Title: PARAGENESIS OF DIAGENETIC MINERALS IN THE ST. PETER SANDSTONE (ORDOVICIAN), WISCONSIN AND ILLINOIS
Abstract: Mineralogical analyses of the silt and clay size fractions and detailed SEM studies of whole rock samples show that diagenetic minerals in the St Peter Sandstone formed in essentially five separate stages The first stage beginning after compaction involved the precipitation of K feldspar in selected pore spaces and the precipitation of quartz as a thin conformable envelope on quartz grain surfaces not in contact with other grains During the second stage illite and locally smectite and chlorite were precipitated sometimes with dolomite and calcite A mixed layer clay which is occasionally present is believed to be an alteration product of illite The third stage is marked by development of terminated euhedral to subhedral quartz overgrowths Faces of terminated overgrowths are nearly always free of clay minerals dolomite and calcite The fourth stage is the formation of pyrite The fifth stage is the development of kaolinite which does not appear to have formed directly from the alteration of K feldspar The authigenic mineral suite and paragenetic sequence record a pronounced change in the chemistry of the pore fluids through time The early precipitation of K feldspar and quartz indicates that the pore fluids had a high K H ratio and silica content The K H ratio decreased through time to bring the pore fluid chemistry in equilibrium with illite smectite and chlorite A high silica concentration in the pore fluids not attributable to pressure solution existed after the illite stage The ionic content of these pore fluids was higher than that of fresh water because terminated quartz overgrowths and pyrite both of which were precipitated from these fluids occur where the St Peter presently contains saline pore fluids Diagenetic kaolinite is observed only where fresh water has invaded the St Peter Most if not all of the authigenic minerals in the St Peter were precipitated from migrating pore fluids The source of cations may be related to high salinity conditions during the deposition of overlying and underlying carbonates the dissolution of silica during carbonate diagenesis and the later in situ alteration of potassium silicates
Publication Year: 1979
Publication Date: 1979-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 23
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