Calcite interval in aragonite seas: Geochemical characterization of post-extinction oolites at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary and their implications

The End-Triassic Mass Extinction (ETME) is one of the five major mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic. The deposition of ooids is atypically high in the direct aftermath of major extinction events, including the ETME. Ooids were intensively investigated both petrographically and sedimentologically in the past decades; but only recently their potentialities as archives for the original chemical composition of the oceans where they formed, have gained awareness. Here we present stratigraphical, sedimentological and geochemical aspects for a mid-Norian-Hettangian section from the Emirates.

Petrographic analyses provided a detailed morphological classification of post-ETME coated grains, supported by point counting of two isochronous geological sections. FE-SE-EDX imaging unraveled peculiar µm-scale features linked to morphology, diagenesis and biotic interaction in the cortex. LA-ICP-MS analyses were performed for specific major and trace elements. Post-extinction oolites show high variability in size and development of the cortex. They range from small (~ 300 µm) and superficial coating, to bigger (up to 800 µm) and well developed. The degree of micritization highlights different oxic conditions in the diagenetic environment. LA-ICP-MS analyses give insights into seawater redox conditions during ooids formation, siliciclastic contamination, diagenetic processes and the role of bacterial strain in shaping the ooids. Petrographical and geochemical data point out to a calcitic deposition of these ooids as odd with the general consideration that the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic was part of the Aragonite sea. This has major implication on the understanding of the carbonate saturation in the oceans just after the mass-extinction and on the interpretation of several proxies as the C and Ca isotope-system.