‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time

Trapping and binding of allochthonous grains by benthic microbial communities has been considered a fundamental process of microbialite accretion since its discovery in popular shallow-marine modern examples (Bahamas and Shark Bay). However, agglutinated textures are rare in fossil microbialites and...

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Authors: Suárez González, Pablo, Benito Moreno, María Isabel, Quijada, Isabel Emma, Mas Mayoral, José Ramón, Campos Soto, Sonia
Format: article
Publication Date:2019
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/13342
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/13342
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:550.7
552.54
Stromatolites
Oncoids
Thrombolites
Fenestral laminites
Microbial mats
EPS
Agglutinated microbialites
Geología estratigráfica
Petrología
2506.19 Estratigrafía
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oai_identifier_str oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/13342
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and timeSuárez González, PabloBenito Moreno, María IsabelQuijada, Isabel EmmaMas Mayoral, José RamónCampos Soto, Sonia550.7552.54StromatolitesOncoidsThrombolitesFenestral laminitesMicrobial matsEPSAgglutinated microbialitesGeología estratigráficaPetrología2506.19 EstratigrafíaTrapping and binding of allochthonous grains by benthic microbial communities has been considered a fundamental process of microbialite accretion since its discovery in popular shallow-marine modern examples (Bahamas and Shark Bay). However, agglutinated textures are rare in fossil microbialites and, thus, the role of trapping and binding has been debated in the last four decades. Recently, renewed attention on this subject has produced new findings of fossil agglutinated microbialites (those mainly formed by ‘trapping and binding’ and analogous to modern examples), but they are still few and geologically recent (mainly post-Paleozoic) when compared to the 3.5 Gyr long record of microbialites. In order to better understand this discrepancy between modern and fossil examples, an extensive literature review is presented here, providing the first thorough database of agglutinated microbialites, which shows that all of them are formed in shallow-marine environments and most under tidal influence. In addition, a Lower Cretaceous example is described, including very diverse microbialites, each of them formed in a particular paleoenvironment. Some of these microbialites developed in grainy settings, but only those formed in marginal-marine tide-influenced environments accreted mainly by trapping and binding the surrounding grains, being analogous of modern agglutinated microbialites, and matching the environmental pattern observed in the literature database. The combination of the literature review with the case study allows to discuss the factors that control and enhance ‘trapping and binding’: a) occurrence of grains in the microbialite environment; b) frequent currents that mobilize the grains and supply them onto the microbialite surface; c) high concentration and diversity of electrolytes in the water to increase the adhesiveness of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the microbialite surface; and d) a CaCO3 saturation state not high enough to promote early and strong carbonate precipitation within EPS, which would eventually decrease its availability to adhere grains. Therefore, this review shows that the keys to solve the ‘trapping and binding’ debate may be environmental, because the conjuction of these hydrodynamic and hydrochemical parameters is preferentially achieved in shallow-marine settings and especially in those influenced by tides, at least since Mesozoic times. This explains the limited environmental and stratigraphic distribution of microbialites mainly formed by ‘trapping and binding’, and opens new ways to look, geologically and microbiologically, at this process, so often cited and yet so rare.ElsevierUniversidad Complutense de Madrid20192019-07-0120192019-07-01journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/13342reponame:Docta Complutenseinstname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/133422026-06-02T12:44:21Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
title ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
spellingShingle ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
Suárez González, Pablo
550.7
552.54
Stromatolites
Oncoids
Thrombolites
Fenestral laminites
Microbial mats
EPS
Agglutinated microbialites
Geología estratigráfica
Petrología
2506.19 Estratigrafía
title_short ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
title_full ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
title_fullStr ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
title_full_unstemmed ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
title_sort ‘Trapping and binding’: A review of the factors controlling the development of fossil agglutinated microbialites and their distribution in space and time
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Suárez González, Pablo
Benito Moreno, María Isabel
Quijada, Isabel Emma
Mas Mayoral, José Ramón
Campos Soto, Sonia
author Suárez González, Pablo
author_facet Suárez González, Pablo
Benito Moreno, María Isabel
Quijada, Isabel Emma
Mas Mayoral, José Ramón
Campos Soto, Sonia
author_role author
author2 Benito Moreno, María Isabel
Quijada, Isabel Emma
Mas Mayoral, José Ramón
Campos Soto, Sonia
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 550.7
552.54
Stromatolites
Oncoids
Thrombolites
Fenestral laminites
Microbial mats
EPS
Agglutinated microbialites
Geología estratigráfica
Petrología
2506.19 Estratigrafía
topic 550.7
552.54
Stromatolites
Oncoids
Thrombolites
Fenestral laminites
Microbial mats
EPS
Agglutinated microbialites
Geología estratigráfica
Petrología
2506.19 Estratigrafía
description Trapping and binding of allochthonous grains by benthic microbial communities has been considered a fundamental process of microbialite accretion since its discovery in popular shallow-marine modern examples (Bahamas and Shark Bay). However, agglutinated textures are rare in fossil microbialites and, thus, the role of trapping and binding has been debated in the last four decades. Recently, renewed attention on this subject has produced new findings of fossil agglutinated microbialites (those mainly formed by ‘trapping and binding’ and analogous to modern examples), but they are still few and geologically recent (mainly post-Paleozoic) when compared to the 3.5 Gyr long record of microbialites. In order to better understand this discrepancy between modern and fossil examples, an extensive literature review is presented here, providing the first thorough database of agglutinated microbialites, which shows that all of them are formed in shallow-marine environments and most under tidal influence. In addition, a Lower Cretaceous example is described, including very diverse microbialites, each of them formed in a particular paleoenvironment. Some of these microbialites developed in grainy settings, but only those formed in marginal-marine tide-influenced environments accreted mainly by trapping and binding the surrounding grains, being analogous of modern agglutinated microbialites, and matching the environmental pattern observed in the literature database. The combination of the literature review with the case study allows to discuss the factors that control and enhance ‘trapping and binding’: a) occurrence of grains in the microbialite environment; b) frequent currents that mobilize the grains and supply them onto the microbialite surface; c) high concentration and diversity of electrolytes in the water to increase the adhesiveness of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of the microbialite surface; and d) a CaCO3 saturation state not high enough to promote early and strong carbonate precipitation within EPS, which would eventually decrease its availability to adhere grains. Therefore, this review shows that the keys to solve the ‘trapping and binding’ debate may be environmental, because the conjuction of these hydrodynamic and hydrochemical parameters is preferentially achieved in shallow-marine settings and especially in those influenced by tides, at least since Mesozoic times. This explains the limited environmental and stratigraphic distribution of microbialites mainly formed by ‘trapping and binding’, and opens new ways to look, geologically and microbiologically, at this process, so often cited and yet so rare.
publishDate 2019
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2019
2019-07-01
2019
2019-07-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/13342
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/13342
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Docta Complutense
instname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
instname_str Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
reponame_str Docta Complutense
collection Docta Complutense
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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