Production of lime mud by breakdown of foraminiferal tests

Debenay, Jean-Pierre; André, Jean-Pierre; Lesourd, M.

doi:10.1016/s0025-3227(98)00151-0

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This large range of density is due to the presence of cement which partly seals intraskeletal porosity. Taking into account that benthic hyaline tests are mainly composed of low magnesium calcite (LMC), according to our measurements of Paleonummulites venosus from Papua New Guinea and to previous work published by Debenay et al (1999), the same mineralogical composition is expected for Eocene Nummulites tests. The apparent density (ρ s ) of Nummulites can be established as a function of intraskeletal porosity (ϕ), LMC density (ρ LMC ) and internal fluid density (ρ fluid ) via this equation:…”

Section: Porosity and Apparent Density Measurementssupporting

confidence: 75%

“…However, based on the SEM study of modern carbonate sediments from New Caledonia and French Polynesia, Debenay et al (1999) demonstrate that the breakdown of foraminiferal tests can produce a noticeable part of the carbonate mud content. The mechanical erosion in high-energy environments is favoured by biological activity such as partial dissolution in predator guts (Hickman and Lipps 1983), and by bioerosion by boring algae, fungi and sponges (Kloos 1982).…”

Section: Preservation and Fragmentation Of Nummulites Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites: implications for depositional models

Jorry

Hasler

Davaud

2006

Facies

117

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Large benthic foraminifers are considered to be good indicators of shallow marine carbonate environments in fossil series. Over the last 50 years, the palaeoenvironment of Tertiary Nummulites accumulations has been a matter of debate, particularly because of difficulties in interpreting these deposits, and in this way, the absence of analogues in present-day seas does not help. The aim of this paper is to insight the different ways Nummulites tests and clasts may accumulate according to their hydrodynamic behaviour. Based on experimental measurements and on SEM observations, it appears that the high primary skeletal porosity of Nummulites made them easily transportable. The calculated threshold shear velocities confirm that large-sized Nummulites can be moved by weak wave-driven currents. This peculiar hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites could explain the diversity of depositional models. Depending on local hydrodynamic conditions, autochthonous Nummulites deposits can be preserved as in situ winnowed bioaccumulations or be accumulated offshore, onshore or alongshore, away from the original biotope

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Section: Porosity and Apparent Density Measurementssupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Preservation and Fragmentation Of Nummulites Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites: implications for depositional models

Jorry

Hasler

Davaud

2006

Facies

117

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“…2G). These crystallite morphologies are highly distinctive and fundamentally differ from those associated with all known biogenic and abiotic sources of carbonate within tropical marine carbonate systems, including the basic crystal structures that build the skeletons of common tropical carbonate sediment producing species (10,11). This observation alone has major significance from the perspective of establishing the origins of marine carbonate muds.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Indeed, where attempts have been made to quantify sources of the fine sediment fraction a high proportion remains of unknown origin (e.g., up to 40% in Bahamian sediments and between 28 and 36% in Belize lagoon sediments) (4,5). This problem arises in part because, with the exception of inorganic carbonate precipitation (e.g., the carbonate "whiting" controversy) (3,(6)(7)(8), the processes of carbonate mud production necessarily invoke the degradation of larger bioclasts (skeletal fragments of marine organisms) to produce mud-grade carbonate, and/or grain recrystallization to produce high Mg-calcite muds (9)(10)(11). Thus attempts to determine primary mud sources and production budgets are often hampered because of grain obliteration.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish as major carbonate mud producers and missing components of the tropical carbonate factory

Perry

Salter

Harborne

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

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Carbonate mud is a major constituent of recent marine carbonate sediments and of ancient limestones, which contain unique records of changes in ocean chemistry and climate shifts in the geological past. However, the origin of carbonate mud is controversial and often problematic to resolve. Here we show that tropical marine fish produce and excrete various forms of precipitated (nonskeletal) calcium carbonate from their guts ("low" and "high" Mg-calcite and aragonite), but that very fine-grained (mostly <2 μm) high Mgcalcite crystallites (i.e., >4 mole % MgCO 3 ) are their dominant excretory product. Crystallites from fish are morphologically diverse and species-specific, but all are unique relative to previously known biogenic and abiotic sources of carbonate within open marine systems. Using site specific fish biomass and carbonate excretion rate data we estimate that fish produce ∼6.1 × 10 6 kg CaCO 3 ∕year across the Bahamian archipelago, all as mud-grade (the <63 μm fraction) carbonate and thus as a potential sediment constituent. Estimated contributions from fish to total carbonate mud production average ∼14% overall, and exceed 70% in specific habitats. Critically, we also document the widespread presence of these distinctive fish-derived carbonates in the finest sediment fractions from all habitat types in the Bahamas, demonstrating that these carbonates have direct relevance to contemporary carbonate sediment budgets. Fish thus represent a hitherto unrecognized but significant source of fine-grained carbonate sediment, the discovery of which has direct application to the conceptual ideas of how marine carbonate factories function both today and in the past. marine teleost | fish intestine | carbonate production M arine carbonates contain unique records of changes in ocean chemistry, biogeochemical cycling, and benthic and pelagic ecology (1), and therefore provide vital information on climate shifts in the geological past. A distinctive and often volumetrically important component of these sediments is carbonate mud (the <63 μm sediment fraction). However, the origins of both aragonitic and Mg-calcite carbonate muds remains a topic of long-standing debate (2, 3). Indeed, where attempts have been made to quantify sources of the fine sediment fraction a high proportion remains of unknown origin (e.g., up to 40% in Bahamian sediments and between 28 and 36% in Belize lagoon sediments) (4, 5). This problem arises in part because, with the exception of inorganic carbonate precipitation (e.g., the carbonate "whiting" controversy) (3, 6-8), the processes of carbonate mud production necessarily invoke the degradation of larger bioclasts (skeletal fragments of marine organisms) to produce mud-grade carbonate, and/or grain recrystallization to produce high Mg-calcite muds (9-11). Thus attempts to determine primary mud sources and production budgets are often hampered because of grain obliteration. The mineralogical composition of the mud fraction of modern tropical carbonate sediment is also very variable between s...

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“…Possible additional contributors of needles and nanograins include foraminiferal tests. Debenay et al (1999) showed that benthic foraminiferal tests are composed of short (∼1 µm long) needles and nanograins as well as small platelets of a few microns in diameter, with low-magnesium and high-magnesium calcite mineralogies. The codiacean alga Penicillus, which is also known to produce aragonite needles and nanograins, especially in the Caribbean realm (e.g., Loreau 1982: 131-147), does not occur in the Maldives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedimentation on Rasdhoo and Ari Atolls, Maldives, Indian Ocean

Gischler

2006

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A first systematic study of composition, texture, and distribution of modern sediments in two Maldivian atolls reveals the predominance of skeletal carbonates. Fragments of corals, calcareous algae, mollusks, benthic foraminifera, and echinoderms are identified in the grainsize fraction >125 µm. Non-skeletal grains such as cemented fecal pellets and aggregate grains only occur in small percentages. Fragments of skeletal grains, aragonite needles, and nanograins (<1 µm) are found in the grain-size fraction <125 µm. Needles and nanograins are interpreted to be largely of skeletal origin. Five sedimentary facies are distinguished (1-5), for which the Dunhamclassification is applied. Fore reef, reef, back reef, as well as lagoonal patch reef and faro areas in both atolls are characterized by the occurrence of coral grainstones (1), which also contain fragments of red coralline algae, the codiacean alga Halimeda, and mollusks. On reef islands, coralrich sediment is cemented to form intertidal beachrock and supratidal cayrock. Skeletal grains in atoll-interior lagoons are mainly mollusks and foraminifera. The lagoon of Rasdhoo Atoll is covered in the west by mudstones (2), in the center by mollusk packstones (3) and mollusk wackestones (4), and by hard bottoms with corals in the east adjacent to channels through the atoll reef margin. The interior lagoon of Ari Atoll contains mollusk wackestones (4) in the center and mollusk-foraminifer packstones (5). Marginal lagoon areas are characterized by hard bottoms with corals. Facies distribution appears to be an expression of depositional energy, which decreases from the atoll margin towards the center in Ari Atoll, and towards the west in Rasdhoo Atoll. Predominant sediment mineralogies include aragonite and high-magnesium calcite. Mean aragonite content decreases from 90% in coral grainstone to 70-80% in mollusk packstone, mollusk wackestone, and mudstone, and to 50% in E. Gischler ( ) packstone. Stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon in bulk samples range from −3 to −1.5 (δ 18 O) and from +0.4 to +3.2 (δ 13 C). It is not possible to delineate facies based on O-and C-isotopes.

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Production of lime mud by breakdown of foraminiferal tests

Cited by 25 publications

References 17 publications

Hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites: implications for depositional models

Hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites: implications for depositional models

Fish as major carbonate mud producers and missing components of the tropical carbonate factory

Sedimentation on Rasdhoo and Ari Atolls, Maldives, Indian Ocean

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