The emergence of biomineralized sponge spicules in the early Cambrian provides critical insights into the origin of spiculogenesis and animal biomineralization. While sponge spicules proliferated in the early Cambrian, their original chemical composition is rarely preserved due to diagenetic alterations, hampering understanding on the mineralogy of the early spicules. Here we report abundant disarticulated fossil spicules from the early Cambrian Qingxi Formation in northern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (hereafter referred to as Guangxi), South China. Using reflected light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Raman spectroscopy, our study reveals that the Qingxi spicules are predominately derived from Hexactinellida and are preserved in various modes, including pyritization, mold, and silica preservation. Notably, many spicules in silica preservation are composed of microcrystalline quartz with conchoidal fractures in cross-sectional view, suggesting minimal diagenetic alteration and retention of original chemical compositions. This study represents the first systematic investigation on the paleontological record of the Qingxi Formation in Guangxi, highlighting the exceptional potential of Cambrian shales and mudstones to preserve sponge spicules with primary silica composition.
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