Selected Publications

Abstract:   Cyanobacterial films and mats syndepositonally influence
erosion, deposition, and deformation of sediments. The biomass levels
surface morphologies, and microbial mats stabilize depositional surfaces
and shelter the sediment against erosion or degassing. Growing
microbial mats dredge grains from their substrate upwards, whereas
cyanobacterial filaments that are oriented perpendicular to the mat
surface reach into the supernatant water and baffle, trap, and bind
suspended particles. These and similar biotic-physical interactions are
reflected in syndepositional formation of microbially induced sedimentary
structures. We distinguish structures on bedding planes (leveled
bedding surfaces, wrinkle structures, microbial mat chips, erosional
remnants and pockets, multidirectional ripple marks, and mat curls)
and internal bedding structures (sponge pore fabrics, gas domes, fenestrae
structures, sinoidal laminae, oriented grains, benthic ooids, biolaminites,
mat-layer-bound grain sizes).
We propose to place this group of microbially mediated structures
as a fifth category (bedding modified by microbial mats and biofilms)
in Pettijohn and Potter's (1964) existing classification of primary sedimentary
structures.

Keywords:   Noffke, microbial mat; Archean

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