Lacustrine paper shales in the Permocarboniferous Saar-Nahe Basin (West Germany) - Depositional environment and chemical characterization

Abstract

The lakes formed mostly on flood plains associated with fluvial environments. They were exposed to a tropical climate. Thus, the bedding of the lacustrine shales shows an even lamination from layers of light silt to dark clay. The chemistry of the sediments, characterized by major, trace and rare earth elements, is quite distinctive for each of the three types of paper shales, the siliciclastic ones, those containing carbonate and the pure carbonates. -from Authors