tracers of uplift and subsidence in the cape verde archipelago abstract ocean islands are subject to vertical movements through their lifetime and these movements9 origins are poorly understood tracking island freeboard provides insight into the mechanisms that cause these movements the cape verde archipelago is the result of hotspot volcanism ranging from 26 ma to the present and constitutes a structural pile that has preserved a record of the palaeo positions of mean sea level these palaeo markers both sedimentary and volcanic are datable and can be used to track the island9s history of vertical movements when used in conjunction with a eustatic curve we have studied the volcanostratigraphy of cape verde and mapped the palaeo marker positions and features and we provide the sea level height information that can be estimated through them evidence exists for differential uplift histories throughout the archipelago with substantial uplift in some of the islands synchronous with volcanism other islands in contrast exhibit evidence for stability or complex uplift subsidence histories supplementary material detailed island geology information is available at http www geolsoc org uk sup18390

drowning of the 150 m reef off hawaii a casualty of global meltwater pulse 1a we present evidence that the drowning of the 2150 m coral reef around hawaii was caused by rapid sea level rise associated with meltwater pulse 1a mwp 1a during the last deglaciation new u th and 14 c accelerator mass spectrometry dates combined with reinterpretation of existing radiometric dates constrain the age of the coral reef to 15 2 14 7 ka u th age indicating that reef growth persisted for 4 3 k y following the end of the last glacial maximum at 19 ka the drowning age of the reef is roughly synchronous with the onset of mwp 1a between 14 7 and 14 2 ka dates from coralline algal material range from 14 to 10 cal ka calibrated radiocarbon age 1 4 k y younger than the coral ages a paleoenvironmental reconstruction incorporating all available radiometric dates high resolution bathymetry dive observations and coralgal paleobathymetry data indicates a dramatic rise in sea level around hawaii ca 14 7 ka paleowater depths over the reef crest increased rapidly above a critical depth 30 40 m drowning the shallow reef building porites corals and causing a shift to deep water coralline algal growth preserved as a crust on the drowned reef crest

syn depositional alteration of coral reef framework through bioerosion encrustation and cementation taphonomic signatures of reef accretion and reef depositional events the development of coral reef framework and the preservational character of both in situ and rubble coral is strongly influenced by a range of physical chemical and biologically mediated taphonomic processes these operate at or just below the reef framework water interface and can be defined as having either a constructive or destructive effect upon primary reef framework i e coral constituents constructional activities add additional calcium carbonate to the primary framework structure via secondary framework growth and early cementation destructive processes which remove or degrade primary and secondary framework carbonate are associated with the effects of either physical mainly storm disturbance or biological erosion termed bioerosion key bioeroding groups include the grazing fish and echinoid groups as well as the activities of an array of infaunal borers these include specific groups of sponges bivalves and worms termed macroborers as well as cyanobacteria chlorophytes rhodophytes and fungi termed microborers the relative importance of each process and the rates at which they operate vary spatially across individual reef systems in addition many of these processes leave distinctive signatures on or in the coral framework in some cases e g calcareous encrusters these are the skeletons of the organisms themselves whilst in other cases the organism may leave behind a trace of their activity e g macro and microborers these represent useful palaeoenvironmental tools firstly because they often have good preservation potential and secondly because the range and extent of many of the individual species groups and processes involved exhibit reasonably well constrained environment and or depth related distributions as a result these taphonomically important organisms or processes can be used to delineate between reef environments in core or outcrop and to aid the interpretation of reef depositional processes and events this review summarises current understanding regarding the distribution of these species processes within contemporary reef settings and considers the suites of taphonomic signatures that may aid in the recognition and interpretation of depositional environments and events

coralline algal reef frameworks published and unpublished accounts of coralline algal reef frameworks are reviewed the descriptions are divided into frameworks constructed from crustose coralline algae and those constructed from branching corallines crustose frameworks are briefly described and illustrated from the miocene of malta recent coralligene from the mediterranean eocene reefs from spain recent algal reefs of st croix u s virgin is and algal reefs from bermuda branching frameworks are briefly described and illustrated from the recent maerl of the ne atlantic recent mud mounds from florida recent algal reefs from st croix and recent algal ridges on pacific reefs crustose and branching frameworks show an increase in strength of construction early submarine cements and macro borers and a decrease in erodibility from low to high energy environments the occurrence of genera in coralline frameworks is primarily controlled by their geographic and water depth ranges the construction of coralline frameworks is seen as the result of competition for living space on shallow marine hard substrates

morpho structural heterogeneity of shallow water coralligenous in a pleistocene marine terrace le castella italy abstract coralligenous is the most volumetrically significant type of autochthonous carbonate build up in the mediterranean but its range of morphological variability at the macroscale and potential link with environmental factors have not been fully documented well preserved examples of coralligenous are exposed in shallow marine carbonate deposits from the upper pleistocene le castella marine terrace southern italy the coralligenous build ups occur in the lower part of an unconformity bounded transgressive regressive sequence they show high structural and morphological heterogeneity in terms of framework type and build up size over a distance of several hundred meters in northern exposures coralligenous forms banks up to 4 m high with a dense coralline dominated framework laterally adjacent to paleo channels devoid of build ups and filled by coeval infra circalittoral biogenic packstone to the south build ups are smaller up to 1 8 m high with an open algal framework and local predominance of the coral cladocora caespitosa as primary framework builder at both locations the most important framework building coralline species is mesophyllum philippii titanoderma pustulatum also occurs analysis of sedimentary structures paleo topographic indicators faunal composition of associated mollusk assemblages and predominance of m philippii suggest the algal builds ups grew within a shallow water possibly infralittoral setting competing for space with other biocoenoses suitable substrate availability in the form of conglomerate blocks or shell accumulations was the primary factor controlling the inception and spatial distribution of coralligenous differences in hydrodynamism and water turbidity determined variability in size and internal composition between the northern and southern locations to the south abundant supply of fine suspended sediment resulted in smaller build ups with more open framework the growth of which was terminated abruptly by sediment burial eventually relative sea level fall during regression prevented further growth of the coralligenous even in the northern area this study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between coralligenous morphology and environmental factors highlighting the role of suitable substrate availability turbidity and sediment burial in influencing spatial and temporal variability of coralligenous assemblages

crustose algal frameworks from the eocene alpine foreland abstract upper eocene algal limestones of the eastern alpine foreland in austria contain three different types of crustose algal frameworks these reveal several similarities with the present day coralligene de plateau of the mediterranean sea but the framework types differ in the crust forming algal taxa the sedimentary regime and the environmental setting 1 the coralline coral frameworks develop from siliciclastic sediments and show a succession from coverstones to bindstone to cruststone initiation of this framework in a siliciclastic regime is only possible because of the occurrence of neogoniolithon sp a species that is able to grow on fine grained soft substrate the onset of a dense crustose framework was related to the reduced sediment input and the occurrence of lithothamnion sp which is able to form cruststones 2 pure coralline algal frameworks are restricted to cruststones dominated by both lithothamnion sp and neogoniolithon sp they formed on top of maerl megaripples during calm periods and shed crustose fragments towards depressions which allowed framework progradation 3 peyssonneliacean dominated frameworks occur with intercalations of coralline algal crusts they formed in muddy environments interpreted as protected depressions between maerl dunes we found that crustose frameworks are controlled by three factors 1 sediment input low input favors the growth of frameworks while coarser grained siliciclastics cause burial of initial algal crusts terrigenous mud influences water turbidity and thus favors the occurrence of peyssonneliacean algae 2 taxonomic composition framework formation requires the existence of crustose algal taxa which are able to grow directly on fine grained soft substrate neogoniolithon sp polystrata alba or to encrust and stabilize coarse grained particles lithothamnion sp and or to form multiple successions of dense crusts lithothamnion sp p alba phymatolithon sp characteristically encrusts corals but it does not contribute to the frameworks surprisingly algae do never form protuberances within the frameworks even if they show protuberant growth forms in maerl sediment 3 substrate stability as a function of substrate composition and hydrodynamic energy due to their occurrence on maerl bottoms and the lack of evidence for submarine hardgrounds the settlement of crustose buildups requires low tidal current activity and or wave agitation

mosaic of environments recorded by bryozoan faunas from the middle miocene of hungary the marine sediments of the badenian middle miocene of hungary pannonian basin central paratethys are composed of abundant bryozoan skeletal grains seventy one bulk samples collected at 18 localities outcrops and boreholes yielded a total number of 238 bryozoan species in order to reconstruct the badenian palaeoenvironments the present study investigates the composition of this very diverse fauna using a combination of statistical and palaeoecological methods the statistical analyses make use of cluster analysis and non metric multi dimensional scaling the palaeoecological approaches are based on the known ecological requirements of the bryozoan colonial growth forms and of the numerous extant species five facies have first been differentiated on the basis of sedimentological and palaeontological features coral buildups coralline algal limestones biocalcarenites sands and marls each of them is characterized by the abundance the diversity and the types of growth forms of the bryozoans the palaeoecological statistical and facies analyses further permitted to identify four depositional settings carbonate platform distal and proximal terrigenous platform slope and basin these environments developed at depths between 0 to about 300 m in a mixed carbonate siliciclastic depositional system skeletal production and spatial distribution of carbonate factories were predominantly controlled by terrigenous input this resulted in a complex mosaic of facies habitats where rich bryozoan faunas could thrive many warm water organisms among them foraminifers zooxanthellate corals molluscs bryozoans and echinoids were recorded from the study sites the coexistence of coralgal and bryomol carbonate skeletal assemblages in this subtropical setting is explained mostly by variations in the productivity of surface waters periods of nutrient enrichment and increased benthic eutrophication affected coral diversity and abundance in favour of bryozoans

atlantic overturning circulation and agulhas leakage influences on southeast atlantic upper ocean hydrography during marine isotope stage 11 climate dynamics during the marine isotope stage mis 11 interglacial may provide information about how the climate system will evolve under the conditions of low amplitude orbital forcing that are also found during the late holocene new stable isotope and alkenone data are presented from southeast atlantic ocean drilling program site 1085 providing detailed information on interglacial climate evolution and the impacts of atlantic meridional overturning circulation moc and agulhas leakage on the regional upper ocean hydrography the data suggest that although warm surface ocean conditions were maintained at approximate holocene levels for 40 000 years during mis 11 subsurface temperature and salinity recorded by deeper dwelling planktonic foraminifera species were maintained at their highest values for only 7000 8000 years surface water temperature and salinity data suggest that the interocean exchange of warm salty waters into the southeast atlantic ocean was directly related to changes in the activity of the moc during the study interval specifically transient regional warming events during periods of weakened overturning circulation may have been amplified by the continuous interocean exchange of warm salty indian ocean waters that primed the moc for abrupt resumptions into a vigorous mode of operation conversely a peak in interocean exchange at the end of the mis 11 interglacial optimum may reflect enhanced trade wind forcing of surface waters whose export to the north atlantic ocean could have contributed to renewed ice sheet buildup during the mis 11 to 10 glacial inception

reefal coralline algal build ups within the arctic circle morphology and sedimentary dynamics under extreme environmental seasonality abstract carbonate frameworks secreted by phototrophic organisms within the arctic circle are not well documented underwater surveys of the inner shelf off troms northern norway 70 n reveal extended fixed algal build ups which are fringed by rhodolith belts affected by storms reefd growth by coralline algae under temperature and light regimes of extreme seasonality is made possible because of a decoupling of carbon fixation during summer and utilization of stored carbon during the period of winter darkness although the annual growth of the framework constructing algae is comparatively low the annual carbonate production rate is similar to subtropical tropical counterparts because of a remarkably high standing stock early diagenetic alteration is restricted to intraparticle cementation processes which start in vivo bioerosional destruction is the dominant control on the preservation of high latitude build ups preservation of holocene autochthonous coralline algal biostromes is enhanced by rapid burial during storm events redeposition during storms is the most important process in forming a distinct sedimentary facies zonation

oligo miocene seagrass influenced carbonate sedimentation along a temperate marine palaeoarchipelago padthaway ridge south australia oligo miocene carbonates associated with the padthaway ridge form the southern margin of the murray basin south australia the carbonates are a thin somewhat condensed succession of echinoid and bryozoan rich limestones that record accumulation in the complex of islands and seaways and progressive burial of the ridge through time the rocks are grainy to muddy bioclastic packstones grainstones and floatstones composed of infaunal echinoderms bryozoans coralline algae and benthic foraminifera with lesser contributions from molluscs and serpulid worms locally as much as half of these skeletal components are fe stained relict grains that imbue the lithologies with a conspicuous yellow to orange hue this variably lithified succession is partitioned into metre scale firmground bounded and hardground bounded beds textured by extensive thalassinoides burrows dominant lithologies are interpreted as temperate seagrass facies limestones contain attributes indicative of both seagrass dominated palaeoenvironments and carbonate production and accumulation on unconsolidated barren sandflat palaeoenvironments together these two depositional systems are thought to have generated a single multigenerational amalgamated facies recording sedimentation within a complex temperate seagrass environment limestones overlying the padthaway ridge reflect a gradually warming climate increasing water temperature and decreasing nutrient content within the framework of a ridge gradually being buried in sediment this succession from cool temperate to warm temperate to subtropical through time permits recognition of the relative influence of changing oceanography on a seagrass dominated shallow inter island sea floor criteria are proposed herein to enable future recognition of similar temperate seagrass facies in cenozoic limestones elsewhere

coralgal composition of drowned carbonate platforms in the huon gulf papua new guinea implications for lowstand reef development and drowning abstract collision between the south bismarck plate and the northern edge of the australian plate has produced an actively subsiding foreland basin in the western huon gulf a series of drowned carbonate platforms and pinnacles are preserved on this margin due to a combination of this rapid subsidence and eustatic sea level changes over the last 450 ka we analyzed sedimentary and coralgal data from the platforms to better understand lowstand reef development and drowning in the huon gulf the recovered limestones are divided into five main sedimentary facies coral reef coralline foraminiferal nodule coralline foraminiferal crust halimeda and planktonic foraminiferal limestones based on a comparison with modern analogues in the indo pacific and elsewhere we identified coral reef deep fore reef slope deeper fore reef slope and pelagic hemipelagic paleoenvironmental settings an analysis of facies relationships and their paleoenvironmental meanings revealed lowstand corals reefs preserved at the top of the platforms that grew within 10 m of sea level two different coral assemblages were identified within this facies 1 a shallow high energy reef community characteristic of windward margins and limited to the deep platforms 1947 2121 2393 m and 2 another shallow community but indicative of more moderate lower energy reef conditions and limited to the middle 1113 1217 1612 m and shallow platforms 823 m the change from high to lower energy reef growth conditions suggests that oceanographic climatic conditions in the huon gulf have changed substantially through time primarily through the closure of the gulf as a result of tectonic rotation and uplift of the huon peninsula over the last 450 ka despite major environmental perturbations i e relative sea level and temperature changes the platforms and the shallow water coral reefs exposed at the top have been able to re establish themselves time and time again over the last 450 ka we also identified two different incipient drowning scenarios influenced by the rate of relative sea level rise more rapid drowning in the middle and deep platforms produced a thin veneer of coralline foraminiferal nodule and halimeda limestones over the shallow coral reef material while the slower drowning experienced by the shallowest platforms allowed thick coralline foraminiferal crust limestones to develop we recognize three main stages of platform development 1 initiation and growth characterized by shallow coral reef growth as the platforms grew close to sea level during the lowstands 2 incipient drowning marked by a shift to coralline foraminiferal nodule crust and halimeda limestones as the platforms began to drown during rapid eustatic sea level rise and continued subsidence and 3 the complete drowning of the platforms characterized by platform turn off increased bioerosion fe mn precipitation and pelagic hemipelagic sedimentation as the platform surfaces finally drop below the photic zone

significance of relic carbonate deposits along the central and southwestern margin of india for late quaternary environmental and sea level changes abstract environmental and sea level indicators were investigated using dredge samples from late quaternary carbonate deposits along the shelf break between goa and cape comorin india geomorphic features in the area were identified from sonar profiles and included isolated patch reefs with a relief of up to 10 m and linear reefs with reliefs between 2 and 15 m the main clast types recovered from these features include fragmented corals and carbonate nodules dominated by either encrusted foraminifera or coralline algae some of these clast types are clearly of shallow water origin fragments of reef forming poritid corals for example were collected off mangalore at depths of 110 105 m and dated between 11 520 and 12 610 14c years bp 13 42 14 77 ka nodules of similar age dominated by lithothamnium and capped by foraminiferal veneers were also collected at 90 m off cape comorin their altered algal tissues are consistent with formation in shallow water high energy conditions in contrast nodules recovered off kochi and mangalore goa are of deeper water origin younger in age 10 980 7350 14c years bp and are dominated by gypsina encrustations with volumetrically less algal encrustation they show cyclic succession of foraminiferal algal or foraminiferal algal coral laminations in which the algal species are typical of deeper waters the age and elevation of corals and shallow water nodules are both consistent with published glacio eustatic sea level curves in addition the alternate micro encrustations of foraminifera algae and encrusting corals could indicate changing conditions from nutrient rich and turbid to nutrient poor and clear water that may be attributable to seasonal variations in sediment flux caused by monsoons

age and significance of late pleistocene lithophyllum byssoides intertidal algal ridge nw sardinia italy abstract intertidal coralline red algal build ups lithophyllum byssoides rims or ridges are considered precise sea level markers and mostly used for holocene sea level history several well preserved patches of relict red algal ridges crop out along the north west sardinian coast mediterranean sea italy and have great potential in reconstructing the late pleistocene sea level history of the western mediterranean the aim of this paper is to determine the sedimentary characteristics of the relict lithophyllum byssoides build ups cropping out along the sardinian nw coast and to demonstrate how these can be used as past sea level indicators to establish a chronological framework for these deposits luminescence dating both quartz osl and k feldspar pirir290 has been applied and allows for the lithophyllum byssoides ridge formation to be assigned to marine isotopic stage mis 5e 132 112 ka the studied relict ridges confirmed that mis 5e sea level was at least at 4 m above present well matching the widely accepted last interglacial global sea level curves hence fossil lithophyllum byssoides ridges can be used as stratigraphic and chronologic indicators of late pleistocene sea level moreover the study has underlined that lithophyllum byssoides may grow 1 in sheltered places along high cliffy coasts forming bench like structures and 2 in high energy environments on wave cut platforms around fallen blocks or potholes first as isolated mounds and then merging to form reef like structures

palaeoecology of the pleistocene mis 5 5 outcrops of santa maria island azores in a complex oceanic tectonic setting abstract santa maria is the oldest island of the azores archipelago and the only one that possesses late miocene early pliocene and pleistocene fossils two pleistocene outcrops lagoinhas and prainha from the marine isotopic substage 5 5 mis 5 5 are known from santa maria island we studied the palaeoecology of the lagoinhas fossil assemblages and we also provide detailed lithological sections from both outcrops allowing for more detailed palaeoecological reconstruction ten bulk samples of approximately 1 kg each were collected from the sand facies at lagoinhas most of the gastropod taxa represented in these samples occur on the present azorean shores the exceptions being conus sp gibbula cf umbilicalis polynices lacteus and trachypolia nodulosa which have locally disappeared from the azorean malacofauna during the course of the last glaciation most of the fossil gastropods were epifaunal and crawlers about half of them were herbivores about one quarter was carnivores and only a few less than 10 were detritivores or parasites the preferred type of substrate was rocky substrate and or algae the palaeoecological evidence that results from the analysis of the fossiliferous beds the bioerosion structures the coralline algal and mollusc assemblages and their bathymetrical zonation suggests a marine environment depositional setting from shallow infralittoral shoreface to foreshore beach a single highstand episode including minor oscillations is apparent during mis 5 5 in the azores

raised pleistocene marine terraces of the crotone peninsula calabria southern italy facies analysis and organization of their deposits abstract wide marine terraces well known in the italian literature are present in the crotone peninsula ionian calabria they are related to the interplay between pleistocene sea level changes and the progressive uplift of the calabrian arc from the middle pleistocene onwards we present a description of facies organization and stratigraphical characteristics of the terrace deposits along with a new geological map of the area all the marine terraces unconformably overlie a plio pleistocene slope succession known as cutro clay the oldest and highest terrace named cutro terrace is placed between 90 and 200 m of elevation and is gently inclined south eastwards four younger terraces placed at progressively lower elevations and dipping seawards at low angles have been recognized the sedimentary deposits of the terraces are represented by mixed carbonate and siliciclastic bodies up to 10 m thick algal reefs and grainstone to rudstone deposits are common in the south eastern part of the study area whereas mostly siliciclastic sandstone units of shoreface environments are more abundant northwards and westwards the deposits of some terraces are made up of minor cycles bounded by subaerial transgressive and flooding surfaces referred to minor sea level fluctuations nne ene e and wnw trending normal fault systems are present within the study area and dissect the marine terraces specifically the activation of ene trending faults took place after the formation of the oldest terrace but prior to the formation of the younger terraces

numerical modeling of the growth and drowning of hawaiian coral reefs during the last two glacial cycles 0 250 kyr 1 drowned coral reefs on rapidly subsiding margins possess a unique archive of sea level and climate changes generally unavailable from stable or uplifting margins using available field observations and sedimentary radiometric age and numerical modeling data we propose a new model of submerged reef development around hawaii during the last two glacial cycles 250 kyr this model provides a quantitative predictive stratigraphy for the reefs that we argue if drilled will yield new information on sea level and climate changes as well as coral reef response over the last 250 kyr comparing the observational and numerical modeling data combined with sensitivity testing we present our best case scenario for the evolution of the drowned lowstand reefs now at 400 h2 and 150 m h1 we find that growth rates of 2 5 2 85 m kyr for the main shallow reef building facies a subsidence rate of 2 5 m kyr and a variable basement substrate configuration best explain the observational data modeling of the internal stratigraphic succession of the reefs shows that the number and thickness of shallow reef units as well as the frequency and duration of subaerial exposure and reef drowning events are sensitive to the frequency and amplitude of eustatic sea level variations but not the rate of subaerial erosion h2 and h1 initiated growth during stable eustatic sea level conditions during highstands circa 222 ka mis7 and circa 126 ka mis5e respectively both h2 and h1 have a long and complex growth history growing episodically for 90 kyr precessional 20 kyr and higher frequency suborbital eustatic sea level fluctuations dominate with each reef experiencing repeated but brief 5 10 kyr drowning and subaerial exposure producing a complex layer cake stratigraphy of shallow 0 30 m coral reef units separated by either subaerial exposure horizons or thin intermediate 30 60 m coralgal units final drowning of h2 and h1 occurs during the penultimate 133 134 ka and last deglaciation 12 14 ka these findings are consistent with available age data and qualitative predictions of previous studies around hawaii

the eocene storm dominated foralgal ramp of the western pyrenees urbasa andia formation an analogue of future shallow marine carbonate systems abstract if the ongoing phenomenon of global warming prevails three main consequences are expected in tropical seas a higher sea level a reduction in coral reefs and more intense cyclones what will shallow marine carbonate systems be like insights can be gained from the pyrenean urbasa andia formation a transgressive heterozoan like foralgal larger foraminiferal and red algal ramp that formed in middle eocene times a greenhouse interval characterized by high atmospheric co 2 content firstly the evolution of future tropical shallow marine systems subject to a sea level rise is very likely to be similar to that seen in the backstepping architecture of the urbasa andia formation secondly eocene larger foraminifers rose when the paleocene eocene hyperthermal event caused a decline in corals in tropical seas coral reefs are again among the ecosystems that are likely to be particularly affected by current global warming it is therefore probable that future shallow marine tropical ecosystems will be devoid of platform margin coral reefs heterozoan ramps being far more common thirdly strong storm influence was common on the urbasa andia carbonate ramp the most distinctive feature being a distal dune field that was formed below storm wave base by high energy return currents similar features also characterize other eocene carbonate ramps furthermore numerical simulations highlighted the effect of strong tropical cyclones during the equable climate of the eocene together this information supports the hypothesis that tropical cyclone activity may increase under future greenhouse conditions taking everything into account the transgressive storm dominated foralgal ramp represented by the urbasa andia formation can be used as a virtual analogue of future shallow marine carbonate sedimentary environments developed under greenhouse conditions

heterozoan carbonates when where and why a synthesis on parameters controlling carbonate production and occurrences abstract in modern and phanerozoic times heterozoan carbonates group a large array of depositional environments from the poles to the tropics this global assessment reviews the critical parameters and controlling factors of heterozoan carbonates i stratigraphic and global distributional trends ii oceanographic and trophic relationships and iii biological and sedimentary processes well documented case studies n 129 have been investigated when facies and stratigraphic attributes were available and when environmental settings such as oceanography climate and paleogeography were clearly identified these case studies occur during specific periods of time in the sedimentary record e g late ordovician early carboniferous early permian and neogene while they are absent during others e g triassic and jurassic periods during greenhouse to icehouse transitions and those with active thermohaline circulation are particularly conducive for heterozoan carbonates based on global oceanographic patterns and existing ecological and hydrodynamic regime classifications hallock 2001 pedley and carannante 2006 james and jones 2015 a process based classification scheme is proposed that distinguishes two main heterozoan carbonate systems i a highly productive system characterized by suspension feeding biota and ii an oligo mesotrophic warm temperate system characterized by red algal and seagrass derived biota eight depositional models are proposed that combine i the source of energy for metabolic activities that allow the carbonate producing biota to thrive and ii hydrodynamics and physiography of the depositional system that control the sediment accumulation the local and platform scale based profiles can be used to complement the facies approach of james and jones 2015

paleoecology and dynamics of coralline dominated facies during a pleistocene transgressive regressive cycle capo colonna marine terrace southern italy abstract the upper pleistocene deposits of capo colonna marine terrace calabria southern italy contain a volumetrically important record of red algal facies developed during a transgressive regressive cycle well expressed along a nearshore offshore transect this setting presents an ideal opportunity for the acquisition and interpretation of paleoecological information on coralline dominated deposits and their response to relative sea level changes the capo colonna deposits include rigid build ups rhodolith accumulations and a maerl bed the build ups identified as a fossil example of the present day mediterranean coralligenous are primarily formed by mesophyllum alternans and subordinately by lithophyllum stictaeformae titanoderma pustulatum and lithothamnion sp rarely alternating with encrusting bryozoans fruticose praline rhodoliths occur in a packstone bed up to 160 cm thick 2 to 5 cm in size and composed of lithothamnion sp mesophyllum sp and rare t pustulatum the maerl bed is about 60 cm thick and laterally continuous for several tens of meters and consists of interlocked unattached red algal branches of the species lithothamnion corallioides phymatolithon sp lithophyllum sp and lithothamnion sp the lateral distribution along the shelf profile of different red algal facies was influenced by transgressive regressive trends while praline rhodoliths and the maerl bed developed on mobile substrates mostly during the early highstand respectively at intermediate and distal shelf sectors the mesophyllum dominated coralligenous build ups continued to grow for most of the regressive phase progressively occupying all the preserved paleoshelf profile during sea level fall and resulting in a characteristic ecological vertical succession of crustose algae facies in the distal segment of the transect differences in substrate types determined variability in the coralligenous morphologies with dome to mushroom shapes starting from discontinuous blocks of a basal conglomerate and we elongated platforms developing from a hardground and from rhodolith beds eventually the development of red algal deposits became in itself the dominant control on substrate type the red algae rich deposits of capo colonna marine terrace not only suggest a relationship between available substrate and geomorphological expression of the coralligenous build ups but also provide a framework for the paleoecological interpretation of other neogene and quaternary rhodalgal deposits from the mediterranean region

sedimentology and palaeoecology of a miocene coralline algal biostrome from the maltese islands abstract a large coralline algal biostrome 20 km 5 km 16 m thick is well exposed in western malta and eastern gozo the biostrome is composed of limestones largely constructed by in situ coralline algae or transported algal debris some sediments are dominated by rhodoliths and others by crustose coralline frameworks six facies are distinguished crustose algal marl crustose algal wackestone rhodolith pavement algal branch packstone crustose pavement and algal crust packstone each facies is characterised by different rhodolith morphologies and coralline crusts which are constructed mainly bymesophyllum commune the coralline morphogenesis is related to the palaeoenvironmental conditions the biostrome is thought to have developed from a series of relic sand ridges to form a low relief platform of moderate depths containing a mosaic of sedimentary facies the sequence is affected by growth faulting which divides the biostrome into eight units

marine carbonate factories a global model of carbonate platform distribution platform carbonates are a major component of the earth system but their spatial distribution through geological times is difficult to reconstruct due to the incompleteness of geological records sampling heterogeneity and their intrinsic complexity beyond this complexity carbonates are not randomly distributed in the world oceans neither in the modern nor in the past and thus global trends exist in the present review we focus on the understanding of the spatial distribution of carbonate production at a global scale we use a deterministic approach which focuses on discriminating components stratigraphic architectures and environmental features to relate shallow water carbonate production to oceanographic parameters the work is based on extensive literature reviews on carbonate platforms ecological niche modelling coupled with deep time general circulation models is used to calibrate a predictive tool of carbonate factory distribution a carbonate factory function is set up that is based on sea surface oceanographic parameters temperature salinity and primary productivity the model was tested using remote sensing and in situ oceanographic data of modern times while outputs of paleoceanographic models are utilized for lower aptian cretaceous modelling the approach allows determining four neritic carbonate factories that are called the marine biochemical photozoan photo c and heterozoan factories the model finely simulates the global distribution of lower aptian and modern carbonate platforms carbonate factories appear to thrive for specific ranges along the environmental gradient of carbonate saturation this conceptual scheme appears to be able to provide a simple universal model of paleoclimatic zones of shallow water marine carbonates

facies and cycle architecture of a pleistocene marine terrace crotone southern italy a sedimentary response to late quaternary high frequency glacio eustatic changes abstract cyclic late pleistocene shallow marine deposits such as those forming the sedimentary cover of some marine terraces allow a detailed study of the architecture of nearshore to offshore cycles deposited under the influence of high amplitude glacio eustatic changes the capo colonna marine terrace located near crotone southern italy is composed of two cycles recording a low frequency retrogradational trend which is thought to be the result of a generalized base level rise during a late pleistocene interglacial stage superimposed on regional uplift cycles of the capo colonna marine terrace are composed of coarse grained lags siliciclastic shoreface deposits and mostly carbonate shelf deposits and their general stratigraphic architecture evidences relatively thin transgressive and thick regressive intervals the latter can be top truncated due to wave ravinement during a subsequent erosional transgression the architectural style of the capo colonna marine terrace cycles is thought to be linked to very rapid base level rises related to the late pleistocene high amplitude glacio eustatic changes climatic variations controlling the sediment supply rate are considered less effective in the present context present results allow a comparison with other cyclic successions developed under icehouse climatic regimes showing a discrete variability in their stratal architecture

paleoenvironments and high frequency cyclicity from cenozoic south east asian shallow water carbonates a case study from the oligo miocene buildups of malampaya offshore palawan philippines abstract the combination of core and cuttings analyses and well log data from the late oligocene early miocene carbonate buildup in the malampaya gas field offshore palawan philippines allowed the recognition of shelf depositional paleoenvironments and the definition of high frequency metre scale subtidal cycles usually bounded by exposure surfaces this is amongst the first documentation of short term platform top evolution of oligo miocene carbonates in response to high frequency relative sea level change described in south east asia during the late oligocene the malampaya carbonate buildup is interpreted as an isolated platform rimmed by a barrier reef system that has developed vertically according to the keep up mode with no significant evidence for retardation in reef development during rises in relative sea level during the early miocene the isolated platform was affected by more open conditions in its inner part due to the inability of the reef to catch up with relative sea level rises strontium isotope derived estimations of cycle durations despite a relatively high degree of uncertainty in their calculation are consistent with 4th to 5th order cyclicity 10 1000 ky

facies and stratigraphic anatomy of a temperate carbonate sequence capo colonna terrace late pleistocene southern italy abstract accurate interpretation of ancient non tropical carbonate systems requires the development of appropriate facies and sequence stratigraphic models these models should account for the marked differences in sedimentation style among non tropical carbonates formed under different energy settings this paper presents data and a conceptual model of the sequence architecture of non tropical carbonates of moderate energy environments based on the late pleistocene deposits of capo colonna marine terrace calabria southern italy these deposits have the advantage of being continuously exposed along a proximal distal transect across the paleo shelf and their geometry has not been disturbed by later tectonic activity they consist of a transgressive regressive t r cycle whose genesis can confidently be related to one of the interstadial glacio eustatic fluctuations of marine isotope stage mis 5 eight different mixed carbonate siliciclastic and carbonate facies are present in the studied sequence of these biogenic dominated facies are invariably made up of skeletal remains of light independent organisms plus or minus red calcareous algae the heterozoan association the relatively young age of the deposits allows calibration of the paleoecological significance of observed facies by direct comparison with modern analogues from the mediterranean sea four laterally persistent discontinuity surfaces were identified along the transect and interpreted from bottom to top as 1 a basal ravinement surface 2 a submarine hardground locally acting as a substrate for algal boundstones 3 a regressive surface of marine erosion and 4 a surface of subaerial exposure sequence stratigraphic analysis indicates that the preserved t r cycle is asymmetric with a thicker regressive portion highstand deposits can be subdivided into a shore connected sandy prism and more distal autochthonous and parautochthonous skeletal accumulations and algal boundstones during forced regression a thin sharp based strongly progradational unit of calcarenites was deposited above the regressive surface of marine erosion the deposits of capo colonna terrace document the response of non tropical moderate energy carbonate ramps to sea level fluctuations during icehouse conditions their architecture can facilitate the interpretation of other successions from similar settings and provide an end member to be compared and contrasted with high wave energy cool water carbonates

diversity growth forms and taphonomy key factors controlling the fabric of coralline algae dominated shelf carbonates the fabric of biogenic carbonate sediments can be differentiated 1 with respect to diversity of constituent components 2 using features pertaining to their growth forms and 3 upon consideration of taphonomic aspects these not only determine limestone fabrics but also form the basis for facies differentiation and palaeoecological interpre tation this study is based on coralline algae dominated lower oligocene shelf carbonates from northern slovenia from which seven facies nummulitic bivalve foraminiferal coralline algal coralline algal coralline algal coral coral and grainstone are differentiated the role of diversity growth forms and taphonomy of coralline algae in each facies is discussed nine species from seven genera of coralline algae including geniculates and non geniculates were recognized numerous different growth forms ranging from crusts protuberances lamel lae to arborescent types are present a wide range of taphonomic features including dis articulation encrustation fragmentation and abrasion can be observed the determination of diversity is dependent on taxonomic identification using preserved diagnostic characters relevant to palaeontological and botanical systematics growth form determination in thin section is influenced by orientation and sectioning effects the taphonomy of red algae is highly dependent on initial growth form and the specific environ ment in which they are found a number of taphonomic processes described in

deglacial mesophotic reef demise on the great barrier reef abstract submerged reefs are important recorders of palaeo environments and sea level change and provide a substrate for modern mesophotic deep water light dependent coral communities mesophotic reefs are rarely if ever described from the fossil record and nothing is known of their long term record on great barrier reef gbr sedimentological and palaeo ecological analyses coupled with 67 14c ams and u th radiometric dates from dredged coral algae and bryozoan specimens recovered from depths of 45 to 130 m reveal two distinct generations of fossil mesophotic coral community development on the submerged shelf edge reefs of the gbr they occurred from 13 to 10 ka and 8 ka to present we identified eleven sedimentary facies representing both autochthonous in situ and allochthonous detrital genesis and their palaeo environmental settings have been interpreted based on their sedimentological characteristics biological assemblages and the distribution of similar modern biota within the dredges facies on the shelf edge represent deep sedimentary environments primarily forereef slope and open platform settings in palaeo water depths of 45 95 m two coral algal assemblages and one non coral encruster assemblage were identified 1 massive and tabular corals including porites montipora and faviids associated with lithophylloids and minor mastophoroids 2 platy and encrusting corals including porites montipora and pachyseris associated with melobesioids and sporolithon and 3 melobesiods and sporolithon with acervulinids foraminifera and bryozoans based on their modern occurrence on the gbr and coral sea and modern specimens collected in dredges these are interpreted as representing palaeo water depths of 100 m respectively the first mesophotic generation developed at modern depths of 85 130 m from 13 to 10 2 ka and exhibit a deepening succession of 100 m palaeo water depth through time the second generation developed at depths of 45 70 m on the shelf edge from 7 8 ka to present and exhibit stable environmental conditions through time the apparent hiatus that interrupted the mesophotic coral communities coincided with the timing of modern reef initiation on the gbr as well as a wide spread flux of siliciclastic sediments from the shelf to the basin for the first time we have observed the response of mesophotic reef communities to millennial scale environmental perturbations within the context of global sea level rise and environmental changes

correlation between climate events in the north atlantic and china during the last glaciation episodes of massive iceberg release heinrich events 1 3 into the north atlantic ocean during the last glaciation were associated with recurring episodes of unusually cold north atlantic surface water bond cycles 4 and cold air temperatures over greenland dansgaard oeschger events 5 6 four of the youngest of these cold events have also been reported in climate records from sites outside the north atlantic region7 but until now the entire suite has been identified only in north atlantic marine sediments greenland ice core records and tentatively in french lake sediments8 here we examine grain size data from chinese loess and intercalated accretionary palaeosols of last glacial age for evidence of similar climate signals remote from the north atlantic region we see grain size maxima with ages that match those of the last six heinrich events which we interpret as an indication of the changing strength of the east asian winter monsoon which largely controls the transport and deposition of central asian aeolian dust thus it seems that these heinrich events have left their signature in the chinese loess record this is consistent with simulations of the glacial climate9 which imply that the climates of the north atlantic and china were linked by the effect of westerly winds