack of volcanic ash on the seabed nearby, and very low deposition of aeolian dust. The radioactivity content is consistent neither with calcite/dolomite weathering, nor volcanic ash origin, but may have originated, like a few of the stable elements, from rising hydrothermal solutions.

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Limestones and Red Soils of Bermuda

Cited by 15 publications

References 0 publications

Soil genesis on the island of Bermuda in the Quaternary: The importance of African dust transport and deposition

Soil genesis on the island of Bermuda in the Quaternary: The importance of African dust transport and deposition

The lost paleosols: Masked evidence for emergence and soil formation on the Kimmeridgian Jura platform (NW Switzerland)

The elemental content of Niue Island soils as an indicator of their origin

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