Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation
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Kent State University / OhioLINK
2018
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-kent15432767132736982021-08-03T07:08:53Z Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation Koons, Rachel Geochemistry Geology Marcellus formation black shales paleoenvironment degree of pyritization oxygen levels organic carbon pyritic sulfur pyritic iron preservation The Appalachian Basin has attracted attention because of its considerable shale plays that yield high volumes of natural gas. Within this basin, the Marcellus formation has become a prime target for study not only because of the potential profit it may generate in terms of economic resources, but also because it offers insight into the type of paleoenvironment favorable for black shale deposition. While establishing analogues between past and present black shale environments is complex, the Marcellus most readily lends itself to comparison with the Black Sea, a modern environment referred to as the type euxinic basin. However, while both basins may fit into the same general restricted basin model, the similar stratification system that developed and ultimately led to favorable organic matter preservation in each was likely the result of different processes. Due to plate tectonic activity in the larger scale context of the Appalachian Basin, the Marcellus formation was influenced by the Acadian Orogen that manifested from the closing of the Rhea Ocean and convergence of Laurentia with Gondwana. These mountains were responsible for establishing the arid, evaporitic environment that produced a halocline in the basin in which the Marcellus formed. The halocline had the benefit of creating anoxic bottom waters in which the preservation of organic matter was favorably enhanced. We collected six stratigraphic columns totaling in 104 samples from the basal black shale member, the Union Springs, at an active aggregate quarry in Seneca Falls, New York. An additional 18 samples from a single stratigraphic column of the upper black shale member, the Oatka Creek, was collected from the same site. Using a multi-proxy geochemical approach to test for the oxygen conditions at the time of deposition, the Marcellus black shales were evaluated for the environmental factors that contributed to their organic richness and to determine if any changes occurred between the deposition of each black shale based on fine-scale geochemical resolution. We examined the relationships between total organic carbon (TOC), pyritic sulfur (Spyr), pyritic iron (Fepyr), and acid soluble iron in the Union Springs and Oatka Creek samples, which allowed for classification of each of the black shale environments as oxic, dysoxic, or anoxic/euxinic based on a degree of pyritization (DOP) value. Ultimately, we determined that in the localized area of study, the oxygen conditions were similar for the deposition of both black shale members which exhibited almost exclusively anoxic/euxinic DOP values and TOC values that were highly comparable and suggestive of favorable preservation conditions. 2018-11-28 English text Kent State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1543276713273698 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1543276713273698 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Geochemistry Geology Marcellus formation black shales paleoenvironment degree of pyritization oxygen levels organic carbon pyritic sulfur pyritic iron preservation |
| spellingShingle |
Geochemistry Geology Marcellus formation black shales paleoenvironment degree of pyritization oxygen levels organic carbon pyritic sulfur pyritic iron preservation Koons, Rachel Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation |
| author |
Koons, Rachel |
| author_facet |
Koons, Rachel |
| author_sort |
Koons, Rachel |
| title |
Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation |
| title_short |
Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation |
| title_full |
Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation |
| title_fullStr |
Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Discrepancy of Organic Richness within the Oatka Creek and Union Springs of the Marcellus Formation |
| title_sort |
discrepancy of organic richness within the oatka creek and union springs of the marcellus formation |
| publisher |
Kent State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2018 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1543276713273698 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT koonsrachel discrepancyoforganicrichnesswithintheoatkacreekandunionspringsofthemarcellusformation |
| _version_ |
1719454805879947264 |