Depositional framework of the East Baltic Tremadocian black shale revisited

This article presents a centimetre- to micrometre-scale study of sedimentary fabrics from Lower Ordovician metalliferous black shale from the Baltic palaeobasin. Two sections of the Türisalu Fm. NW and NE Estonia were analysed with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This rock unit is characterised by mostly thin bedding ( < 10 mm), common occurrence of minor erosional features, and a large variety of sedimentary fabrics, including graded, cross-laminated and massive fabrics. Based on this, we suggest that dynamic sedimentation events, rather than commonly assumed slow net sedimentation, may be the dominant mechanism behind the accumulation of these beds. The storm-related near-bottom flows and the bed-load transport of mud particles were likely common distribution agents of organic-rich mud. The mud (re)distribution, mainly via near-bottom flows and controlled by flat seafloor topography and general clastic starvation, might explain the present lateral distribution and diachronous character of the Türisalu Fm. Documented traces of microbial mat growth and siliceous sponges in the NW Estonia indicate that in more sheltered settings, biogenic factors played a vital role in developing primary mud characteristics. The geochemical palaeoredox proxies, and high trace metal and organic matter content suggest that mud sedimentation could occur under anoxic conditions. The observed sedimentary fabrics and traces of bioturbation, however, favour prevailing oscillating redox conditions in the lower water column. The recorded heterogeneity of microfabrics indicates that dynamic transport and intermittent deposition together with biogenic factors likely forced the development of an array of unique (bio)geochemical microenvironments for syngenetic trace element sequestration.