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Alteration and overgrowth on the conodont surface: a study case from NE

Cantabrian Zone (Spain)

Article · June 2009

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 International Conodont Symposium (ICOS 2009) Abstracts
Alteration and overgrowth on the conodont surface:
a study case from NE Cantabrian Zone (Spain)
S. Blanco-Ferrera
Departamento Geología, Universidad de Oviedo, Arias de Velasco
s/n, 33005 Oviedo, Spain; silvia.blanco@geol.uniovi.es
J. Sanz-López
Facultade de Ciencias da Educación, Campus de Elviña s/n, 15071
A Coruña, Spain
S. García-López
Departamento Geología, Universidad de Oviedo, Arias de Velasco
s/n, 33005 Oviedo, Spain
F. Bastida
Departamento Geología, Universidad de Oviedo, Arias de Velasco
s/n, 33005 Oviedo, Spain
The Cantabrian Zone is a foreland thrust and fold belt located in
the southern branch of the European Variscan Belt and, concretely,
in the core of the Ibero-Armorican arc. It has thin-skinned tecton-
ics and it is mostly non-metamorphic. The north-eastern sector
of the Cantabrian Zone corresponds to part of the Ponga Unit.
The Variscan structure of this unit is formed by a south-directed
imbricate system, whose thrusts converge towards a sole thrust.
The thrusts gave rise to multiple repetitions of the Carboniferous
succession, mainly consisting of Carboniferous limestones and
shales. The structure was modified by the Alpine deformation that
produced faults and reactivation of some thrusts.
The first studies about the Colour Alteration Index of cono-
donts (CAI) from this area were made by Blanco-Ferrera et
al. (2006) and García-López et al. (2007). CAI values indicate
diacaizonal conditions, prevailing values of 1-2, and exceptionally
CAI 2-3. CAI values dispersion is low, except for a few localities.
The conditions agree with the tectonothermal model proposed for
the eastern Cantabrian Zone (García-López et al., 2007) where
a late Carboniferous to early Permian metamorphism reached
anquizonal conditions southwards the Ponga Unit.
A few conodonts show smooth and light surfaces, but most
of them have sugary texture with dull and corroded surfaces.
The systematic study of one to fifteen conodonts from each posi-
tive sample under the scanning electronic microscope allows
analysing in detail the sugary texture, which is seen as apatite
overgrowths with a disperse distribution or forming an enve-
lope around the conodont. A type of overgrowth gave rise to the
external cast microtexture, which is formed by areas bounded by
walls of small apatite crystals drawing a polygonal net different
from the original polygonal microornamentation of conodonts.
Polygonal areas of these nets can have different size and boundary
walls with different height. In addition, the interior of these areas
may be partially filled in with small apatite crystals, occasionally
as casts of calcite twins. These microtextural features agree with
the lithological characteristics of the host limestone.
Pierce and Langenheim (1970) reported diagenetic apatite
overgrowths and crystal enlargement on the surfaces of cono-
donts and related it to deep burial, while other authors related
these textural diagenetic alterations to dolomitization (see March
Benlloch and de Santiesteban, 1993; Helsen, 1995, Nöth, 1998,
among others). In the present case, the lack of dolomitization in
the carbonate host rocks suggests a neocrystallization of apatite
on surface of conodonts with low CAI values during diagenesis of
the limestones. Most of the overgrowths are previous to processes
making local corrosion which occur on the conodont surfaces and
their overgrowths.
This paper was supported by CGL2006-06401 project of the
Spanish MEC and European FEDER.
References
Blanco-Ferrera, S., Sanz-López, J., García-López, S., Bastida, F.
and Valín, M.L., 2006. Variscan Thermal conditions of the
North-eastern Ponga Unit (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain).
International Conodont Symposium (ICOS 2006), Leicester,
Programme and Abstracts:20
García-López, S., Brime, C., Valín, M.L., Sanz-López, J., Bastida,
F., Aller, J. and Blanco-Ferrera, S., 2007. Tectonothermal evo-
lution of a foreland fold and thrust belt: the Cantabrian Zone
(Iberian Variscan blet, NW Spain). Terra Nova 19:469-475
Helsen, S., 1995. Conodont alteration in Devonian-Carboniferous
dolomites from southern Belgium. Geologie en Mijnbouw
74:1225-234
March Benlloch, M. and de Santiesteban, C., 1993. Dolomitization
as an eventual determining factor in the colour alteration
index (CAI). Geobios 26:224-227
Nöth, S., 1998. Conodont Colour (CAI) versus Microcrystalline
10
 Permophiles Issue # 53 June 2009 - Supplement 1

and Textural Changes in Upper Triassic Conodonts from

Northwest Germany. Facies 38:165-174
Pierce, R.W. and Langenheim, R.L., 1970. Surfaces patterns on
selected Mississippian conodonts. Geological Society of
American Bulletin 81:3225-3236

Permophiles International Commission on Stratigraphy

International Union of Geological Sciences

ICOS 2009
ABSTRACTS
Edited by:
Charles M. Henderson and Christine MacLean

Newsletter of the
Subcommission on
Permian Stratigraphy
Number 53
Supplement 1
ISSN 1684-5927
June 2009

11

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