Some aspects of carbonate

sedimentation and
carbonate sequence
stratigraphy
Differences between carbonates and siliciclastics
Siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentary bodies are
subdivided by similar surfaces.
Difference: Carbonate accumulation are "in situ
production"
Siliciclastics are transported
Carbonate production greatest to air/sea interface
Carbonate facies and fabrics indicators of sea level
Falling & Lowstand system tract
Transgressive system tract
Terrigenous clastic
Humid lime eco accommodation
Humid lime phys-Accommodation
Arid carbonate Evaporites
Highstand system tract
Terrigenous clastic Humid lime eco accommodation
Humid lime phys-Accommodation
Arid carbonate Evaporites
Subdividing surfaces:
Like clastics carbonates subdivided on the basis of bounding and internal
surfaces into sequences, parasequences and/or truncated carbonate cycles.
Surfaces: Erosion surfaces (SB) or eroded parasequence boundaries,
Some flooding surfaces including transgressive surfaces and/or MFS
Though shallow cycles of carbonate are composed of a
relatively conformable succession of genetically related
beds or bedsets these cycles are often truncated and
incomplete
Maximum flooding and trangressive surfaces can be
missing.
Not, in the strictest sense, a match for the clastic
models of parasequences
Still cycles can be used like parasequences
If they exhibit truncated cycles and miss the sediments
of an initial transgression or maximum flooding event
one should consider them as high frequency carbonate
cycles, not parasequences.
Sigmoids
GEOL 325 Lecture 13: Carbonates &
Evaporites
Llucmajor reef complex
Kendall Photo
The basic reefal accretional unit is the "sigmoid ".
This is bounded by clear erosion surfaces (the product of sea
level lowering and erosion with a matching correlative surface
downdip) but has no obvious marine flooding surfaces .
Updip and landward the sigmoid is represented by a horizontal
lagoonal bed that basinward passes in sigmoidal bedded reef-
core lithofacies belt and seaward into clinoformbedded forereef
slope beds and sub-horizontal basinal lithofacies.
The coral-morphology zonation within the reef-core
facies of the sigmoid migrates seaward, aggrades
vertically, or moves landward over the bounding
erosional surfaces.
This enables the sigmoid (like system's tracts) to be
tied to specific segments of the sea-level curve.
Time interval between the erosional surface on the
underlying sigmoid and the deposition of sediment
marking the boundary of the overlying sigmoid: No
sedimentary fill recognized that records these events
Difficult for Parasequence identification
Some carbonate parasequence geometries : Tools for the
interpretation of depositional setting
Commonly determined froma combination of
2 and 3 D Seismic data: low frequency resolution
well logs: high frequency resolution
cores: very high frequency resolution
outcrops : Best access to a combination of high
frequency resolution and low frequency resolution
Cycles that deepen upward in the stratigraphic record
Rates of carbonate sediment production respond to
photosynthesis and this production rate increases as
the water becomes shallower .
Hence carbonate depositional systems commonly
fill towards sea level and so "shoal" or "shallow"
upward.
However varying nutrient levels can affect the
carbonate fill of this basin.
Oligotrophic: Low nutient / low productivity
Eutrophic: High nutrient/ high productivity
Relatively
shallow
restricted
Eutrophic
Deepening
upward
pervasive
Biotirbation
Indurations
Erosion
Firmground
cementing
Exhumations
winnowing
condensation
filled burrows
Sea level fall
Erosion
Firmground
Cycles that deepen upward in the stratigraphic record
o Rates of carbonate sediment production respond to photosynthesis
and this production rate increases as the water becomes shallower .
o Hence carbonate depositional systems commonly fill towards sea level
and so "shoal" or "shallow" upward.
o However varying nutrient levels can affect the carbonate fill of this
basin.
oCarbonates responded not only to base level change but also the
varying nutrient levels in the basin. During sea level "lows" the
shallower and more isolated the basin caused nutrient productivity to
rise (eutrophic) while carbonate accumulation slowed.
o As the basin deepened during the onset of the following sea level rise,
the rate of nutrient productivity fell (oligotrophic) while the rate of
carbonate production increased.
o Eventually during the greatest rate of base level rise the rate of
carbonate production was reduced by the increasing depth of water.