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The palaeoenvironment of East Kirkton, West Lothian, Scotland: stable isotope evidence from silicates and sulphides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

R. A. R. McGill ,
A. J. Hall ,
A. E. Fallick  and
A. J. Boyce
R. A. R. McGill
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Applied Geology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ
A. J. Hall
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Applied Geology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ
A. E. Fallick
Affiliation:
Isotope Geosciences Unit, SURRC, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QU, U.K.
A. J. Boyce
Affiliation:
Isotope Geosciences Unit, SURRC, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QU, U.K.
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Abstract

Stable isotope data from the East Kirkton succession are used to elucidate the extent of hot-spring influence in the palaeoenvironment by constraining conditions of deposition of the silica and the formation of sulphides.

Petrographically silica occurs as chert laminae thought to be primary, and as patchy chert considered as replacive. No evidence for biogenic silica was observed. For 20 silica samples δ18O was measured for structural oxygen and δD for bound water. δ18O(SMOW) varied between +21 and +27‰ with no sample groupings related to petrography. The range in δD(SMOW) was from −50 to −90‰ with lower values characterising replacive or altered silica; water contents of both petrographic groups were similar. A plot of δ18O versus δD for the laminated primary silica defines a grouping about the line defined by Scottish agates (Fallick et al. 1985). This suggests for the unaltered silica a formation temperature of about 60°C and a fluid containing a strong component of meteoric water. The data imply a Lower Carboniferous meteoric water δ18O composition of −3‰ and δD of −15‰, consistent with the known palaeolatitude.

The only sulphide observed was pyrite; 34 samples were selected from a wide variety of lithological and textural occurrences. δ34S(CDT) ranges widely and continuously between +8 and −34‰ with no strong mode. The sulphur appears to be derived from several sources, and pyrite formation from a variety of conditions as indicated by such wide ranging data, but for the samples with the lowest δ34S the involvement of bacteria in sulphate reduction is inferred.

Keywords

Primary silicaaltered/replacive silicameteoric waterwarm water (60°C)pyritewide ranging valuesbacteriogenic sulphate reductionpalaeoenvironmentEast KirktonScotland
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 84 , Issue 3-4: Volcanism and early terrestrial biotas , 1993 , pp. 223 - 237
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1993

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