Growth and reworking of freshwater microbially‐mediated carbonates in wind‐stressed lake margins (Lago Sarmiento, Southern Patagonia)
Journal
Sedimentology
ISSN
0037-0746
Date Issued
2026-01-23
Author(s)
Paulo Quezada
Anelize Bahniuk
Carolina Henríquez
Tatiana Stepanenko
José Pérez‐Donoso
Nicolás Bruna
Larissa Santos
Guilherme Fedalto
Luis Mancini
Leonardo Fadel Cury
Type
journal-article
Abstract
<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title>
<jats:p>Understanding the biotic and abiotic influences on the deposition and diagenesis of recent microbial carbonates is crucial for addressing the environmental and ecological significance of ancient organosedimentary structures. This study investigates these factors and their expression in the microstructure of Holocene tufa thrombolites from a wind‐stressed freshwater lake (Lago Sarmiento, Chile) through 16S rRNA sequencing, petrology of modern and fossil deposits, and stable isotope geochemistry of water and carbonates. Carbonate precipitation in the littoral zone is linked to Rivulariaceae‐rich mats, whose early induration involves extracellular polymeric substances‐mediated nucleation of nanoparticles precursors to aragonite and Mg‐calcite. Only remnants of these early products are preserved in fossil deposits due to diagenetic overprinting promoted by environmental factors. A syn‐depositional constructive stage—interpreted as key for the stabilisation and growth of meter‐sized build‐ups—involves aragonite inversion to Mg‐calcite, crystal size coarsening, and Mg‐calcite cementation. A subsequent destructive stage—developed under increasing wave‐influence as the lake‐level lowered—led to spar substitution to secondary fine‐grained textures (including clotted micrite), the dissolution and/or erosion of the framework, and internal sedimentation within primary and secondary pores (primarily terrigenous grains, intraclasts and peloids), partially obliterating the filamentous microfabrics. The calcified rivulariaceans and stable isotopes suggest tufa deposition under oligotrophic and relatively cold conditions (≤12°C) throughout Holocene cold/wet to warm/dry climate transitions. The resiliency of the lacustrine system likely contributes to sustaining a low‐competition and high‐calcification setting at millennial timescales, allowing the extensive accumulation of microbially mediated freshwater carbonates—the largest in the extratropical Southern Hemisphere. The record of Lago Sarmiento provides valuable insights into early diagenetic reworking of primary microbial textures, with implications for the identification of high‐energy lacustrine systems, a setting that might be overlooked in the geologic record.</jats:p>
<jats:p>Understanding the biotic and abiotic influences on the deposition and diagenesis of recent microbial carbonates is crucial for addressing the environmental and ecological significance of ancient organosedimentary structures. This study investigates these factors and their expression in the microstructure of Holocene tufa thrombolites from a wind‐stressed freshwater lake (Lago Sarmiento, Chile) through 16S rRNA sequencing, petrology of modern and fossil deposits, and stable isotope geochemistry of water and carbonates. Carbonate precipitation in the littoral zone is linked to Rivulariaceae‐rich mats, whose early induration involves extracellular polymeric substances‐mediated nucleation of nanoparticles precursors to aragonite and Mg‐calcite. Only remnants of these early products are preserved in fossil deposits due to diagenetic overprinting promoted by environmental factors. A syn‐depositional constructive stage—interpreted as key for the stabilisation and growth of meter‐sized build‐ups—involves aragonite inversion to Mg‐calcite, crystal size coarsening, and Mg‐calcite cementation. A subsequent destructive stage—developed under increasing wave‐influence as the lake‐level lowered—led to spar substitution to secondary fine‐grained textures (including clotted micrite), the dissolution and/or erosion of the framework, and internal sedimentation within primary and secondary pores (primarily terrigenous grains, intraclasts and peloids), partially obliterating the filamentous microfabrics. The calcified rivulariaceans and stable isotopes suggest tufa deposition under oligotrophic and relatively cold conditions (≤12°C) throughout Holocene cold/wet to warm/dry climate transitions. The resiliency of the lacustrine system likely contributes to sustaining a low‐competition and high‐calcification setting at millennial timescales, allowing the extensive accumulation of microbially mediated freshwater carbonates—the largest in the extratropical Southern Hemisphere. The record of Lago Sarmiento provides valuable insights into early diagenetic reworking of primary microbial textures, with implications for the identification of high‐energy lacustrine systems, a setting that might be overlooked in the geologic record.</jats:p>