Article
Geography, Physical
Steffen Kiel, Daniel Birgel, Yang Lu, Denise Wienholz, Joern Peckmann
Summary: A mass occurrence of the thyasirid bivalve Thyasira montanita in a limestone bed in Punta Montanita, Ecuador, is identified as an ancient methane-seep deposit with typical carbonate phases and microfabrics. The delta C-13 values and biomarkers suggest a biogenic methane source and high seepage rates. Crustacean fragments were found in tubular fossils within the deposit, which is the first Cenozoic example of a seep deposit with mass occurrences of thyasirid bivalves, indicating an open shelf depositional environment.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Stavros Triantafyllidis, Stylianos F. Tombros, Degao Zhai, Sotirios Kokkalas
Summary: The study explores the age, type, and geotectonic setting of Ermioni VMS, revealing genetic and spatial relationships with hydrothermally altered volcaniclastic rocks and turbidites. The VMS deposits are concentrated at Karakasi, Roro, and Cambrorosso mine sites. The findings suggest a partly sediment-covered, upper Cretaceous back-arc spreading center above a retreating subduction zone setting within the Adheres Melange unit.
ORE GEOLOGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geology
Luis-Andres Guerrero-Murcia, Javier Helenes, Mercedes di Pasquo, James Martin
Summary: This study presents the results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of dinoflagellate cysts in outcrop samples from the Snow Hill Island Formation in James Ross Island, Antarctica. The assemblages of dinoflagellate cysts were abundant and mainly composed of gonyaulacoid taxa. Based on the presence and absence of certain species, the age of the lower and upper strata was estimated to be late Campanian and early Maastrichtian, respectively.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. Jakubowicz, L. M. Agirrezabala, Z. Belka, M. Siepak, J. Dopieralska
Summary: Strontium isotopes are not always involved in the formation of carbonate deposits in sedimented rifts, instead, deep-seated fluids may play a role. For low-temperature, hydrocarbon-dominated emissions, Nd isotopes are more reliable in tracing volcanic-influenced fluids.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sandro P. Mueller, Andreas Kroh, Daniel Birgel, James L. Goedert, Steffen Kiel, Jörn Peckmann
Summary: Loose limestone blocks of a newly recognized hydrocarbon-seep deposit were found on a beach in Washington State, USA. The limestone contains authigenic carbonate phases and molecular fossils of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, indicating formation at an ancient methane seep. The fossil inventory of the seep deposit consists mainly of echinoid remains, resembling those in an upper Jurassic seep deposit in France and modern seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Delaney R. Ryan, James D. Witts, Neil H. Landman
Summary: The study documents the youngest methane seep deposits in the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, located in the Pierre Shale on the Cedar Creek Anticline in Montana. Detailed faunal analysis and geochemical investigation were conducted to determine paleoenvironmental conditions, revealing water temperatures and methane oxidation processes. Comparisons with nearby non-seep sites suggest that substrate plays a major role in controlling the diversity and ecological composition of both seep and non-seep environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
M. Jimena Franco, Mariana Brea, Esperanza Cerdeno
Summary: Two fossil Bignoniaceae stems with the unique anatomy of a liana were discovered in the Miocene of South America, providing the first evidence of climbing habit in the family. These fossils represent a new taxon, Dolichandra pacei sp. nov., related to extant Dolichandra unguis-cati (L.) Miers.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ahmed Awad Abdelhady, Wagih Ayoub-Hannaa, Mohamed S. Ahmed, Ali M. Hussain
Summary: In contrast to the Cenomanian-Turonian, the macroinvertebrates of the Coniacian-Santonian in the Middle East and North Africa have been rarely studied. The macrofauna of the poorly preserved Hawashia Formation in Egypt indicates low diversity faunal associations, which can be attributed to ecological or taphonomic factors. This study establishes the Coniacian-Santonian age for the Hawashia Formation and suggests that the fauna lived in a normal oxygen tidal-influenced shallow subtidal environment under arid conditions.
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
M. Jakubowicz, L. M. Agirrezabala, J. Dopieralska, M. Siepak, A. Kaim, Z. Belka
Summary: Studies on the involvement of intrusive magmatism in hydrocarbon generation within sedimentary basins have gained momentum due to the increasing appraisal of their role in controlling global carbon cycle perturbations and the exploration potential of volcanic sedimentary basins. A multi-proxy geochemical study in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin during the middle Cretaceous revealed radiogenic Nd isotope signals in methane-seep deposits, indicating a connection between hydrocarbon seepage and igneous activity, and demonstrating the potential of Nd isotopes in tracing magmatic-influenced fluids in volcanic sedimentary basins.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Geology
Kyungjin Lee, Yong Sik Gihm
Summary: The study investigates the sediment dispersal patterns and avulsion processes of stream-dominated alluvial fans in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, focusing on the influence of downstream changes in hydrodynamics on floodplain sedimentation. The findings suggest that hydrodynamic variations control sediment deposition and channel avulsion, with important implications for understanding the dynamics of alluvial fans.
SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geology
Xie YuangHui, Shan Wei, Yu XueFeng, Chi NaiJie, Wang FangYue, Li DaPeng, Zhang Yan, Li XiaoWei
Summary: This study focused on the spessartite and odinite dykes from the Congjia pluton in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton, which contain zoned clinopyroxene antecrysts that record information about multi-level magma reservoirs. The research supports the idea that Congjia clinopyroxene antecrysts have undergone resorption, fluid metasomatism, and regrowth in different magma reservoirs at different depths, indicating the presence of multi-level magmatic reservoirs in the trans-crustal magmatic system.
ACTA PETROLOGICA SINICA
(2021)
Article
Geology
John R. Foster, Adrian P. Hunt, James Kirkland
Summary: A new specimen from the Morrison Formation in southeastern Utah suggests the presence of a small bromalite, possibly from a fish or semi-aquatic mammal. This is the first regurgitalite found in both the Morrison Formation and the Jurassic of North America. The lissamphibian material in the bromalite represents the southernmost occurrence of frogs and salamanders in the formation. The possible salamander material may be a rare juvenile rather than a new taxon.
Article
Plant Sciences
Maria Tekleva, Mario Miguel Mendes, Jiri Kvacek, Peter K. Endress, James A. Doyle
Summary: Research on coalified plant mesofossils from the Cretaceous Catefica locality reveals that the three-armed sulcus of the pollen may represent an intermediate stage in the transformation from the ancestral simple sulcus of Chloranthaceae to the four- to six-armed sulcus of living Hedyosmum.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geology
Aijing Li, Baoxia Du, Jing Peng, Shaohua Lin, Jing Zhang, Guorong Ma, Jianguo Hui
Summary: This study reports the discovery of a new cycad species and two new fossil leaves from the Lower Cretaceous in Gansu Province, China. The findings provide evidence of the existence of ancient cycads and their resurgence in the stratigraphic record.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Andrzej Kaim, Crispin T. S. Little, William J. Kennedy, Ellen M. Mears, Louise M. Anderson
Summary: Modern hydrothermal vent communities are supported by microbial primary producers, with many dominant taxa emerging during the Cenozoic and Cretaceous periods. Fossil records of vent communities from these time periods are scarce. A discovery of Cretaceous vent communities in Cyprus reveals a diversity of new species in gastropods, with shared tube worms among vent sites in the western Neotethyan Ocean.
PAPERS IN PALAEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geology
Luca Pellegrino, Marcello Natalicchio, Daniel Birgel, Linda Pastero, Giorgio Carnevale, Richard W. Jordan, Joern Peckmann, Nicolo Zanellato, Francesco Dela Pierre
Summary: The biogeochemical cycles of carbon and silicon are closely linked in modern marine environments due to the role of planktonic diatoms. The fate of organic matter and biogenic silica in sedimented diatoms is controlled by bottom water oxygen levels and bacterial communities. This study found that the interactions of the carbon, silicon, and sulphur biogeochemical cycles in a restricted basin significantly affect palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Yuangao Qu, Zongjun Yin, Evelyn Kustatscher, Alexander Nuetzel, Joern Peckmann, Vivi Vajda, Magnus Ivarsson
Summary: Based on the study of iron-mineralized microstructures in Italy, this article provides evidence of possible rock-dwelling subsurface life on Mars or icy moons. In situ analyses, including Raman spectroscopy, were used to investigate the morphological, elemental, mineralogical, and bond-vibrational modes of the microstructures. The results suggest a correlation between the crystallinity of iron minerals and precursor microbial activities.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Niu Li, Meng Jin, Joern Peckmann, Duofu Chen, Dong Feng
Summary: Large amounts of methane stored as methane hydrate along continental margins can release substantial quantities of methane when destabilized. Microorganisms in the marine subsurface convert methane into organic matter, which acts as a long-term carbon sink and mitigates the effect of methane as a greenhouse gas. However, the controls on the formation and consumption of sedimentary organic matter at marine seeps are poorly understood, hindering the accurate quantification of carbon burial and its role in the marine carbon cycle.
Article
Biology
Alexmar Cordova-Gonzalez, Daniel Birgel, Max Wisshak, Tim Urich, Florian Brinkmann, Yann Marcon, Gerhard Bohrmann, Joern Peckmann
Summary: Methane seeps lead to the formation of carbonate corrosion surfaces and secondary porosity, likely caused by microbial carbonate dissolution. This study conducted a carbonate corrosion experiment in the REGAB Pockmark, Gabon-Congo-Angola passive margin, and found a new type of microbioerosion on marble cubes exposed to active seepage. The biofilms on the bioeroded marble were mainly composed of aerobic methanotrophic bacteria, specifically the uncultured Hyd24-01 clade, suggesting that they are the main drivers of carbonate dissolution.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sandro P. Mueller, Andreas Kroh, Daniel Birgel, James L. Goedert, Steffen Kiel, Jörn Peckmann
Summary: Loose limestone blocks of a newly recognized hydrocarbon-seep deposit were found on a beach in Washington State, USA. The limestone contains authigenic carbonate phases and molecular fossils of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, indicating formation at an ancient methane seep. The fossil inventory of the seep deposit consists mainly of echinoid remains, resembling those in an upper Jurassic seep deposit in France and modern seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hinrich A. Schmid-Beurmann, Wolf-Achim Kahl, Wolfgang Bach, Magnus Ivarsson, Michael Ernst Boettcher, Joern Peckmann
Summary: The Pleistocene basanitic rocks of Vesteris Seamount in the Greenland Sea are found to house a large number of marine fungi within vesicles, indicating a cryptoendolithic habitat. This study demonstrates for the first time that 3D X-ray microscopy can reveal the access and migration of microorganisms through vesicular rock. The presence of interconnected vesicles and microcracks in submarine volcanic rocks enables the dispersal of marine microorganisms and colonization of the rock.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Claudio Argentino, Cathrin Wittig, Jorn Peckmann, Giuliana Panieri
Summary: Methane-consuming microbes in marine methane seeps have the ability to assimilate inorganic nitrogen, which indicates an unaccounted role in the global nitrogen cycle. However, evidence of this process under in-situ conditions remains elusive. This study investigates the isotopic variations in sediment cores from a methane-rich area in the Barents Sea, confirming in-situ nitrogen uptake by methanotrophic consortia and calling for a reevaluation of the role of methane seeps in the marine nitrogen cycle.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shanggui Gong, Min Luo, Elizabeth M. Griffith, Joern Peckmann, Qianyong Liang, Dong Feng
Summary: The formation of authigenic carbonate in marine environments plays a significant role in regulating ocean chemistry and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Investigating the isotopic composition of calcium in authigenic carbonate can provide insights into the calcium cycle, seawater chemistry, and the diagenesis of carbonate rocks, which in turn reveals important information about the evolution of Earth's surface environments.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Sajjad A. Akam, Elizabeth D. Swanner, Hongming Yao, Wei-Li Hong, Jorn Peckmann
Summary: Precipitation of methane-derived authigenic carbonates (MDAC) is an important part of marine methane production and consumption. MDAC formation is the result of carbon-sulfur (C-S) coupling in shallow sulfatic zones and carbon-silicon (C-Si) coupling in deeper methanic sediments. MDAC plays a significant role in carbon sequestration and benthic alkalinity sink, contributing to the global biogeochemical cycles.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yusuke Miyajima, Daisuke Araoka, Toshihiro Yoshimura, Yuki Ota, Atsushi Suzuki, Hideyoshi Yoshioka, Masahiro Suzumura, Daniel Smrzka, Joern Peckmann, Gerhard Bohrmann
Summary: This study investigates the element and Li isotope composition of methane-seep carbonates collected from the Black Sea and the Japan Sea, and finds that Li isotopes can be used as a fluid tracer, providing information on the temperatures and flow rates of the fluids.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jennifer Zwicker, Daniel Smrzka, Matthias Gothieu, Eugen Libowitzky, Michael M. Joachimski, Michael Ernst Boettcher, Joern Peckmann
Summary: The Drewer quarry in the Rhenish Massif contains Upper Devonian to Lower Carboniferous strata and two black shale intervals associated with global oceanic anoxic events. Investigating the phosphatic concretions within the black shales, researchers found evidence of microbial mats and phosphatic microstromatolites formed under anoxic conditions. The presence of iron sulfides within the microstromatolites suggests that anaerobic, chemotrophic microbial communities were present during the deposition of the Lower Alum Shale.
GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yu Hu, Min Luo, Joern Peckmann, Xinxin Zhang, Linying Chen, Junxi Feng, Qianyong Liang, Duofu Chen, Dong Feng
Summary: This study analyzes the methods for quantifying the extent of authigenic carbonate formation in marine sediments and proposes a new approach for quantifying this formation in modern and ancient oceans. By analyzing pore-water parameters from areas affected by methane diffusion in the northern South China Sea, a significant positive correlation between carbonate precipitation rate and sulfate flux is found. This finding can be used to quantify the formation of authigenic carbonate in shallow sediments along continental margins and is important for understanding past carbon cycling and its relation to climate.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qingwang Chen, Yu Hu, Jorn Peckmann, Linying Chen, Dong Feng, Qianyong Liang, Duofu Chen
Summary: The formation of authigenic phosphorus minerals in methane-rich sediment is closely related to carbon and iron cycling. The formation of bacterial sulfide and calcium phosphate in the zone between the current and fossil sulfate-methane transition is likely associated with methane depletion conditions stabilized by gas hydrate. Preferential release of phosphorus during organic matter degradation is observed at the fossil sulfate-methane transition. This study provides insights into the formation processes of authigenic phosphorus minerals and associated carbon and iron cycling in methane-rich sediments.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yang Lu, Carsten Paulmann, Boriana Mihailova, Thomas Malcherek, Daniel Birgel, Matthias Lopez Correa, Zhiyong Lin, Liuyi Lu, Yvonne Milker, Joern Peckmann
Summary: Fibrous dolomite, which was widely found in Neoproterozoic marine sedimentary environments, was unexpectedly discovered in a Miocene methane seep limestone in Italy. The formation of this fibrous dolomite was driven by highly alkaline pore waters and catalysis of dissolved sulphide generated by sulphate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
