Natural Science

Volume 9, Issue 10 (October 2017)

ISSN Print: 2150-4091   ISSN Online: 2150-4105

Google-based Impact Factor: 1.08  Citations  

Isotopes (13C and 18O) Geochemistry of Lower Triassic Montney Formation, Northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada

HTML  XML Download Download as PDF (Size: 5109KB)  PP. 355-376  
DOI: 10.4236/ns.2017.910034    1,191 Downloads   2,845 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

Oxygen isotope (δ18O) serves as paleothermometer, and provides paleotemperature for carbonates. δ18O signature was used to estimate the temperature of fractionation of dolomite and calcite in Montney Formation, empirically calculated to have precipitated, between approximately 13°C to ±33°C during Triassic time in northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Measurements of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ18O) fractionation, supported by quantitative X-ray diffraction evidence, and whole-rock geochemical characterization of the Triassic Montney Formation indicates the presence of calcite, dolomite, magnesium, carbon and other elements. Results from isotopic signature obtained from bulk calcite and bulk dolomite from this study indicates depleted δ13CPDB (-2.18‰ to -8.46‰) and depleted δ18OPDB (-3.54‰ to -16.15‰), which is interpreted in relation to oxidation of organic matter during diagenesis. Diagenetic modification of dolomitized very fine-grained, silty-sandstone of the Montney Formation may have occurred in stages of progressive oxidation and reduction reactions involving chemical elements such as Fe, which manifest in mineral form as pyrite, particularly, during early burial diagenesis. Such mineralogical changes evident in this study from petrography and SEM, includes cementation, authigenic quartz overgrowth and mineral replacement involving calcite and dolomite, which are typical of diagenesis. High concentration of chemical elements in the Montney Formation -Ca and Mg indicates dolomitization. It is interpreted herein, that calcite may have been precipitated into the interstitial pore space of the intergranular matrix of very fine-grained silty-sandstone of the Montney Formation as cement by a complex mechanism resulting in the interlocking of grains.

Share and Cite:

Egbobawaye, E. (2017) Isotopes (13C and 18O) Geochemistry of Lower Triassic Montney Formation, Northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada. Natural Science, 9, 355-376. doi: 10.4236/ns.2017.910034.

Copyright © 2025 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.