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What is diatomite?

Zahajská, Petra LU orcid ; Opfergelt, Sophie ; Fritz, Sherilyn C. LU ; Stadmark, Johanna LU and Conley, Daniel J. LU (2020) In Quaternary Research p.48-52
Abstract

Different types of biogenic remains, ranging from siliceous algae to carbonate precipitates, accumulate in the sediments of lakes and other aquatic ecosystems. Unicellular algae called diatoms, which form a siliceous test or frustule, are an ecologically and biogeochemically important group of organisms in aquatic environments and are often preserved in lake or marine sediments. When diatoms accumulate in large numbers in sediments, the fossilized remains can form diatomite. In sedimentological literature, "diatomite"is defined as a friable, light-coloured, sedimentary rock with a diatom content of at least 50%, however, in the Quaternary science literature diatomite is commonly used as a description of a sediment type that contains a... (More)

Different types of biogenic remains, ranging from siliceous algae to carbonate precipitates, accumulate in the sediments of lakes and other aquatic ecosystems. Unicellular algae called diatoms, which form a siliceous test or frustule, are an ecologically and biogeochemically important group of organisms in aquatic environments and are often preserved in lake or marine sediments. When diatoms accumulate in large numbers in sediments, the fossilized remains can form diatomite. In sedimentological literature, "diatomite"is defined as a friable, light-coloured, sedimentary rock with a diatom content of at least 50%, however, in the Quaternary science literature diatomite is commonly used as a description of a sediment type that contains a "large"quantity of diatom frustules without a precise description of diatom abundance. Here we pose the question: What is diatomite? What quantity of diatoms define a sediment as diatomite? Is it an uncompacted sediment or a compacted sediment? We provide a short overview of prior practices and suggest that sediment with more than 50% of sediment weight comprised of diatom SiO2 and having high (>70%) porosity is diatomaceous ooze if unconsolidated and diatomite if consolidated. Greater burial depth and higher temperatures result in porosity loss and recrystallization into porcelanite, chert, and pure quartz.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Biogenic sediment, Diatomaceous ooze, Diatomaceous sediment, Diatomite, Sediment classification
in
Quaternary Research
pages
5 pages
publisher
Academic Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85086700527
ISSN
0033-5894
DOI
10.1017/qua.2020.14
project
Diatom-rich sediment formation in lakes
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
39fbef54-374d-4173-b602-faeede0aa425
date added to LUP
2020-05-19 07:25:28
date last changed
2022-04-18 22:17:23
@article{39fbef54-374d-4173-b602-faeede0aa425,
  abstract     = {{<p>Different types of biogenic remains, ranging from siliceous algae to carbonate precipitates, accumulate in the sediments of lakes and other aquatic ecosystems. Unicellular algae called diatoms, which form a siliceous test or frustule, are an ecologically and biogeochemically important group of organisms in aquatic environments and are often preserved in lake or marine sediments. When diatoms accumulate in large numbers in sediments, the fossilized remains can form diatomite. In sedimentological literature, "diatomite"is defined as a friable, light-coloured, sedimentary rock with a diatom content of at least 50%, however, in the Quaternary science literature diatomite is commonly used as a description of a sediment type that contains a "large"quantity of diatom frustules without a precise description of diatom abundance. Here we pose the question: What is diatomite? What quantity of diatoms define a sediment as diatomite? Is it an uncompacted sediment or a compacted sediment? We provide a short overview of prior practices and suggest that sediment with more than 50% of sediment weight comprised of diatom SiO2 and having high (&gt;70%) porosity is diatomaceous ooze if unconsolidated and diatomite if consolidated. Greater burial depth and higher temperatures result in porosity loss and recrystallization into porcelanite, chert, and pure quartz.</p>}},
  author       = {{Zahajská, Petra and Opfergelt, Sophie and Fritz, Sherilyn C. and Stadmark, Johanna and Conley, Daniel J.}},
  issn         = {{0033-5894}},
  keywords     = {{Biogenic sediment; Diatomaceous ooze; Diatomaceous sediment; Diatomite; Sediment classification}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  pages        = {{48--52}},
  publisher    = {{Academic Press}},
  series       = {{Quaternary Research}},
  title        = {{What is diatomite?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2020.14}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/qua.2020.14}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}