Until recently, concepts of coral reef growth and accumulation have been predominantly based on a Darwinian model. In this, the upwards and outwards growth of a reef core (a coral framework) takes place over a foreslope consisting of reef talus, with the simultaneous filling of the back-reef lagoon by reef-derived debris. The principal adaptations of this pattern relate to the influence of relative changes in sea level and commonly ignore oceanographic factors such as storm frequency and severity. Boreholes through the outer edge of a fringing reef in the Seychelles, western Indian Ocean, reveal a record of Holocene sediment accumulation first established approximately 8 ka ago. Faunal and floral associations show that growth of this body began in relatively deep water but that this shallowed to ~5 m within 1 ka. Subsequent accumulation was of "keep-up" style but, as the rate of sea-level rise slowed, shoaling became more frequent and aggradation was limited by reducing accommodation space. Constructional facies are characterised either by massive corals, including Leptastrea, Porites and faviids, or by branching corals, typically Acropora of the danairobusta group. Coral surfaces may be encrusted by red algae, foraminifera and vermetids, and are commonly bored by filamentous algae, clionids and molluscs. However, detrital facies are volumetrically dominant, and the paucity of a constructional framework requires a re-evaluation of models of reef accretion. New models relate the geometry of accretion to the interplay between extreme storm events and fairweather hydrodynamic conditions. These suggest that a contiguous framework forms in areas of moderate fairweather energy without extreme storm events. Severe storms destroy the continuity of reef structures and generate increasing volumes of coarse detritus. Low storm severity, coupled with low fairweather hydrodynamic energy, may promote the accumulation of fine-grained reef-derived sediments that inhibit framework growth. While ecology reflects year-by-year sea conditions, lithology and structure are controlled by exceptional storms, with the effects of changing sea level superimposed.
This paper compares different computing procedures that have been utilized in simulating shallow-water carbonate platform development. Based on our geological knowledge we can usually give a rather accurate qualitative description of the mechanisms controlling geological phenomena. Further description requires the use of computer stratigraphic simulation models that allow quantitative evaluation and understanding of the complex interactions of sedimentary depositional carbonate systems. The roles of modelling include: (1) encouraging accuracy and precision in data collection and process interpretation (Watney et al., 1999); (2) providing a means to quantitatively test interpretations concerning the control of various mechanisms on producing sedimentary packages; (3) predicting or extrapolating results into areas of limited control; (4) gaining new insights regarding the interaction of parameters; (5) helping focus on future studies to resolve specific problems. This paper addresses two main questions, namely: (1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of various types of models? (2) How well do models perform? In this paper we compare and discuss the application of five numerical models: CARBONATE (Bosence and Waltham, 1990), FUZZIM (Nordlund, 1999), CARBPLAT (Bosscher, 1992), DYNACARB (Li et al., 1993), PHIL (Bowman, 1997) and SEDPAK (Kendall et al., 1991). The comparison, testing and evaluation of these models allow one to gain a better knowledge and understanding of controlling parameters of carbonate platform development, which are necessary for modelling. Evaluating numerical models, critically comparing results from models using different approaches, and pushing experimental tests to their limits, provide an effective vehicle to improve and develop new numerical models. A main feature of this paper is to closely compare the performance between two numerical models: a forward model (CARBONATE) and a fuzzy logic model (FUZZIM). These two models use common data sets, thereby permitting one to obtain similar results (Norlund, 1999). The geological model we use to test the validity of these two numerical models comes from a Holocene coral reef located at the island of Mauritius, Indian Ocean. A detailed description of the stratigraphy and general geological setting is given by Montaggioni and Faure (1997 (Dalmasso, 2001). The results here include: (1) an enhanced understanding of similarities and differences between models and modelling philosophies; (2) critical evaluation of applications and assessment of how models have been utilized; and (3) improvements and refinements in techniques for generating and describing model inputs and outputs. The models have various drawbacks, most of which are due to the lack of knowledge about the systems we are trying to model, but also due to the incapability to make effective use of available knowledge. There is no perfect system for modelling carbonate platforms. Numerical modelling can help with both of these problems because it provides effective methods fo...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.