Mineral Composition and Morphology of Dolocretes of the Devonian Burtnieki and Amata Formations, Latvia
2015
Daiga Pipira, Juris Kostjukovs, Ģirts Stinkulis

Siliciclastic deposits of the Burtnieki Formation and the Amata Formation in Latvia contain carbonate inclusions in places. Morphological peculiarities and mineral composition indicate that these carbonates represent dolocretes formed during subaerial exposure events in Devonian Burtnieki and Amata times. Dolocretes show nodular and veiny structure, circumgranular cracks, and other features of brecciation, but massive dolocretes also have been found in the Amata Formation. These features indicate that the dolocretes formed under the influence of both groundwater activity and pedogenic processes. These dolocretes were formed during episodes of subaerial exposure in repeated processes of drying and wetting either due to fluctuations of the groundwater table or climate change from semi-arid to semi-humid.


Keywords
Baltic Devonian basin, clay minerals, dolomite, pedogenesis, subaerial exposure

Pipira, D., Kostjukovs, J., Stinkulis, Ģ. Mineral Composition and Morphology of Dolocretes of the Devonian Burtnieki and Amata Formations, Latvia. Materials Sciences and Applied Chemistry. Vol.32, 2015, pp.13-18. ISSN 1407-7353. e-ISSN 2255-8713.

Publication language
English (en)
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