MICROBIAL PRECIPITATION OF IRON OXIDE IN SANDSTONE, CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI

The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that deposition of iron cement within the Neshoba Sand Member is of microbial origin. Samples were collected from Neshoba County in Central Mississippi, Northwest of Philadelphia. The location is part of the Claibourne Group (Eocene) in the Tallahatta Formation. Samples were analyzed by scanning electron, confocal, and petrographic microscopes as well as X-Ray defraction. SEM images of fungus, bacteria, and organic textures, as well as confocal and petrographic microscope images of bacteria in quartz fractures all suggest that the hypothesis is correct. Munsell colors range from moderate brown to moderate reddish brown and from light brown to dark yellowish orange characteristic of iron-oxide minerals, however, XRD spectra were not definitive. Bacteria, found in fractures and depressions, in quartz indicate a possible relationship between the dissolution of quartz and the precipitation of iron oxides. Theoretically, the results of this study could be applicable to research in public health, industry, and material science.