Early marine lithification of the nodular limestones in the Silurian of New Brunswick

ABSTRACT A sequence of irregular nodular limestones in the Silurian of northern New Brunswick appear to have undergone early marine lithification. Nodules and crusts formed soon after deposition in the argillaceous lime sediments by sporadic diagenetic precipitation of calcium carbonate and were subsequently modified by differential compaction and minor flowage. While lack of both borings and encrusting organisms on the nodules indicates they were not ‘hard grounds’, computed porosities at the time of lithification based on the ratio of carbonate to insoluble residues suggest lithification depths within a few tens of feet of the sediment‐water interface. Consideration of the availability of calcium carbonate suggests lithification very close to the sediment surface.