Existencia de estructuras nodulosas de celestina afectadas por silicificación en el Valle de Losa (N. de Burgos )

Abstract

The present work describes sorne nodules of celestite, which appear in a marly clay level of the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) in Losa Valley (North of Burgos). A great number of nodules have been in some extent, or totally pseudomorphized by quartzine and lutecite (length-slow chalcedony). These nodules have not been mentioned up to now in the research works carried out in the Basque Cantabric Basin; some nodules present elongated shapes, while some others are subspherical, In the inside, the radial arrangement shows pyramidal shapes with rhombic sections, emerging from a compact nucleus. These nodules are diagenetic structures growing expansively from the nucleus towards the periphery. In this action echinoid spines, pelecypods fragments, bryozoans, etc., are enclosed. Celestite here is highly pure; there is no barite at all. For the celestite ions the following origin in proposed. The sulphate was supplied by fluids which laterally migrate from the Triassic gypsum (Keuper). Sr seems to have been released along the transformation process of aragonite sediments to calcite. Although it can't be forgotten the amount of Sr furnished in the parcial dolomitization process suffered by the sedimentary sequence, In the same level, irregular cherts appear associated to celestite nodules. These cherts have a considerable amount of siliceous sponge spicules (litisteids?) replaced by sparry carbonate what doubtless shows the biogenic origin of the silica. The silicification process has allowed the preservation of the nodules, in spite of the strong celestite solution which afterwards originated a great loss celestite.