Facies and Stratigraphic Architecture of a Miocene Warm‐Temperate to Tropical Fault‐Block Carbonate Platform, Sardinia (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Benisek, Merle-Friederike; Marcano, Gabriela; Betzler, Christian; Mutti, Maria

doi:10.1002/9781118398364.ch8

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In the Sedini platform (Sardinia), mesophotic coralline-red algae and LBF (Heterostegina, Amphistegina, Borelis) dominated carbonate production in the oligophotic zone, whereas planar-bedded wackestones and packstones of the inner ramp can be interpreted as shallow-water seagrass deposits. Downdip, branching red algal packstones and floatstones define the outer ramp (Benisek et al, 2009(Benisek et al, , 2010. Hermatypic corals only built discrete bioherms from the platform top to the toe of slope.…”

Section: Miocenementioning

confidence: 99%

Reef building and carbonate production modes in the west-central Tethys during the Cenozoic

Pomar

Baceta

Hallock

et al. 2017

Marine and Petroleum Geology

137

167

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Please cite this article as: Pomar, L., Baceta, J.I., Hallock, P., Mateu-Vicens, G., Basso, D., Reef building and carbonate production modes in the west-central Tethys during the Cenozoic, Marine and Petroleum Geology (2017), ABSTRACTChanging components, rock textures, lithofacies, platform types and architecture throughout time are unique characteristics of carbonate rocks. Characterizing these attributes has been approached by 1) building reference models for specific Phanerozoic intervals, 2) recognizing the climatic impact in modulating carbonate production, and 3) analyzing the influence of changing bio-geochemical conditions. The reference-model approach is mostly based on biological evolution, the climaticimpact approach emphasizes temperature, and the bio-geochemical approach considers the changes in Mg/Ca ratios and Ca ++ concentrations in the oceans. To date, however, an analysis integrating all of these factors is still missing. The analysis presented here includes all these factors but also CO 2 , which is fundamental for both photosynthesis and CaCO 3 precipitation.Here we analyze the waxing and waning of Cenozoic reef limestones from the central Tethys region through several steps: 1) on the basis of rock volume, rock textures, associated sediments and light-dependent skeletal components, as records of light penetration and wave energy (depth); 2) on global environmental conditions (δ 13 C, δ 18 O, pCO 2 , temperature); and 3) on the basis of functionality, nutritional requirements and available resources.Through the Cenozoic, water motion, whether induced by surface or internal waves or by currents, increased as the thermal gradients strengthened, both with depth and with latitude. Active water motion is essential for plankton catchers such as corals, but less so for many larger benthic foraminifers (LBF). Pycnoclines in the meso-oligophotic zone would then favor the benthic plankton catchers such as corals, but would be detrimental for many LBF. Warm temperatures favored LBF. The Eocene LBF families predominated during lowering of atmospheric pCO 2 by using respiratory CO 2 to enhance the symbiont production of photosynthates under oligotrophic conditions and limited turbulence, whereas the Miocene families had to adapt to a progressive increase in turbulence. The eurythermal coralline red algae, however, became preponderant producers in the mesophotic zone during times when the δ 13 C was relatively high. This explains two apparent paradoxes: 1) corals thrive best when the Earth's high latitudes cool, and 2) the dominance of corals and LBF is inversely correlated, despite they both require tropical conditions and have similar trophic strategies (mixotrophy).

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Section: Miocenementioning

confidence: 99%

Reef building and carbonate production modes in the west-central Tethys during the Cenozoic

Pomar

Baceta

Hallock

et al. 2017

Marine and Petroleum Geology

137

167

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“…The photo-C-factory is dominated by light-dependent biota such as coralline algae, and larger benthic foraminifera and biota associated with seagrass. According to Michel et al (2019), this factory characterizes platforms of oligo-mesotrophic, warm-temperate carbonate ramps, even though the authors quoted tropical examples such as the Chattian carbonate ramp of Porto Badisco (Pomar et al, 2014(Pomar et al, , 2017 or the Burdigalian mixed siliciclastic-carbonate ramps of Sardinia and Corsica (Benisek et al, 2010;Tomassetti & Brandano, 2013). The characterizing biota of the heterozoan-C-factory is dominated by bryozoans and molluscs, while photodependent biota can be present in wellilluminated proximal environments.…”

Section: State Of Science: Evolution Of the Concept Of Carbonate Factorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding carbonate factories through palaeoecological and sedimentological signals – Tribute to Luis Pomar

2021

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The carbonate factories, their controlling factors and their palaeoecological and sedimentological signals recorded in sedimentary successions are key elements for understanding the evolution of carbonate platform systems. Luis Pomar has dedicated most of his academic life to the study of carbonate rocks and carbonate factories. The idea for this special issue to celebrate Pomar's career arose during a session at the 34 th International Association of Sedimentologists meeting held in Rome, entitled 'Understanding carbonate factories through palaeoecological and geochemical signals'. The proposal encountered great response among participants, and additional contributions followed an email invitation to other specialists. This issue contains a variety of papers on carbonate sedimentology and carbonate factories. Here, an introduction that contextualizes the papers and key concepts discussed in this thematic issue is provided. It reviews Luis Pomar's major achievements in carbonate sedimentology and discusses the evolution of the concept of the carbonate factory and the series of palaeoecological and sedimentological signals used to characterize the wide spectrum of carbonate depositional systems found in the natural world.

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“…Even though corallines can thrive at low light intensities, they are only common at depths shallower than 90 to 100 m (Bosence, 1983(Bosence, , 1991, although scarce plants might reach greater depths in clear waters (Littler et al, 1986). Corallines dominate carbonate production in mid-ramp settings in Azagador limestones in other Neogene basins in southern Spain (Braga et al, 2006;Puga-Bernab eu et al, 2007a,b) and in other examples of Miocene carbonates in the Mediterranean region (Benisek et al, 2010;Brandano et al, 2010;Ruchonnet & Kindler, 2010;Pomar et al, 2012). Deepening of the source area probably switched the photic factory that fed the coralline-algal/bryozoan rudstone to a dimly lit factory with scarce corallines and heterotrophs as the main carbonate producers.…”

Section: Sediment Provenancementioning

confidence: 99%

Heterozoan carbonate deposition on a steep basement escarpment (Late Miocene, Almería, south‐east Spain)

et al. 2017

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Heterozoan temperate‐water carbonates mixed with varying amounts of terrigenous grains and muddy matrix (Azagador limestone) accumulated on and at the toe of an inherited escarpment during the late Tortonian–early Messinian (late Miocene) at the western margin of the Almería–Níjar Basin in south‐east Spain. The escarpment was the eastern end of an uplifting antiform created by compressive folding of Triassic rocks of the Betic basement. Channelized coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone, together with matrix‐supported conglomerate, are the dominant lithofacies in the higher outcrops, comprising the deposits on the slope. These sediments mainly fill small canyon‐shaped, half‐graben depressions formed by normal faults active before, during and after carbonate sedimentation. Roughly bedded and roughly laminated coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone are the main lithofacies forming an apron of four small (kilometre‐scale) lobes at the toe of the south‐eastern side of the escarpment (Almería area). Channelized and roughly bedded coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone, conglomerates, packstone and sandy silt accumulated in a small channel‐lobe system at the toe of the north‐eastern side of the escarpment (Las Balsas area). Carbonate particles and terrigenous grains were sourced from shallow‐water settings and displaced downslope by sediment density flows that preferentially followed the canyon‐shaped depressions. Roughly laminated rudstone to packstone formed by grain flows on the initially very steep slope, whereas the rest of the carbonate lithofacies were deposited by high‐density turbidite currents. The steep escarpment and related break‐in‐slope at the toe favoured hydraulic jumps and the subsequent deposition of coarse‐grained, low‐transport efficiency skeletal‐dominated sediment in the apron lobes. Accelerated uplift of the basement caused a relative sea‐level fall resulting in the formation of outer‐ramp carbonates on the apron lobes, which were in turn overlain by lower Messinian coral reefs. The Almería example is the first known ‘base of slope’ apron within temperate‐water carbonate systems.

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Facies and Stratigraphic Architecture of a Miocene Warm‐Temperate to Tropical Fault‐Block Carbonate Platform, Sardinia (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Cited by 6 publications

References 42 publications

Reef building and carbonate production modes in the west-central Tethys during the Cenozoic

Reef building and carbonate production modes in the west-central Tethys during the Cenozoic

Understanding carbonate factories through palaeoecological and sedimentological signals – Tribute to Luis Pomar

Heterozoan carbonate deposition on a steep basement escarpment (Late Miocene, Almería, south‐east Spain)

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