Mikrokonkrecje syderytowe w holoceńskich osadach ujścia rzeki Gwadiana w Portugalii : raport wstępny

The authors described micro-scale carbonate concretions occurring at a depth of about 41 m within Holocene sandy sediments filling the Guadiana River paleovalley, representing the transitional fluvial- -estuarine facies. Despite their minute sizes, the micro-concretions show a complex internal structure. Regular distribution of Mg, Mn and Ca can be assigned to a chemical zoning, pointing to precipitation under varying chemical conditions. Based on morphological and chemical peculiarities, four types of concretions can be distinguished. Detrital Fe-Mg-carbonates form nuclei. At first, Mn-rich carbonate precipitated as a coating, which is coherent with the sequence of precipitation of carbonates associated with bacteria-mediated oxidation of organic matter. Subsequently, the main bodies of concretions precipitated as Fe-carbonate (siderite). The last precipitation episode is marked by enrichment in Ca. The XRD patterns show the presence of a mixture of discrete carbonate phases.