Diagenesis and sea level change in a Pleistocene Coral Reef, San Salvador, Bahamas
Near the Cockburn Town reef (dated 125,000 yr B.P.), precisely surveyed bench marks are related to accurately measured mean sea level, and they provide a convenient datum plane. This coral reef developed during a sea level highstand of no more than 10,000 yr, which was insufficient time for significant subsidence; however, subsidence of approximately 3 m may have occurred since the formation of the reef. Sea level changes were caused by fluctuations in glacial-ice volume. The upper beach to dune transition, which is in the calcarenites overlying the reef, is at +4 m. A minimum highstand of +7 m is indicated when corrected for subsidence. Below +2.5 m, marine aragonite cement occurs within the intragranular pore space of the following: Halimeda plates, benthic foraminifera, Favreina (Callianassid fecal pellets), gastropods, and corals. Marine aragonite cement also occurs as intergranular isopachous rims on matrix grains of coral rubblestone. Remaining pore space was partly to completely occluded by freshwater vadose calcite cements, which occur without marine cements in the overlying shallow subtidal, beach, and dune calcarenites. No unequivocal freshwater phreatic cements, which occur without marine cements in the overlying shallow subtidal, beach, and dune calcarenites. No unequivocal freshwater phreatic cements have been found, although syntaxial overgrowths and irregular calcite rims about grains do occur in finer grained sediments where local patches of freshwater saturation occurred within the vadose zone. Later calchification, which affected all facies, is characterized by alveolar texture, whisker calcite, microsparite, rare bladed calcite spar, Microcodium, and rhizocretions.
- Research Organization:
- Smith College, Northampton, MA
- OSTI ID:
- 5840238
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-850322-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Vol. 69:2; Conference: American Association of Petroleum Geologists annual meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA, 25 Mar 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BAHAMA ISLANDS
REEFS
DIAGENESIS
RESERVOIR ROCK
ORIGIN
CALCITE
CARBONATE ROCKS
POROSITY
QUATERNARY PERIOD
SEA LEVEL
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATES
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
ISLANDS
LEVELS
MINERALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
WEST INDIES
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
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