Search results for "Desert varnish"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Geochemical insights into the relationship of rock varnish and adjacent mineral dust fractions
2020
Abstract Rock varnishes are μm-thin, dark, manganese(Mn)-rich crusts that accrete in the order of few μm/ka on weathering-resistant lithologies. Although these crusts can form in all climates, they are best known in arid to semi-arid settings. Aeolian dust is understood as a major contributor to the distinct trace metal and REE enrichments in rock varnish. However, the exact proportions of abiotic and biotic formation mechanisms that may explain the oxidation-reactions of Mn2+ to Mn4+, present as Mn oxyhydroxides in the varnish, are still a matter of ongoing debate. We present here the first systematic study of trace element enrichment processes between the uppermost layer of the varnish se…
Fungi and Sediments
2000
Fungi are saprophytic organisms that can form lichens in symbiosis with an alga. Along with lichens, they excrete large quantities of organic acids, contributing to rock dissolution and neoformation of crystals, mainly oxalates and carbonates. Fungi contribute to the accumulation of manganese and iron as desert varnish and play a major role in the calcium cycle inside calcretes and carbonate soils in arid zones. Fungi constitute an important part of calcified filaments found in calcretes. They are covered with calcium oxalate crystals, which can transform into calcite during early diagenesis. They can also precipitate needle-fiber calcite, a common form of CaCO3 found in soils and calcretes…
FeMnOx-1: A new microanalytical reference material for the investigation of Mn–Fe rich geological samples
2016
Suitable Mn-Fe rich microanalytical reference materials (MRMs) as calibration material for laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) have not been available. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry has prepared a synthetic MRM, FeMnOx-1, with elevated mass fractions of MnO (25 g/100 g), Fe2O3 (8.5 g/100 g) and high mass fractions of 25 trace elements varying between 200 and 5000 mg/kg. This new MRM has been designed as calibration material for a wide range of different Mn-Fe deposits, such as desert/rock varnish, ocean crusts and nodules as well as Mn accumulations in soils and lakes. Small-scale an…
Evidence for a biogenic, microorganismal origin of rock varnish from the Gangdese Belt of Tibet
2010
In the present study we examined material from the Ashikule Basin of Tibet. Chemical analyses were performed by use of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis to clarify whether the varnish layers that had developed on the surface of the rhyolite are indeed composed of varnish bodies and silica glaze. Electron microscopic analyses revealed that the surface of the varnish is covered both by filamentous hyphae bacterial and cocci-shaped forms. Within the varnish mineral layer in those samples two forms of bacteria-like microorganisms exist; cocci as tightly packed bacterial aggregates [within varnish bodies], and bacillus-like microorganisms [within the varnish m…
Characterization and differentiation of rock varnish types from different environments by microanalytical techniques
2017
© 2017 Elsevier B.V. We investigated rock varnishes collected from several locations and environments worldwide by a broad range of microanalytical techniques. These techniques were selected to address the challenges posed by the chemical and structural complexity within the micrometer- to nanometer-sized structures in these geological materials. Femtosecond laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (fs LA-ICP-MS), scanning transmission X-ray microscopy-near edge X-ray adsorption fine structure spectroscopy (STXM-NEXAFS) in combination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of focused ion beam (FIB) ultra-thin (100–200 nm) sections, conventional and polarization microscop…
Microanalytical methods for in-situ high-resolution analysis of rock varnish at the micrometer to nanometer scale
2015
Abstract A wide range of analytical techniques were used to investigate rock varnish from different locations (Negev, Israel; Knersvlakte, South Africa; Death Valley and Mojave Desert, California): a 200 nm-femtosecond laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS), an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), focused ion beam (FIB) slicing, and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy–near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (STXM–NEXAFS). This combination enables comprehensive high-spatial-resolution analysis of rock varnish. Femtosecond LA-ICP-MS and EPMA were used for quantitative determination of element concentrations. In-situ measurements were conducte…