Silicified Mississippian Paleosol Microstructures: Evidence for Ancient Microbial-Soil Associations

Authors

Ray Kenny, Arizona State University
David H. Krinsley, Arizona State University

Abstract

Silica-replaced microfeatures in a well-developed, Upper Mississippian paleosol from north-central Arizona, were examined by scanning electron microscopy using back-scattered electron imagery. Preserved microfeatures include hollow and solid tubiform filaments and mycelium-like stringers which radiate from problematic (biogenic?) soil structures. Preservation of these features suggest that microstructures in the soil zone are not uniformly destroyed during post-diagenetic silica replacement and that biological soil symbionts may have occurred as early as the Upper Mississippian (~280 Mya).

Recommended Citation

Kenny, Ray and Krinsley, David H. (1992) "Silicified Mississippian Paleosol Microstructures: Evidence for Ancient Microbial-Soil Associations," Scanning Microscopy: Vol. 6: No. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/microscopy/vol6/iss2/5