Danian cool-water coral reefs in southern Scandinavia localised over seafloor highs

Bjerager, Morten; Surlyk, Finn; Lykke‐Andersen, Holger; Thibault, Nicolas; Stemmerik, Lars

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2009.09.008

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The proliferation of bryozoans added skeletal sediment, trapped fine-grained pelagic sediment, and increased the stability of the muddy sea floor. The bryozoans preferred elevated and currentexposed positions on the sea floor due to enhanced particle encounter rates (Thomsen, 1976;Bjerager and Surlyk, 2007;Bjerager et al, 2010). The combined effect of competition on such positions and enhanced deposition in areas with a dense bryozoan cover caused continuous formation, aggradation, and up-current migration of the structures.…”

Section: Biogenic Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment waves with a biogenic twist in Pleistocene cool water carbonates, Great Australian Bight

et al. 2010

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Section: Biogenic Influencementioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment waves with a biogenic twist in Pleistocene cool water carbonates, Great Australian Bight

et al. 2010

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“…Other corals from there, such as a fragment of a possible Lophelia sp., are indeterminable, and the dating of the locality is uncertain, being based on loose bivalves (Floris 1972). Coral limestones of mainly Dendrophyllia located in boreholes and coral limestones recognized in seismic sections have been identified in the Øresund region and in cores from southern Sjaelland and Sweden (Ødum 1928;Rosenkrantz 1937;Jakobsen et al 1997;Bjerager et al 2010).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 95%

Danian cold-water corals from the Baunekule facies, Faxe Formation, Denmark: a rare taphonomic window of a coral mound flank habitat

Lauridsen

Bjerager

2014

LET

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Well‐preserved cold‐water corals are comparatively rare in the fossil record. This is partly due to the very low fossilization potential of the predominantly aragonitic corals but also due to the fact that coral ecosystems of deep water are a geologically young development. A Middle Danian cold‐water coral mound complex is well exposed in Faxe Quarry, Denmark. The coral mounds are intercalated with bryozoan mounds of various sizes and form the Faxe Formation. The coral limestone displays large variations in diagenesis, and this complicates the palaeoecological reconstructions. However, the Baunekule facies from the Faxe Formation contain a well‐preserved originally aragonitic and calcitic fauna. The aragonitic skeletons have been recrystallized to calcite during early diagenesis and the excellent preservation makes taxonomic identifications straightforward. A diverse fauna of ten scleractinian coral species, nine stylasterine coral species and seven octocoral species has been described from the Baunekule facies. The fossil fauna represents an ecological niche between the dead coral framework and coral rubble on a flank of a growing Dendrophyllia coral mound with multiple colonization events. The diversity and relative abundance of the fossil scleractinian corals are comparable to the modern settings in the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean. The distribution and diversity of the octocorals and the stylasterine corals are suggested to represent coral gardens as described from modern setting in the NE Pacific. The presence of a diverse and abundant stylasterine fauna suggests a stable palaeoenvironment, probably in a bathymetric depth range of 200–400 metre.

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“…The early-diagenetic stages are characterized by dissolution of aragonite, followed by recrystallization to calcite and/or precipitation of matrix cement, cement rims and interparticle and intraparticle replacements. Later diagenesis involved recrystallization of shells and hardening of the limestone by continuous matrix cementation (Bernecker & Weidlich, 1990;Willumsen, 1995;Bjerager et al, 2010;Lauridsen et al, 2012). The diagenetically unique Baunekule facies only experienced recrystallization with calcite replacement of aragonite skeletons, resulting in the preservation of the original shell structure (Lauridsen et al, 2012;Lauridsen & Schnetler, 2014).…”

Section: Coral Moundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During this time, carbonate deposition in the Danish Basin was protracted relative to its Late Cretaceous distribution. The basin was characterized by an elongated WNW-ESE oriented funnel shape, narrowing towards the east with pronounced submarine highs that facilitated the formation of the aphotic coral mounds (Bjerager et al, 2010). Bottom currents were important for supplying particulate nutrients and for winnowing and reworking during the formation of the bryozoan and coral mounds that were major benthic carbonate factories in the Danian (Bjerager & Surlyk, 2007a,b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mound‐forming cold‐water corals and bryozoans in the Early Palaeocene of Denmark

2017

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The Faxe Quarry in south‐east Denmark offers excellent exposures of Early Palaeocene, Danian deep‐water intercalated coral and bryozoan mounds that form complexes at least 40 m thick and a few kilometres wide along and over submarine highs. The coexisting coral and bryozoan mounds represent two different biogenic carbonate factories with a highly dynamic interplay during growth. The sedimentary facies, mound geometries and the density, diversity and palaeoecology of the associated benthic invertebrates and nannofossils allow recognition of six successive growth units. Unit 1 represents an outer shelf bryozoan mound belt characterized by an oligotrophic cool‐water nannofossil assemblage. Unit 2 comprises a mixed faunal assemblage of bryozoans and octocorals with an initial sparse colonization of hexacorals. The nannofossil assemblage records a decrease in diversity and an increase in warm water forms. Unit 3 marks the onset of dense colonization of the scleractinian coral Dendrophyllia candelabrum with associated low‐diversity macrofauna and nannofossil assemblages. Unit 4 represents the main coral build‐up phase with frame‐building hexacorals of Dendrophyllia and Faxephyllia associated with a high‐diversity invertebrate fauna, and relatively low‐diversity nannofossil assemblages. Unit 5 represents the late coral mound phase showing extensive lateral distribution and finally death and erosion of the coral mounds. This event was contemporaneous with a warming trend in the pelagic environment. The succeeding Unit 6 marks the burial and overgrowth of the coral mound complex by bryozoan‐rich sediments. The coral mound complex in the Faxe Quarry initiated and terminated in global nannofossil zone NP3 and regional nannofossil zones NNTp2G–3 suggesting a mound growth duration of ca 300 kyr and a mean vertical accretion of the coral mound of 13 cm kyr−1. The mound complex probably serves as the best‐exposed analogue to modern deep and cold‐water coral mounds in the North Atlantic.

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Danian cool-water coral reefs in southern Scandinavia localised over seafloor highs

Cited by 13 publications

References 28 publications

Sediment waves with a biogenic twist in Pleistocene cool water carbonates, Great Australian Bight

Sediment waves with a biogenic twist in Pleistocene cool water carbonates, Great Australian Bight

Danian cold-water corals from the Baunekule facies, Faxe Formation, Denmark: a rare taphonomic window of a coral mound flank habitat

Mound‐forming cold‐water corals and bryozoans in the Early Palaeocene of Denmark

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