Primary microfossiliferous chert in the Aptian Barra Velha Formation

The Barra Velha Formation and other Aptian pre-salt deposits record the history of the proto-Atlantic basin and the rifting of Gondwana. Studies have sought to characterize the depositional environment of the basin with a focus on carbonate fabrics and magnesium silicate clays. However, the water chemistry and fluid sources in the basin, the silica cycle, and how the basin evolved over time are not fully constrained. Additionally, current understanding of the microbiota that inhabited this basin is incomplete because microfossils have rarely been identified in pre-salt deposits, especially on the Brazilian margin. This study describes authigenic chert in the Barra Velha Formation that preserves distinct, organic-rich structures and textures. The petrographic relationships between the chert and carbonate suggest that both formed as authigenic phases, but their formation was temporally decoupled. These relationships and δ³⁰Si and δ¹⁸O data suggest that chert post-dates the formation and subsequent dissolution of the carbonates, and may have formed from a different fluid. By characterizing the chert–carbonate paragenesis and mechanism of chert formation, this study provides new insights into the fluid sources and complexity of the basin. Together, the results of this research suggest that the chert precipitated as primary, authigenic phases after karstification of the carbonate from a newly introduced, low temperature, freshwater fluid that was chemically distinct from the lake water. The chert preserves organic matter that is compositionally and texturally distinct from the void-filling bitumen associated with the classically studied carbonate facies. Based on the composition and morphologies of organic structures, this is likely primary organic matter and a morphologically diverse microfossil assemblage preserved in place at the time of chert formation. Thus, this early chert provides new insights into the water chemistry, fluid sources and silica cycle in the basin, and represents a unique taphonomic window that helps us characterize the pre-salt basin microbiota.