The anatomy of a deep water mud‐mound complex to the southwest of the Dinantian platform in Derbyshire, UK

Abstract

An elongate Waulsortian mud‐mound complex developed at Dovedale on a ramp to the southwest of a developing carbonate platform in Derbyshire during Chadian (early Viséan) times. The complex occupied an area of approximately 6 km2 and grew to a maximum relief of 80 m with longitudinal and transverse valleys developed near the southern margin. Five mound associated facies have been identified: mound core, mound flank (fine), mound flank (coarse), intermound (fine) and intermound (coarse). The mound core facies is a massive skeletal wackestone with comminuted sponge debris, foraminifera, ostracodes and crinoid debris set in a matrix of clotted micrite. The mound flank sediments display moderately inclined bedding surfaces. While the mound flank (fine) contains sponge debris, the mound flank (coarse) is dominated by articulated crinoid columnals, and includes algal‐encrusted micritized intraclasts and coarse peloids. The well‐bedded intermound (fine) facies is bituminous and micritic while the intermound (coarse) facies is composed of skeletal‐peloidal‐intraclast grainstones which locally contain calcified algae. Although the fauna is diverse, the density of colonization by metazoans was low and the supply of macrofossil debris modest. The clotted micrite texture is interpreted as the product of micro‐organisms which precipitated and trapped fine‐grained sediment. The mud‐mound complex is dominated by the bathymetric assemblages B and C proposed by Lees, Hallet & Hibo which on their model of the Belgian Waulsortian, indicate depths of between 220 and 280 m. Intercalation of assemblages B/C and C/D on the northern margin of the complex is interpreted as the result of local storm disturbance. A deep water drift is postulated to explain the NW‐SE alignment of the complex which probably fitted the ‘export model’ of Bosence, Rowlands & Quine. Beneath the sediment surface, phreatic flow eroded unlithified sediments and developed interconnected cavities which were filled by cement and sediment relatively eariy. Mound instability triggered the opening of fissures which filled with crinoid debris, peloids, indurated lithoclasts and micrite.

Facies architecture and diagenesis of Belgian Late Frasnian carbonate mounds

“…Internal filling of fractures comprises, in chronological order and in addition to the internal sediment described in connection with stromatactis (see above): (1) dm-scale spherical masses of radiaxial spar in a microsparitic matrix or in a granular sparite resembling ''spar balls'' of Playford (1984); (2) microbial mats; (3) various types of internal sediment: crinoidal grainstone, microspar with scattered orthoceratids, brachiopods, some encrusted lithoclasts; (4) radiaxial spar, locally rich in iron-bearing microstromatolites (Mamet and Boulvain, 1988); and (5) red or grey clays. These various types of filling were also observed in Waulsortian carbonate mounds of England (Bridges and Chapman, 1988).…”

Middle Jurassic stromatactis mud-mounds in the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Carpathians) — A possible clue to the origin of stromatactis

“…The suggested origins for stromatactis included internal erosion and reworking of small cavities (e.g. Kukal, 1971;Wallace, 1987;Bridges and Chapman, 1988;Matyszkiewicz, 1993Matyszkiewicz, , 1997, dewatering or escape of fluids (Heckel, 1972;Desbordes and Maurin, 1974;Bernet-Rollande et al, 1981), neomorphism or recrystallization of the calcareous mud (Black, 1952;Orme and Brown, 1963;Ross et al, 1975), dynamic metamorphism (Logan and Semeniuk, 1976), slumps (Schwarzacher, 1961) and fresh-water karstification (Dunham, 1969). Most recent ideas involve frozen clathrate hydrates in the calcareous mud, after which the stromatactis cavities remained (Krause, 2001) or the cavities are interpreted as a result of sedimentation of stirred polydisperse sediment (Hladil, 2005;Hladil et al, 2006Hladil et al, , 2007.…”

Sedimentary context and palaeoecology of Gigantoproductus shell beds in the Mississippian Eyam Limestone Formation, Derbyshire carbonate platform, central England

“…They are, therefore, not Waulsortian type mounds which were described in Dove Dale at the platform edge by Bridges & Chapman (1988). The mud mound facies occur in the on-shelf settings of the Derbyshire carbonate platform within the shelf interior, at the platform margins and in the shallow to middle section of the intraplatform ramp (Gutteridge 1995).…”