Bacteria, cyanobacteria, and calcareous algae in Cambrian biotic associations of the Khubsugul phosphate deposit in western Mongolia

Abstract

Biotic associations are indispensable components in the development of all phosphoric deposits, including the Cambrian deposit in western Mongolia. The biota contributes to the enrichment of the rocks by phosphates in the following way: organisms absorb phosphorus from the water solution, store it in the cells, and after they die, phosphorus is returned to the water, where part of it participates in the mineralization of the mucous sheaths formed of bacteria, dead bacteria, and other organic matter. This cycle repeats until the mineralized phosphate compounds integrate with the sedimentary rocks.