Sulfur geochemistry

Controls on Sedimentary Sulfur Chemistry. The variability of sulfur geochemistry in lacustrine environments is due, in part, to the large concentration... 

Figure 1. Simplified schematic of the sulfur geochemistry in productive, saline lakes.

Sediments deposited in Flodelle Creek spring pool and the Great Lakes have similar and relatively uncomplicated sulfur geochemistry that is controlled by two processes. These processes are the assimilation of sulfur into living biota and its subsequent deposition as organosulfur when the organism dies, and the complete reduction of the pore-water sulfate to H2S that forms sulfide minerals. Low dissolved sulfate concentrations limit the amount of sulfide minerals formed. The 834S value of most of the Smin is essentially the same as the dissolved sulfate. The possible exceptions are minerals formed in sediment from which some 34S-depleted H2S had diffused. 

Table IV. Relative importance of abundances of dissolved sulfate (S042-), sedimentary organic matter (OM), and sedimentary iron (Fe) in controlling the sulfur geochemistry in Flodelle Creek (FC), Great Lakes (GL), Walker Lake (WL), Great Salt Lake (GSL), Soap Lake (SL) sediments and Green River (GRF) and Rundle (RF) Formations. XXX, greatest X, least...

Jackson M. J. and Raiswell R. (1991) Sedimentology and carbon-sulfur geochemistry of the Velkerry Formation, a mid-Proterozoic potential oil source in Northern Austraha. Precamb. Res. 54, 81-108. 

Table 3 Studies on sedimentary-sulfur geochemistry for selected depositional settings. 

The evolution of global cycling of sulfur as exemplified by Equations (19) and (20) above is closely tied to the evolution of atmospheric oxygen. Thus, sulfur geochemistry, particularly sulfur isotope data, has proved to be an important probe into the overall evolution of the Earth atmosphere system (Canfield et al., 2000 Canfield and Raiswell, 1999 Canfield and Teske, 1996 Knoll et al., 1998 Lyons et al., in press Schidlowski, 1979 Schidlowski et al., 1983). 

Lyons T. W., Werne J. P., Hollander D. J., and Murry R. W. (2003) Contrasting sulfur geochemistry and Ee/Al and Mo/ A1 ratios across the last oxic-to-anoxic transition in the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela. Chem. Geol. 195, 131-157. 

Thamdrup B., Finster K., Fossing H., Hansen I. W., and Jorgensen B. B. (1994a) Thiosulfate and sulfite distributions in porewater of marine sediments related to manganese, iron, and sulfur geochemistry. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 58(1), 67-73. 

Tuttle M. L. and Goldhaber M. B. (1993) Sedimentary sulfur geochemistry of the Paleogene Green River Formation, Western USA implications for interpreting depositional and diagenetic processes in saline alkaline lakes. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 57(13), 3023-3039. 

Herbert R. B., Jr., Benner S. G., and Blowes D. W. (2000) Solid phase iron-sulfur geochemistry of a reactive barrier for treatment of mine drainage. A/)/)/. Geochem. 15, 1331-1343. 

Watanabe, Y., Naraoka, H., Wronkiewicz, D. J., CoNDlE, K. C. Ohmoto, H. 1997. Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur geochemistry of Archean and Proterozoic shales from the Kaapvaal craton. South Africa. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 61, 3441-3460. 

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