Miocene reefs in western Mediterranean

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6503072

Esteban, M

Coral reefs were particularly abundant and well developed during the late Tortonian and Messinian in southeastern Spain, the Balearic Islands, Italy, Sicily, Algeria, and Morocco. These reefs occurred just before and during the deposition of the thick Messinian evaporite units in the basinal areas and disappeared completely from Mediteranean during the early Pliocene. Most of the coral reefs are fringing terrigenous coastal fan complexes with very small lagoons and show progradation of less than 2 km. Some of the reefs occur on, or are intercalated with, Neogene volcanics or Messinian evaporites. Barrier-reef complexes are less common, have extensive lagoons behind them, and show complex progradational geometries more than 10 km wide. Excellent outcrops allow detailed reconstruction of paleogeography and sea level changes. Progradation predominated during phases of relative sea level drops and stillsands, while significant retrogradation occurred during sea level rises. The coral reef wall framework is commonly less than 20 m thick and is dominated by Porites and, locally, Tarbellastrae. Older Miocene reefs are less well developed, but show greater diversity of corals and reef organisms. Younger Miocene reef complexes occurring in open ocean settings are formed by only one branching coral genus (Porites or, locally, Tarbellastraea) with branching colonies up to 7 m high. Halimeda sands are particularly abundant in the upper reef slopes with occasional intercalations of red algae pavements that most likely coincide with episodes of terrigenous influx.

• OSTI ID: 6503072
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Resource Relation: Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Houston, TX, USA, 20 Mar 1988
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
REEFS
GEOLOGY
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
CATAGENESIS
CORALS
EXPLORATION
SEDIMENTATION
TERTIARY PERIOD
CENOZOIC ERA
CHEMISTRY
CNIDARIA
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MINERAL RESOURCES
RESOURCES
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030200 - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration