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A preliminary report on the Rare Earth Element + Yttrium (REE+Y) analysis from the Tlayúa Quarry Konservat-Lagerstätte (Tlayúa Formation; Lower Cretaceous, Albian) of Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Mexico: Results from Zone 13

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Abstract

The Tlayúa Quarry Konservat-Lagerstätte (Albian, Lower Cretaceous; Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Mexico) is known worldwide for the preservation of its ubiquitous fossil remains. Major and trace element concentrations of selected limestone samples from zone 13 of the Tlayúa Quarry were measured in order to understand the depositional conditions and source of REE + Y. The concentrations of SiO2, Al2O3, P and Zr show little contamination by terrigenous material and phosphates in this zone, at least to instances in which the REE + Y concentrations can be both shale-normalizable and reliable. REE + Y plots display typical modern seawater signals; namely, positive La and Gd anomalies, superchondritic Y/Ho ratios (between 46.421 and 67.777) and slight depletions of LREE and MREE with respect to HREE (x̄ Pr/Yb = 0.201; x̄ Nd/Yb = 0.305 and (x̄ Dy/Yb = 0.683 respectively). Furthermore, sustained negative cerium anomalies could be identified (Ce/Ce* = 0.613), which would indicate oxidating conditions as in modern seawater. The observed REE + Y patterns, which constitute the first palaeoenvironmental inference by means of element analysis performed in Tlayúa, suggest that the limestones from zone 13 still retain their original seawater pattern. Considering that terrigenous and phosphate contamination is overall low in the analysed samples, REE + Y (REY) patterns from the Tlayúa Formation can be useful palaeoenvironmental proxies for the Cretaceous. All this allows the conclusion that, at least during the deposition of these limestones from zone 13, a typical marine signature can be seen. This does not exclude, however, the presence of a tidally or strongly monsoonic-influenced sedimentation in other sediments from zone 13 or from other zones in Tlayúa, as previous works have suggested.

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Acknowledgements

Mr. Rodolfo Aranguthy (Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Mexico) as well as all members of the Aranguthy family are highly acknowledged for assistance and guidance in the field. We also thank Dr. Ligia Pérez-Cruz (Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM) for providing the machinery and equipment to extract the lithological nuclei. Dr. Andreas Kronz (GZG, Universität Göttingen) conducted the microprobe analyses, for which we are deeply grateful. Engr. Martín Espinoza (Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM) is acknowledged for technical support in the fieldwork (extraction of nuclei). Edwin Aldrin Juárez-Aguilar, B.Sc. (Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM) and Yunuén Reygadas-Langarica (Texas State University) are highly acknowledged for figure processing. We are highly grateful to Dr. Domenico Doronzo (Barcelona) for his valuable help and assistance during the editing process of our manuscript.

Funding

This study is financially supported by the project PAPIIT-IN-116417 [Geoquímica (análisis de elementos mayores, menores, traza y tierras raras) del Miembro Medio de la Formación Tlayúa (Cretácico Inferior, Albiano), en Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, México; DGAPA-UNAM], headed by FSB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Licenciatura en Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Circuito Exterior S/N., 04510, Coyoacán, CDMX, Mexico

    Yoatzin Reygadas-Langarica

  2. Museo de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Circuito Exterior S/N, 04510, Coyoacán, CDMX, Mexico

    Francisco Sánchez-Beristain

  3. Geowissenschaftliches Zentrum der Universität Göttingen, Abteilung Geochemie, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Klaus Simon

  4. Centro de Geociencias, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, Boulevard Juriquilla 3001. Juriquilla, 76230, Querétaro, Mexico

    Juan Pablo Bernal

  5. Instituto de Biología, UNAM, Circuito Exterior S/N., 04510, Coyoacán, CDMX, Mexico

    Laura Calvillo-Canadell

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  1. Yoatzin Reygadas-Langarica
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Correspondence to Francisco Sánchez-Beristain.

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Reygadas-Langarica, Y., Sánchez-Beristain, F., Simon, K. et al. A preliminary report on the Rare Earth Element + Yttrium (REE+Y) analysis from the Tlayúa Quarry Konservat-Lagerstätte (Tlayúa Formation; Lower Cretaceous, Albian) of Tepexi de Rodríguez, Puebla, Mexico: Results from Zone 13. Arab J Geosci 12, 524 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4698-0

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