A lone biodetrital mound in the Chesterian (Carboniferous) of Alabama?

Kopaska-Merkel, David C.; Haywick, Douglas W.

doi:10.1016/s0037-0738(01)00151-8

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Carbon and oxygen data were reported relative to the PDB standard and are believed accurate to +1-0.2 mil (K. Winters, personal communication, 1999). Kopaska-Merkel and Raywick (2001) recognized seven lithofacies in the Bangor Limestone at the study site based upon sedimentological and lithological criteria. Inthis study, we distinguish four distinct petrofacies: (1) oolite, (2) mound, (3) skeletal and (4) mudstone/dolomicrite (Fig.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mound complexes described by Kopaska-Merkel .and Raywick (2001) contain numerous small colonies of Caninia jlaccida (each with 10 to 25 individuals) in a biodetrital matrix of skeletal wackestone and packstone enriched in echinoderms and bryozoans. Large intraskeletal voids in the corals contain three phases of calcite spar.…”

Section: Calcite Spar Cementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3). The top ofthe dolomitized zone is marked by a 10 em thick breccia containing angular dolostone clasts up to 1 em across (Kopaska-Merkel and Raywick 2001). Material between dolostone clasts is dominated by partially dolomitized drusy calcite cement.…”

Section: Dolomitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distribution of oolite within the Bangor Limestone suggests that shallow marine conditions and aggradational sedimentation persisted throughout much of its deposition; however, at the Moulton outcrop, a more detailed record of sea-level change is preserved. Kopaska-Merkel and Raywick (2001) concluded that the oolite-biodetrital mound-peritidal succession recorded one complete, and a portion ofa second, fourth order sea-level cycle. Exposures of Bangor Limestone are limited in the vicinity of the study area; however, it is reasonable to speculate that the section examined is part of a more extensive cyclothemic succession similar to those described by Cluff (1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The history ofsea-level change recorded in the Black Warrior Basin has been directly addressed by few researchers (e.g., Mars and Thomas 1999), but the role of transgressions and regressions on facies distribution in Mississippianaged strata (including the Bangor Limestone) has been investigated by Thomas (1972), Andronaco (1986), Bronner (1988), Algeo and Rich (1992), Gastaldo et al (1993), Pashin (1993) and Kopaska-Merkel and Raywick (2001). The distribution of oolite within the Bangor Limestone suggests that shallow marine conditions and aggradational sedimentation persisted throughout much of its deposition; however, at the Moulton outcrop, a more detailed record of sea-level change is preserved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A biodetrital coral mound complex: Key to early diagenetic processes in the Mississippian Bangor Limestone

Haywick

Kopaska-Merkel

Bersch

2009

Carbonates and Evaporites

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The Bangor Limestone is a Mississippian (Chesterian) shallow marine carbonate formation exposed over a large portion of the Interior Low Plateaus province of northern Alabama. It is dominated by oolitic grainstone and skeletal wackestone and packstone, but in one outcrop near Moulton, Alabama, the Bangor contains a five m thick, 25 m wide, oolite -biodetrital mound -tidal flat succession. This sequence is interpreted as a 4th order sea level cycle.Four petrofacies (oolite, mound, skeletal and mudstone/dolomicrite) and four diagenetic phases (iron oxide, fibrous calcite cement, calcite spar cement and dolomite) are distinguished at the study site. Iron oxide, a minor component, stained and/or coated some ooids, intraclasts and skeletal components in the oolite petrofacies. Many of the allochems were stained prior to secondary cortical growth suggesting a short period of subaerial exposure during oolite sedimentation. The oolite petrofacies also contains minor amounts of fibrous calcite cement, a first generation marine cement, and rare infiltrated micrite that might represent a second phase of marine cement, or a first phase of meteoric cement (i.e., "vadose silt") (Dunham 1969). Intergranular pore space in all four petrofacies is filled with up to three phases of meteoric calcite spar cement. The most complete record of meteoric cementation is preserved within coralline void spaces in the mound petrofacies and indicates precipitation in the following order: (1) non-ferroanscalenohedral spar, (2) ferro an drusy spar (0.1-0.4 wt% Fe 2 +) and (3) non-ferroan drusy spar. The first scalenohedral phase of meteoric cement is distributed throughout the oolite and mound petrofacies. The ferro an phase of meteoric.calcite is a void-filling cement that is abundant in the mound petrofacies and less common in the skeletal and mudstone/dolomicrite petrofacies. Non-ferroan drusy calcite is pervasive throughout the Bangor Limestone at the Moulton study site.Growth ofthe fourth diagenetic phase, dolomite, was the dominant event in the micrite/dolomicrite petrofacies, particularly just below an irregular surface overlain by a brecciated interval. The irregular surface is interpreted as an exposure surface. Three phases of dolomite occur below the exposure surface. The majorityis finely crystalline, anhedral, and enriched in Si 4 +, criteria which support a supratidal or mixed hypersaline\meteoric origin. Secondary phases of coarser euhedral non-ferroan and ferro an dolomite are restricted to fenestrae and other voids in the micrite/dolomicrite petrofacies and were precipitated during subsequent meteoric diagenesis, Diagenesis of the Bangor Limestone at the Moulton outcrop was dominated by synsedimentary and very early meteoric processes driven by periods of subaerial exposure. Large voids within the mound petrofacies were particularly important, as they remained open long enough to record a more detailed early meteoric cement stratigraphy that might not be evident in Bangor Limestone outcrops elsewhere in Alabama.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Calcite Spar Cementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dolomitementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A biodetrital coral mound complex: Key to early diagenetic processes in the Mississippian Bangor Limestone

Haywick

Kopaska-Merkel

Bersch

2009

Carbonates and Evaporites

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Late Viséan coral fringing reef at Tiouinine (Morocco): implications for the role of rugose corals as building organisms in the Mississippian

et al. 2012

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The excellent exposure and preservation of a fringing reef located at Tiouinine, near Khenifra (Central Moroccan Meseta) is a unique case in the Mississippian which allows us to distinguish different facies belts of a classical coral framework reef. The reefal facies rest on thin basal siliciclastic rocks which rest unconformably on Ordovician sandstones. There is a complete zonation from tidal deposits of the inner shelf to reefal talus. Tidal deposits occur in a narrow band and are composed of sandy packstones. There is a transition to reef flat deposits composed of skeletal packstone–grainstone with a patchy distribution of coral colonies. There is also a transitional change to core reef facies that are composed of fasciculate and massive corals reinforced by algal masses around the corals and microbial micropeloidal mudstone to wackestone coating the corals and algae. The spaces between the corals and algal masses are infilled by crinoidal and coral grainstone. The dominant building organisms are rugose corals of the genera Siphonodendron, Lithostrotion, Diphyphyllum and Tizraia, as well as contributions from the tabulate genera Michelinia, Multithecopora and Syringopora. The proximal reef talus is represented by skeletal packstone and rudstone containing highly diverse bioclasts, with corals, crinoids, foraminifers, gastropods and bivalves, as well as large fragments of reworked coral colonies and some coral colonies in growth position. These beds show erosive surfaces and amalgamation of beds. A somewhat more distal reef talus is represented by well‐bedded marly limestones containing mainly crinoids and branches of fasciculate corals. The existence of a well‐preserved coral reef in the late Viséan in Morocco provides further evidence that rugose and tabulate corals did build reefs after the Late Devonian reef extinction event. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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