Diatomaceous Marl Jacob Spies 1, Jacob Fogarty 2

1,2 College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton, PA 1 jas1125@psu.edu, 2 jmf5763@psu.edu

Methods 1) Diatomaceous marl samples

gathered. (Samples were previously gathered by Dr. Daniel Vice.)

2) Small sample of diatomaceous marl is placed on a glass slide.

3) A few drops of distilled water are added to the diatomaceous earth sample and a cover slip is put on.

4) Leica ATC 2000 microscope used to scan over the sample in highest power.

5) Various diatoms in the sample are sketched or photographed.

6) Diatoms are identified and classified.

References 1. "Cyclotella." Cyclotella. Connecticut College. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. 2. Hodson, W. G., 1963, Geology and ground-water resources of Wallace County, Kansas:

Kansas Geological Survey, Bulletin 161, 108 p. 3. Potapova, M. (2009). Diatoma vulgaris. In Diatoms of the United States. Web 08 Apr.

2013. 4. Potapova, M., Spaulding, S., and Edlund, M. (2008). Achnanthidium. In Diatoms of the

United States. Retrieved April 13, 2013 5. Spaulding, S., and Edlund, M. (2009). Amphipleura. In Diatoms of the United States.

Web. 08 Apr. 2013. 6. Spaulding, S., and Edlund, M. (2009). Navicula. In Diatoms of the United States. Web. 08

Apr. 2013. 7. Spaulding, S., and Edlund, M. (2009). Pleurosira. In Diatoms of the United States. Web.

08 Apr. 2013. 8. Spaulding, S., and Edlund, M. (2009). Skeletonema. In Diatoms of the United States.

Retrieved April 13, 2013, 9. State Geological Survey of Kansas, 1931, Diatomaceous marl from Western Kansas, a

possible source of hydraulic lime: Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, Circular 3, 5 p.

10. Vice, D. H., and Pederson, E. P., 2005, Environmental controls on lacustrine diatomaceous earth deposits in the Western United States, in, Rhoden, H. N., Steinberger, R. C., and Vikre, P. G., (eds.), Geological Society of Nevada Symposium 2005: Window to the World, Reno, Nevada, May, p. 1279-1286.

11. Vice, D. H., Pederson, E. P., and Cuffey, R. J., 2012, Diatomaceous Marl in Western Kansas.

• Diatom photos taken by Jacob Fogarty 2. • All other photos of deposit and surrounding area taken by Dr. Daniel Vice 3.

Conclusion The chart below shows the most common diatoms found in the diatomaceous marl and their respective ecological preferences. The majority of the diatoms prefer freshwater and therefore the environment of deposition was likely in a mildly saline lake that has a salt content between 0.5% and 1%. This is supported by Cyclotella and Diatoma, which prefer freshwater but have a tolerance of saline water.

Advisor Dr. Daniel Vice 3 3 dhv1@psu.edu

Genus Preference Notes

Achnanthidium Freshwater (4)

Amphipleura Freshwater Prefer alkaline water. (5)

Cyclotella Freshwater Found in mild saline lakes. (1)

Diatoma Freshwater Can tolerate brackish water. (3)

Navicula Freshwater (6)

Pleurosira Saline (7)

Skeletonoma Saline (8)

Abstract Diatoms are the remains of single-celled algae that can be found in marine, fluvial, lacustrine sediments. Although diatoms are widespread, specific conditions appear to be required for them to form a diatomaceous mass. Key conditions such as a mechanism to restrict the input of clastic sediments and a source of dissolved silica. This particular deposit is unusual because it is not pure diatomaceous earth and is almost 50% carbonate marl by volume. This deposit requires a specific environment with a pH between 7 and 9 to form (11). Through conducted research, it was determined that the majority of the diatoms identified from the sample prefer a freshwater environment. The other diatoms preferred a saline environment. Therefore, a lake that was mildly saline, approximately 0.5-1%, seems to be the likely environment of deposition. Both kinds of diatoms could be found in this environment because they are able to tolerate mild amounts of variance in their preferred ecologic environment.

Introduction Currently, the project consists of examining various samples from a deposit in Western Kansas and identifying diatoms. The microscope used to view the diatoms was a Leica ATC 2000. Slide preparation consists of a small sample of the deposit mixed with water and then viewed under the highest power. Diatoms are then classified and commonalities in ecologic environment and other characteristics are studied. This project studies the abnormal nature of this particular deposition. The deposit is a natural anomaly requires very specific condition to exist. The material at the time of deposition must have had a pH between 7 and 9 (10).

Purpose At the project’s current state, the purpose is to identify as many common diatoms as possible and determine their ecologic preferences. With the ecological preferences, a conclusion can be made about the environment that the deposit was. Using this data and future research, the project seeks to answer what circumstances allow diatomaceous earth and carbonate marl samples to occur in the same place at the same time Diatomaceous earth requires a pH lower than 9, while carbonate marl implies that the pH was greater than 7 (10). Therefore, the pH level of the deposit at the time of deposition must have been between 7 and 9.

Description of Deposit The deposit in question is lacustrine, meaning it is associated with a lake. The deposit covers an area of approximately 3 square miles and is up to eleven feet thick (2). Diatoms make up approximately half of the volume of the deposit, but calcium carbonate makes up approximately 81-82% of the overall mass (9). A harder limestone cap exists over the diatomaceous marl that suggests a change in the depositional environment near the end of the lake’s life or a rainfall that may have diagenetically hardened the marl that was filling the lake. Diatomaceous marl exists with carbonate in the deposit.

Diatoms

Odd Navicula

Specimen with Blue Coloration

Typical Field of View

Laminations in

the Deposit

Overview of Mine Area

Diatomaceous Marl Outcrop