Lyell Collection
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Lyell Centre  |   Lyell Collection  |   Subscriptions   |   Geological Society  |   Email alerts  |   Online bookshop  |   Help

Keywords:
Author:
Advanced search>>
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vovnyuk, S. V.
Right arrow Articles by Czapowski, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation
Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 2007; v. 285; p. 275-284;
DOI: 10.1144/SP285.16
© 2007 Geological Society of London

Ancient basins

Generation of primary sylvite: the fluid inclusion data from the Upper Permian (Zechstein) evaporites, SW Poland

S. V. Vovnyuk1 & G. Czapowski2

1 Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Combustible Minerals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Naukova str 3a, Lviv, Ukraine (e-mail: greatboludo{at}yandex.ru)
2 Polish Geological Institute, Rakowiecka str. 4, Warsaw, Poland

The chemical composition of primary inclusions in sedimentary halite from the Polish Zechstein salt deposits (Upper Permian), which represent deposition in salt lagoon to salt pan-salina conditions of two evaporitic units of the Stassfurt and Leine cyclothems, contains evidence that the included brines belong to the Na–K–Mg–Cl–SO4 (SO4-rich) type. They differ from the brines typical for other Zechstein salts by having an elevated potassium content, which produced primary sylvite (daughter crystals in inclusions), caused by redeposition of locally generated potassium salts during inflow of fresh seawater into the sedimentary basin. The homogenization temperature of primary inclusions in halite with sylvite daughter crystals reflects the increased temperature (53–60 °C) of basin brines, caused by a greenhouse effect due to density stratification of the brines. Isotopic composition of the anhydrite (sulphur: 9.4–13.30{per thousand} Canyon Diablo Troilite (CDT); oxygen: 9.44–10.4{per thousand} Standard Middle Ocean Water (SMOW), as well as the bromine content in halite (49–77 ppm) indicated that these salts had a marine origin and were deposited at an elevated temperature, from concentrated seawater with a high potassium content, that favoured precipitation of primary sylvite.