Articles | Volume 34, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-77-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/ejm-34-77-2022
Research article
 | 
28 Jan 2022
Research article |  | 28 Jan 2022

Sedimentary pyrite as a trap of organic matter: preliminary results from large-framboid observation

Nicolas Tribovillard, Viviane Bout-Roumazeilles, Marion Delattre, Sandra Ventalon, and Abderrahmane Bensadok

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Cited articles

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Short summary
The studied succession of limestone and marls is enriched in pyrite framboids. The question is, could sulfate-reducing bacteria have been trapped in pyrite sarcophagi induced by their own metabolism? Our analysis reveals the presence of abundant organic matter. The typical morphology of framboids suggests the early fossilization of bacterial colonies by pyrite. If pyrite is a trap for organic molecules, then pyrite could be an underevaluated component of the C cycle.