Iron oxides in fractured quartz – development and evolution of iron sandstone layers in the Kinshasa area, DR Congo

Abstract

Quartz grains in an iron sandstone layer in near-surface sandy deposits at Kasangulu, south of Kinshasa, DR Congo, are marked by the presence of iron oxides in subparallel horizontal cracks within the sand grains. This exceptional feature was investigated to understand its origin and paleoenvironmental significance. Based on thin section observations, supplemented by Mössbauer spectroscopy results and other data, the occurrence of filled subparallel cracks is attributed to iron oxide remobilisation following crack opening within an iron-oxide-cemented sand intercalation that became exposed through erosion, whereby crack opening is related to surface temperature fluctuations. The development of filled crack occurrences of this type requires a period of surface exposure, implying that their presence is indicative of the position of former surface levels. A macroscopically similar iron sandstone layer at another locality in the Kinshasa area, lacking filled cracks, provides indications for both surface exposure and cement type as factors in their development.