Organic matter as a reducing barrier for ore and hydrocarbon mineralisation in black shales

The processes which occur during the depositional history of black shales are considered in terms of a conceptual [2SiO₃-OH₂-Mⁿ⁺2M^m+O′₄] (n=l,2; m≥3; O′-volatiles) aqua-complex. Structural and chemical rearrangements are catalyzed within clay media. The catalytic reactions are triggered by energy excesses in mineral systems caused by strain from the burial and compaction of sediments and by rock deformations. In process, C from carbonates and organics substitutes for Si in argillaceous rocks. Organic matter reduces metals, S, and C, which further participate in sulfidization reactions and the synthesis of hydrocarbon products. This mechanism suggests that self-organization was a major process of mineral matter ordering in submarine basins, with basic volcanics as a metals source.