Biostromal unit from the Middle Devonian Jinbaoshi Formation, Sichuan, Southwest China: Implications for ecological structure of coeval reef communities

Huang, Jiayuan; Li, Yue; Kershaw, Stephen; Wen, Guo Chun; Liang, Kun; Qie, Wenkun

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2022.111272

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Where a reef has developed in relation to siliciclastic sediments, it is necessary to discern if the influx of siliciclastic material was contemporaneous with reef growth or occurred after the development of the reef, for example through the infiltration of siliciclastic material into the reef framework (Lafuste et al, 1991;Fernandez et al, 2006;Huang et al, 2022). Stratigraphic relationships between the siliciclastic sediments and the reef should be detailed, particular attention must be paid to contact relationships.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reviews and syntheses: Sediment-stressed reefs over the past 420 Myr

Unger,

Lokier,

Aretz

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Abstract. The evolution of reefs over geologic time is diverse and includes a range of different builders. An understanding of the consequences of natural and anthropogenically-driven sediment influx to reef systems is crucial to planning future protection and mitigation strategies. Most reef systems are associated with clear water settings, however, many reef communities have evolved in turbid water environments stressed by high rates of sediment influx. Conventionally, these mixed carbonate-clastic environments have been considered unfavourable to reef organisms. Utilising case-studies of sediment-stressed reefs from the Devonian to Recent, we clearly demonstrate that reef organisms can survive, and even thrive, under the influence of clastic sediment influx. Ten case-studies were selected on the basis of: i) the presence of a mixed carbonate-clastic matrix, and ii) the existence of a coral framework. For each example, the system was characterised in terms of sediment input, organism growth forms (with a focus on corals) and the overall reef morphology. The host sediment from Cenozoic reefs was found to be typically better-described than that within Paleozoic and Mesozoic communities. This may be due to the closer affinity between Cenozoic communities and recent species when compared to more ancient systems. The same reasoning accounts for the paucity of data describing the internal structure of many fossil reefs, a feature also related to outcrop quality. This study clearly demonstrates that, while reefs in sediment-impacted environments are common, there is no general developmental model that can be applied to all reefs. No relationship was identified between the nature of the reef builders, the character of the siliciclastic component and the reef structure. We demonstrate that, in the majority of cases, the clastic matrix within reefs, both ancient and recent, is insufficiently described – this inhibits understanding of mixed carbonate-clastic reef systems and significantly compromising forecasts of future reef development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%