Cenozoic depositional history of the Gulf of Mexico basin

Galloway, William E.; Ganey-Curry, Patricia; Li, Xiang; Buffler, Richard T.

doi:10.1306/8626c37f-173b-11d7-8645000102c1865d

Cited by 99 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The main driver of the reef turnover is thought to be elevated temperature, but ocean acidification (Kiessling and Simpson, 2011), excessive sedimentation, and nutrification (Zamagni et al, 2012) are also implicated. In the GoM region, temperature, increased sedimentation, and nutrient input due to tectonism (Galloway et al, 2000) led to the development of sponge and coralline algae dominated reefs. Some zooxanthellate and apozooxanthellate massive and platy corals were also present (Bryan, 1991).…”

Section: Contextualizing Anthropogenic Changes With Hot-house Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of Reef Ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico: Insights From Coupled Climate Model Simulations and Ancient Hot-House Reefs

et al. 2019

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Shallow water coral reefs and deep sea coral communities are sensitive to current and future environmental stresses, such as changes in sea surface temperatures (SST), salinity, carbonate chemistry, and acidity. Over the last half-century, some reef communities have been disappearing at an alarming pace. This study focuses on the Gulf of Mexico, where the majority of shallow coral reefs are reported to be in poor or fair condition. We analyze the RCP8.5 ensemble of the Community Earth System Model v1.2 to identify monthly-to-decadal trends in Gulf of Mexico SST. Secondly, we examine projected changes in ocean pH, carbonate saturation state, and salinity in the same coupled model simulations. We find that the joint impacts of predicted higher temperatures and changes in ocean acidification will severely degrade Gulf of Mexico reef systems by the end of the twenty-first century. SSTs are likely to warm by 2.5-3 • C; while corals do show signs of an ability to adapt toward higher temperatures, current coral species and reef systems are likely to suffer major bleaching events in coming years. We contextualize future changes with ancient reefs from paleoclimate analogs, periods of Earth's past that were also exceptionally warm, specifically rapid "hyperthermal" events. Ancient analog events are often associated with extinctions, reef collapse, and significant ecological changes, yet reef communities managed to survive these events on evolutionary timescales. Finally, we review research which discusses the adaptive potential of the Gulf of Mexico's coral reefs, meccas of biodiversity and oceanic health. We assert that the only guaranteed solution for long-term conservation and recovery is substantial, rapid reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

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Section: Contextualizing Anthropogenic Changes With Hot-house Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

The Future of Reef Ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico: Insights From Coupled Climate Model Simulations and Ancient Hot-House Reefs

et al. 2019

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“…To produce a detailed map of the Cenozoic continental shelf at whole Gulf of Mexico (GoM) scale, Galloway et al (2000) have compiled in a Geographic Information System (GIS) the following data sources: (i) 241 publications and theses, (ii) 800 well data sets, and (iii) deep-basin seismic lines of UTIG (University of Texas Institute for Geophysics). This database allowed the identification of 18 major depositional episodes and the differentiation of 31 depositional facies associations used to construct paleogeographic maps.…”

Section: Continental Shelf Growth In the Northern Gulf Of Mexicomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fort and Brun (2012), used the structures displayed by digital bathymetry maps of slope and deep margin basin, located South of present day shelf break, to carry out a kinematic analysis (Fort and Brun, 2012)]. Contours and ages (in My) of depositional episodes and main axes of sediment supply (White arrows) after Galloway et al (2000). Solid black lines: Recent transfer zones (see Figure 1C).…”

Section: Transfer Zonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our study focuses more particularly on those salt passive margins where the direction of sediment supply is oblique to the direction of salt flow as this allows deciphering of structural and dynamic effects related to sediment supply and salt flow, respectively. The northern Gulf of Mexico that is one of the largest salt basin worldwide provides a remarkable and well-documented example of a large migration of the shelf break (i.e., several hundred km) during the Neogene (Galloway et al, 2000;Galloway, 2001), in association with the development of transfer zones (Fort and Brun, 2012). Laboratory analogue modeling is used to illustrate the mechanisms of deformation involved in the continental shelf growth when, like in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the direction of sedimentary supply trends at 60 • to the regional direction of salt flow.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Growth of Continental Shelves at Salt Margins

Brun

Fort

2018

Front. Earth Sci.

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Whereas, salt margins are rather common, the growth of continental shelves on top of salt margins is a topic that has seldom been considered. In such settings, the sediments coming from the nearby continental areas are deposited on a viscous substratum and therefore a continental shelf can form and stabilize only if the salt layer underlying sediments does not flow or stops flowing. The present study that combines evidence from the northern Gulf of Mexico and laboratory modeling concerns more particularly those salt tectonic settings where the direction of sediment supply is oblique to the direction of salt flow because this allows to decipher between the relative effects of sedimentation and salt flow. It is shown, in both northern Gulf of Mexico and experiment, that: (i) shelf growth is controlled by an association of normal faults and transfer zones, (ii) shelf breaks, controlled by normal faults, and transfer zones trend perpendicular and parallel to salt flow, respectively, (iii) the rate of shelf break migration is faster in areas of higher sedimentation rates, (iv) even at late stages of shelf growth, when the role of salt flow tends to decrease, transfer zones still remain controlled by the direction of salt flow, and (v) transfer zones that participated to the shaping of a continental shelf provide a precious tool to map the direction of salt flow and its variations in space and time. The interaction between salt flow and sediment supply controls the trend of the shelf envelope during shelf growth. Because the rate of salt flow decreases with time, a constant or increasing rate of sediment supply results in a rotation of the shelf envelope trend from perpendicular to salt flow direction at early stages toward perpendicular to sediment supply direction at the late stages.

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“…The relative high amplitude of the constant thickness unit indicates its coarse grain size, and may thus behave as carrier beds. According to the Cenozoic depositional history of the deep GoM basin, only sediments equivalent to or older than the late Miocene would contain coarse permeable beds (Galloway et al, 2000;Shaub et al, 1984). Although the age of the constant thickness unit is uncertain (Section 4.2.2.4), the later discussion will suggest a Miocene time of the constant thickness unit (Section 5.3).…”

Section: Seepage Distribution At the Asymmetric Flap Type Structuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shallow sediment deformation styles in north-western Campeche Knolls, Gulf of Mexico and their controls on the occurrence of hydrocarbon seepage

Ding

Spieß

MacDonald

et al. 2010

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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Cenozoic depositional history of the Gulf of Mexico basin

Cited by 99 publications

References 36 publications

The Future of Reef Ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico: Insights From Coupled Climate Model Simulations and Ancient Hot-House Reefs

The Future of Reef Ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico: Insights From Coupled Climate Model Simulations and Ancient Hot-House Reefs

Growth of Continental Shelves at Salt Margins

Shallow sediment deformation styles in north-western Campeche Knolls, Gulf of Mexico and their controls on the occurrence of hydrocarbon seepage

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