Genesis of the beachrocks from Trindade Island, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9095.v25-207865Keywords:
Sandstones, Diagenesis, Paleo-sea level, ChloriteAbstract
Beachrocks are sedimentary rocks, formed in the intertidal region from the precipitation of calcium carbonate cements, in the form of magnesium calcite and/or aragonite. Due to their genesis on beach faces, beachrocks are used as tools for coastal research. In Trindade Island (20º30'S and 29º20'W), beachrock occur on the southeast, on Tartarugas and Andrada beaches, in three-dimensional plates with plane-parallel lamination and wavy marks, with a gentle dip of ~13° towards the sea. The studied beachrocks are medium to coarse-grained sandstones, with 60 to 70% of the framework composed of bioclasts and terrigenous grains poorly sorted. The cements make up 30 to 40% of the sample, covering grains, in textures of micritic envelopes of magnesium calcite, isopach fringes of acicular aragonite and pseudo-pellets of magnesium calcite. In addition to cements, chlorite crystals and rosettes were observed in association with altered terrigenous grains. The formation of beachrocks occurred in the intertidal zones, in an active marine-phreatic environment, where marine water has a direct influence on cementation due to spreading and wave swash. In the beachrocks studied, the following diagenetic phases were identified: 1) mixture of magnesium calcite in the form of micritic envelopes by organomineralization; 2) precipitation of acicular aragonite fringes by CO2 degassing and/or evaporation; 3) dissolution of terrigenous grains and generation of a favourable microenvironment for microbiological activity; 4) precipitation and formation of magnesium calcite pseudo-pellets; and 5) precipitation of chlorite. Although the occurrence of syngenetic chlorite is not common in sediments and sedimentary rocks, its identification in the beach sandstones of Trindade Island is a very interesting record. The occurrence of biofilm on the rocks and associated with the cements suggests that the formation of beachrocks occurred as a product of physical-chemical processes, as well as by microbiological activity.
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