| Channing Lake Basin, located west and northwest of Channing, in the Texas Panhandle, is of substantial area and presumably includes lake beds of Pliocene and Pleistocene ages within the Rita Blanca Formation, a member of the Ogallala Group. The foci of this study were a micritic ooid layer and a directly overlying stromatolite layer, which crop out in a canyon approximately 10 kilometers west of Channing. Research was conducted primarily using petrographic and scanning electron microscopy.;Significant conclusions include: organic matter was preserved in ooids as filaments and nanoscale spheroids, which served to capture ostracode carapaces within ∼10% of micritic cortices; and stromatolites were deposited within an evolving alkaline lacustrine environment producing discernible zones.;Potential significance includes improving the understanding the role of organic matter in calcium carbonate precipitation, which has plausible applications in medical, industrial, and academic realms. |
