Organic matter influence on ooid formation: New insights into classic examples (Great Salt Lake, USA; Triassic Germanic Basin, Germany)

Abstract

Ooids are particles composed of a tangential or radial cortex growing around a nucleus. They are common in carbonate deposits of almost any geological age and provide insights into environmental conditions. However, abiotic or biotic factors influencing their formation remain unclear. This study aims to advance our understanding of ooid formation with a multi- analytical approach (e.g., FE-SEM, Raman spectroscopy, -XRF) to classic examples from Great Salt Lake (GSL; USA) and the Lower Triassic Germanic Basin (GB; Germany). Both deposits represent hypersaline shallow-water environments where ooids are closely associated with microbial mats. GSL ooids are dominantly 0.2-1 mm in size, ellipsoidal to subspherical in shape, composed of aragonite, and contain organic matter (OM). GB ooids are mainly [≤]4 mm in size, spherical to subspherical in shape, composed of calcite, and currently contain little OM. Despite the differences, both ooids have the same cortex structures, likely reflecting similar formation processes. Some GSL ooids formed around detrital grains while others exhibit micritic particles in their nuclei. In GB ooids, detrital nuclei are rare, despite the abundance of siliciclastic particles of various sizes in the host rocks. GB deposits also include "compound ooids", i.e., adjacent ooids that coalesced with each other during growth, suggesting static in-situ development, which is supported by the lack of detrital grains as nuclei. GB ooids also grew into laminated microbial crusts with identical microstructures, further indicating a static formation. Such microbial crusts typically form through mineral precipitation associated with OM (e.g., extracellular polymeric substances), suggesting a similar formation pathway for ooids. The inferred key-role of OM is further supported by features in radial ooids from the GSL, which commonly exhibit, from their nuclei towards their surface, increasing OM contents and decreasing calcification.