Interactions Between Tidal Flows and Ooid Shoals, Northern Bahamas

Reeder, Stacy; Rankey, Eugene C.

doi:10.2110/jsr.2008.020

Cited by 79 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Although the occurrence of ooids in Aitutaki Atoll is likely controlled by elevated saturation levels, the ooids are not found evenly distributed across the atoll; given elevated saturation, hydrodynamics control where the ooids occur (as in the Bahamas; Reeder and Rankey, 2008). Tidal ranges are small, so on-platform wave-driven currents drive the circulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To better understand marine ooid sands and their genesis, Holocene occurrences have been studied in areas as diverse as the Bahamas (Newell et al, 1960;Ball, 1967;Reeder and Rankey, 2008), Yucatan (Ward and Brady, 1973), the Arabian Gulf (Loreau and Purser, 1973), and Shark Bay, Australia (Davies, 1970). In these areas, broad expanses can be covered with ooids or ooid shoals, forming sand bodies that can stretch nearly 100 km along depositional strike and reach over 20 km inboard of the shelf margin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Holocene ooids of Aitutaki Atoll, Cook Islands, South Pacific

Rankey

Reeder

2009

Geology

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Although oolitic sands are widespread throughout the Phanerozoic carbonate rock record, and they are abundant in some modern shallow-marine carbonate systems, recent ooids have not been recognized from any locality in the Pacifi c Basin. On Aitutaki Atoll (Cook Islands, South Pacifi c), oolitic sands occur in water depths of 2.1-6.3 m within the lagoon and, less abundantly, on shallower reef aprons. Most ooids are between 150 and 300 µm in diameter, have between 1 and 25 concentric to irregular laminae, and occur with peloids and skeletal grains. Cortical laminae include Mg-calcite crystals with radial, tangential, and random orientations. The occurrence and distribution of oolitic sands on Aitutaki are facilitated by a convergence of hydrodynamic and chemical factors. Wave-driven currents, combined either with fl ow separation over a sharp increase in depth at the reef apron-lagoon interface or with oceanward fl ow in the lee of islands, serve to transport ooids without fl ushing them from the system. Here, pH, alkalinity, and carbonate supersaturation are at some of the highest levels in the tropical Pacifi c. The restricted occurrence of Holocene oolitic sands in areas of the Pacifi c and Atlantic Basins with elevated pH and total alkalinity refl ects the importance of carbonate saturation thresholds in limiting the spatial distribution of these sands in modern shallow-marine settings. These recent examples are consistent with interpretations of the importance of these variables in determining the distribution, abundance, and cortical mineralogy of oolitic sands throughout the Phanerozoic stratigraphic record of carbonate accumulation. GEOLOGICAL SETTINGAitutaki is one of several atolls of the southern Cook Islands in the South Pacifi c (Fig. 1); it includes a reef-rimmed margin encircling a shallow lagoon and vestigial volcanic island. Holocene sediments up to 20 m thick cap the Pleistocene succession (Grey and Hein, 2005), although the lagoon presently is less than 5 m deep in most areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene ooids of Aitutaki Atoll, Cook Islands, South Pacific

Rankey

Reeder

2009

Geology

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“…5A), and the multigenerational calcite spar cement (Fig. 5B), indicate that these oolites were generated in a high-energy subtidal environment (e.g., Reeder and Rankey, 2008). The Lower Triassic Daye Formation strata of the carbonate ramp at the Lichuan section formed in a shallower sedimentary environment than the outer platform paleoenvironment where the Induan Luolou Formation of the Nanpanjiang Basin was deposited (e.g., Galfetti et al, 2008).…”

Section: Significance Of Triassic Giant Oolitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1) A high-energy environment developed on the shallow ramp under strong action of tidal and wave currents during the formation process of the ramp carbonate platform favorable to the formation of high-energy oolites (Simone, 1981;Fl€ ugel, 1982Fl€ ugel, , 2004Tucker and Wright, 1990;Mei et al, 1997;Siewers, 2003;Reeder and Rankey, 2008); (2) Strong agitation of the depositional water bodies in the highenergy environment, which can result in frequent reworking of sedimentary grains on the sea floor, and thus be favorable to the generation of oolites (Simone, 1981;Fl€ ugel, 1982Fl€ ugel, , 2004Tucker and Wright, 1990;Mei et al, 1997;Siewers, 2003;Reeder and Rankey, 2008). The resultant oolites (e.g.…”

Section: Significance Of Triassic Giant Oolitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Giant Induan oolite: A case study from the Lower Triassic Daye Formation in the western Hubei Province, South China

Mingxiang

Gao

2012

Geoscience Frontiers

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“…The development of carbonate intra-platform shoals is controlled by many factors including sea-level change, topography (i.e., bathymetry), climate and hydrodynamic conditions (Steinhauef and Walker, 1995;Zhang and Wang, 2003;Liang et al, 2006;Rankey et al, 2006;Reeder and Rankey, 2008). Sea-level changes and microtopography are the main factors.…”

Section: Main Controlling Factors Of the Development Of Intraplatformmentioning

confidence: 99%