Paleoenvironmental Context of Microbial Mat-Related Structures in Siliciclastic Rocks

The role of biological influences in forming carbonate rocks (e.g., Altermann et al., 2006) is almost universally accepted within geology. In contrast, many see clastic sedimentary rocks as being formed primarily through physical and chemical processes, with biological mediation of their genesis being considered as of relatively minor importance (Schieber et al., 2007a). While sedimentologists and most geologists are familiar with the importance of trace fossils within clastic deposits (cf., the seminal work of Seilacher (1964) and many others since), the role of microbial mats in terrigenous sediment accretion, and in the formation and preservation of a whole host of mat-induced (mi) and mat-related structures within clastic sedimentary rocks, is less well known