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Sulphur isotope variations in diagenetic pyrite from core plug to sub-millimetre scales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

P. McConville ,
A. J. Boyce ,
A. E. Fallick ,
B. Harte  and
E. M. Scott
P. McConville
Affiliation:
Isotope Geosciences Unit, ScottishUniversities Research and Reactor Centre, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QF
A. J. Boyce
Affiliation:
Isotope Geosciences Unit, ScottishUniversities Research and Reactor Centre, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QF
A. E. Fallick*
Affiliation:
Isotope Geosciences Unit, ScottishUniversities Research and Reactor Centre, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 0QF
B. Harte
Affiliation:
Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JW
E. M. Scott
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
*
*E-mail: t.fallick@surrc.ac.uk
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Abstract

Sulphur isotope ratio measurements (δ34S) of diagenetic pyrite are commonly used to identify S sources and mechanisms of sulphide formation in basinal sediments. This study reports such data for a diagenetic pyrite nodule from the Brent Group sandstones of the northern North Sea at three sampling scales: 50 cm (core subsample), 500 μm (laser microprobe) and 50 μm (ion microprobe). Similar δ34S variations are found by the laser and ion microprobe techniques. There is a very wide range in δ34S (<−10% to >+50%) within the nodule and isotopically heavy S (δ34S >+20%) is common at all scales. The nodule δ34S distribution does not fit a Rayleigh fractionation pattern. The laser microprobe sampling at 100–500 μm scales seems to be adequate to characterize S isotope variations in this material.

Keywords

S isotope ratiospyritebasinal sedimentsion microprobelaser probe
Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , March 2000 , pp. 303 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2000

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