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Microfabric, mineralogy and early diagenetic history of the Whitby Mudstone Formation (Toarcian), Cleveland Basin, U.K.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

K. Pye  and
D. H. Krinsley
K. Pye
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
D. H. Krinsley
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
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Abstract

The Whitby Mudstone Formation in northeast England contains three shale facies (normal, restricted and bituminous) which have previously been differentiated on the basis of sedimentary structures and faunal assemblages. This paper shows that the three facies can also be differentiated by mineralogical, geochemical and microtextural criteria determined using BSEM, EDXRA, XRD and XRF. The bituminous shale facies consists of finely laminated shales containing an early diagenetic mineral assemblage dominated by pyrite, calcite and dolomite. The weakly laminated restricted facies shales contain an early diagenetic assemblage dominated by pyrite. The normal facies shales are very weakly laminated and contain siderite in addition to pyrite. The geochemical conditions which left a dominant early diagenetic imprint on the three facies are interpreted to be carbon-rich sulphidic, carbon-poor sulphidic and very carbon-poor sulphidic respectively.

Type
Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 123 , Issue 3 , May 1986 , pp. 191 - 203
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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