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The continental shelf of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, is an open shelf area located 5°S and 35°W. It is influenced by strong oceanic and wind‐driven currents, fair weather, 1·5‐m‐high waves and a mesotidal regime. This work focuses on the character and the controls on the development of suites of carbonate and siliciclastic bedforms, based on Landsat TM image analysis and extensive ground‐truth (diving) investigations. Large‐scale bedforms consist of: (i) bioclastic (mainly coralline algae and Halimeda) sand ribbons (5–10 km long, 50–600 m wide) parallel to the shoreline; and (ii) very large transverse siliciclastic dunes (3·4 km long on average, 840 m spacing and 3–8 m high), with troughs that grade rapidly into carbonate sands and gravels. Wave ripples are superposed on all large‐scale bedforms, and indicate an onshore shelf sediment transport normal to the main sediment transport direction. The occurrence of these large‐scale bedforms is primarily determined by the north‐westerly flowing residual oceanic and tidal currents, resulting mainly in coast‐parallel transport. Models of shelf bedform formation predict sand ribbons to occur in higher energy settings rather than in large dunes. However, in the study area, sand ribbons occur in an area of coarse, low‐density and easily transportable bioclastic sands and gravels compared with the very large transverse dunes in an offshore area that is composed of denser medium‐grained siliciclastic sands. It suggests that the availability of different sediment types is likely to exert an influence on the nature of the bedforms generated. The offshore sand supply is time limited and originates from sea floor erosion of sandstones of former sea‐level lowstands. The trough areas of both sand ribbons and very large transverse dunes comprise coarse calcareous algal gravels that support benthic communities of variable maturity. Diverse mature communities result in sediment stabilization through branching algal growth and binding that is thought to modify the morphology of dunes and sand ribbons. The occurrence and the nature of the bedforms is controlled by their hydrodynamic setting, by grain composition that reflects the geological history of the area and by the carbonate‐producing benthic marine communities that inhabit the trough areas.

The inner portion of the continental shelf of Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil has been investigated by Landsat-TM imagery and by scuba diving. The area experiences high-energy, shoreline and shelf-margin parallel currents driven by a combination of oceanic, tidal and wave processes. The high meso-tidal range (<4 m) further distributes the high-energy waters over the entire inner shelf region (0-25 m). This shelf is a high-energy, distally steepened ramp in which the distribution of carbonate and siliciclastic facies belts is controlled by the energy of the environment, the sources of siliciclastic sediment and the Quaternary history of the area. Carbonate sediments are generated throughout the sublittoral zone and are dominated by calcareous red and green algae. SmalL, low-diversity coral patch reefs occur in shallow areas. Quartz-rich sands form beaches and subaerial longitudinal dunes, and an offshore, submarine, sandstone outcrop interpreted as a former Quaternary shoreline. This sandstone has been eroded during the Holocene transgression to generate quartz sands deposited in a train of transverse dunes migrating parallel to the coast. Longitudinal sand ribbons comprising bioclastic gravelly sands attest to high-energy, shore-parallel currents in the inner shelf. Branching coralline algae (maErl) form stabilized sea-floor areas. Preliminary 14C dating indicates a Pleistocene highstand period when coarse algal sands accumulated. Holocene lowstand conditions spread quartz-rich sands over the inner ramp area, which were reworked during the Holocene transgression.Present-day erosion, transport and in situ carbonate production results in mixing of these earlier carbonate and siliciclastic units. The Brazilian ramp has similar, but narrower morphology, when compared with the distally steepened ramps of the Yucatan and west Florida. All three ramps are swept by coastline-parallel currents. In Brazil, the higherenergy, windward-facing, inner ramp has calcareous algal sands and patch reefs compared with the inner ramps of the leeward-facing Gulf of Mexico examples that accumulate molluscan sands. Outer ramp facies in each example are planktonic foraminiferal oozes.

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A B S T R A C TThe Kimberley region in remote northwest Australia has poorly known reef systems of two types; coastal fringing reefs and atoll-like shelf-edge reefs. As a major geomorphic feature (from 12 o S to 18 o S) situated along a subsiding continental margin, the shelf edge reefs are in a tropical realm with warm temperatures, relatively low salinity, clear low nutrient waters lacking sediment input, and Indo-West Pacific corals of moderate diversity. Seismic architecture of the Rowley Shoals reveals that differential pre-Holocene subsidence and relative elevation of the pre-Holocene substrate have controlled lagoon sediment infill and reef morphology, forming an evolutionary series reflecting differential accommodation in three otherwise similar reef systems. The Holocene core described for North Scott Reef confirms previous seismic interpretations, and provides a rare ocean-facing reef record. It demonstrates that the Indo-Pacific reef growth phase (RG111) developed during moderate rates of sea level rise of 10 mm/year from 11 to about 7-6.5 ka BP until sea level stabilization, filling the available 27 m of pre-Holocene accommodation. Despite the medium to high hydrodynamic energy imposed by the 4m tides, swell waves and cyclones the reef-building communities represent relatively low-wave energy settings due to their southeast facing and protection afforded by the proximity of the South Reef platform. This study demonstrates the resilience of reefs on the subsiding margin whilst linking Holocene reef morphology to the relative amount of pre-Holocene subsidence. R E S U M OKimberly é uma região remota e pouco conhecida, localizada no noroeste da Austrália, ali são encontrados dois sistemas recifais: recifes costeiros de franja e os tipo-atois localizados na margem da plataforma continental. Esses recifes formam a feição geomórfica mais importante entre 12 o S a 18 o S estando localizados ao longo de uma margem continental em subsidência. Esses recifes encontram-se em um ambiente tropical com temperaturas altas, salinidade relativamente baixa, águas claras com baixa concentração de nutrientes, sem aporte de sedimentos continentais e contendo uma fauna indo-pacífica de diversidade moderada. A arquitetura sísmica do Roley Shoals revela que a subsidência diferencial pré-holocênica e elevações relativas do substrato pré-holocênico controlaram a morfologia e o preenchimento de sedimentos na lagoa. Esta formou uma evolução em série que reflete o espaço de acomodação diferente em sistemas recifais que, de outra forma, seriam considerados semelhantes. O testemunho holocênico descrito para North Reef confirma a interpretação sísmica anterior, e contribui com um raro registro de uma frente recifal em ambiente de mar aberto. Os dados mostram que a fase de crescimento do recife indo-pacífico (RG111) apresentou razões moderadas de elevação do nível do mar de 10 mm/ano entre 11 e aproximadamente 7-6,5 anos BP, até a estabilização do nível do mar, preenchendo assim 27 metros de espaço de acomodação pré-holocênica. Apesa...