Microbial Sediments

Microbes are of key importance in the production, deposition and diagenesis of sediments. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of microbial sediments. It contains authoritative and stimulating contributions by distinguished authors that cover the field and set the scene for future advances. It deals with mats and biofilms, biosedimentary precipitates, fabrics and diagenesis in a wide range of sedimentary environments, and it examines the development of microbial sediments through time. It is designed for postgraduate researchers and professional scientists who require up-to-date information on the influence of microorganisms on sedimentation. Front Matter....Pages I-VIII Structure of Microbial Mats and Biofilms....Pages 1-8 Exopolymer Microdomains as a Structuring Agent for Heterogeneity Within Microbial Biofilms....Pages 9-15 On Stromatolite Lamination....Pages 16-24 Bacterial Calcification....Pages 25-31 Bacterial Roles in the Precipitation of Carbonate Minerals....Pages 32-39 Bacterially Induced Microscale and Nanoscale Carbonate Precipitates....Pages 40-49 Calcification in Cyanobacteria....Pages 50-56 Cyanobacteria: Architects of Sedimentary Structures....Pages 57-67 Fungi and Sediments....Pages 68-75 Diatoms and Benthic Microbial Carbonates....Pages 76-83 Carbon Isotopes and Microbial Sediments....Pages 84-95 Sulphur Isotopes and Microbial Sulphur Cycling in Sediments....Pages 96-104 Products and Depth Limits of Microbial Activity in Petroliferous Subsurface Settings....Pages 105-120 Microbe-Metal Interactions in Sediments....Pages 121-126 Microbial Phosphate Sediment....Pages 127-136 Microbes and Black Shales....Pages 137-148 Organic and Biogeochemical Patterns in Cryptic Microbialites....Pages 149-160 Subaerial Microbial Mats and Their Effects on Soil and Rock....Pages 161-170 Microbial Sediments in Tropical Karst Terrains: A Model Based on the Cayman Islands....Pages 171-178 Ambient Temperature Freshwater Microbial Tufas....Pages 179-186 Microbial Precipitates Around Continental Hot Springs and Geysers....Pages 187-195 Evaporite Microbial Sediments....Pages 196-208 Gypsum Microbial Sediments: Neogene and Modern Examples....Pages 209-216 Siliciclastic Intertidal Microbial Sediments....Pages 217-225 Subaqueous Siliciclastic Stromatolites: A Case History from Late Miocene Beach Deposits in the Sorbas Basin of SE Spain....Pages 226-232 Shallow Marine Microbial Carbonate Deposits....Pages 233-249 Microbial Whitings....Pages 250-260 Cold Seep Carbonates in the Tertiary of Northwest Italy: Evidence of Bacterial Degradation of Methane....Pages 261-269 Microbial Processes and Products Fueled by Hydrocarbons at Submarine Seeps....Pages 270-281 Microbial Contribution to Reefal Mud-Mounds in Ancient Deep-Water Settings: Evidence from the Cambrian....Pages 282-288 Mesozoic Reefal Thrombolites and Other Microbolites....Pages 289-294 Proterozoic Stromatolite Taxonomy and Biostratigraphy....Pages 295-306 Microbial vs Environmental Influences on the Morphology of Late Archean Fenestrate Microbialites....Pages 307-314 Archean Stromatolites as Microbial Archives....Pages 315-327 Back Matter....Pages 329-331

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the rapidly developing field of microbial sediments, featuring excellent artwork. It contains authoritative and stimulating contributions by distinguished authors that cover the field and set the scene for future advances.