Constraining Paleo-Hydrologic Flow Fields from Iron Oxide Cementation Patterns

Fine-grained sandstone in Mesozoic sedimentary red beds of the Colorado Plateau (southwestern United States) contain iron oxides cements (e.g., hematite and goethite) that display spectacular pattern formation, including evenly spaced nodule formation and banding with nested scales spanning about two to three orders of magnitude (Fig. 1). These nodules are commonly referred to as concretions, which are cemented mineral masses. The size of concretions typically ranges from millimeters to centimeters, while the spacing of bands ranges from millimeters to sub-meters. Spatial transition of one pattern to another or one pattern superimposed on another is also observed. Such patterns may embed important information about paleo-environments of sediment diagenesis, especially regarding the fluid migration and geochemical conditions involved. Field evidence indicates that the formation of iron oxide bands in sandstone seems closely related to groundwater flows. Here we show that such patterns can autonomously emerge from a previously unrecognized Ostwald ripening mechanism and they capture rich information regarding ancient chemical and hydrologic environments. Using a linear stability analysis, we demonstrate that the pattern transition from nodules to bands results from symmetry breaking triggered by groundwater advection. Nodules tend to develop under nearly stagnant hydrologic conditions, while repetitive bands tend to form in the presence of persistent water flows. The banding is formed perpendicularly to the flow direction, and the flow rate is expected to be proportional to the square of banding spacing. Therefore, careful mapping of cementation patterns and banding spacing over rock outcrops will allow us to reconstruct a detail map of water flow field for a sandstone aquifer. Concretion nodules formed in Jurassic Navajo Sandstone have been proposed as a terrestrial analogue to hematite spherules detected by the rover Opportunity at the Meridiani Planum site on the Mars. Since persistent water circulation is generally required for a sustainable subsurface life, a site with the presence of iron oxide bands, if any exists, may offer a better chance for detecting extraterrestrial biosignatures on Mars.