Description This book presents both state-of-the art knowledge from Recent coral reefs (1.8 million to a few centuries old) gained since the eighties,
and introduces geologists, oceanographers and environmentalists to sedimentological and paleoecological studies of an ecosystem encompassing
some of the world's richest biodiversity. Scleractinian reefs first appeared about 300 million years ago. Today coral reef systems provide
some of the most sensitive gauges of environmental change, expressing the complex interplay of chemical, physical, geological and biological
factors. The topics covered will include the evolutionary history of reef systems and some of the main reef builders since the Cenozoic,
the effects of biological and environmental forces on the zonation of reef systems and the distribution of reef organisms and on reef
community dynamics through time, changes in the geometry, anatomy and stratigraphy of reef bodies and systems in relation to changes
in sea level and tectonics, the distribution patterns of sedimentary (framework or detrital) facies in relation to those of biological
communities, the modes and rates of reef accretion (progradation, aggradation versus backstepping; coral growth versus reef growth),
the hydrodynamic forces controlling water circulation through reef structures and their relationship to early diagenetic processes, the
major diagenetic processes affecting reef bodies through time (replacement and diddolution, dolomitization, phosphatogenesis), and the
record of climate change by both individual coral colonies and reef systems over the Quaternary.
Audience
researchers on marine geology, sedimentology, biology and marine environments
Contents CONTENTS PREFACE CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION : QUATERNARY CORAL REEFS IN TIME AND SPACE. 1.1.The
Reef Phenomenon : definitions and history of discovery and research. 1.2. Types of Coral Reefs. 1.2.1. Fringing Reefs. 1.2.2. Barrier Reefs. 1.2.3. Atolls. 1.2.4. Bank Reefs. 1.3.Geographical distribution
of corals and coral reefs 1.4.Modern tropical climate modes. 1.5.Quaternary time-scales. 1.6. Trends
in the Quaternary climate dynamics. 1.7.Establishing the Chronology of Quaternary Coral Reefs. 1.7.1.Oxygen stable
isotopes. 1.7.2.Uranium-series dating. 1.7.3. Radiocarbon dating. 1.7.4. Aminostratigraphy. 1.7.5.Electron Spin Resonance. 1.7.6. Magnetostratigraphy. 1.7.7. Strontium Ratios. 1.7.8. Other dating methods. 1.8. Methods of obtaining data. 1.8.1. Surface observations. 1.8.2.
Pleistocene and Recent reef structures. CHAPTER 2 : PALEOBIOGEOGRAPHY: EVALUATION OF THE INHERITANCE
FROM THE TERTIARY. 2.1. Introduction. 2.2. Development patterns of Tertiary coral reefs. 2.2.1.
From the end-Cretaceous extinction to the Cenozoic recovery. Extinction patterns. Recovery patterns 2.2.2.
Coral and reef diversification in time and space Mechanisms of diversification History of coral reef evolution 2.3. Temporal and spatial variations in coral and calcareous algal diversification. 2.3.1 Reef-building corals. The Western Atlantic-Caribbean Province The Eastern Pacific The Eastern Atlantic The Indo-west Pacific Province Inter-regional comparison 2.3.2. Case study: the historical biogeography of the genus Acropora 2.3.3.
Coralline red algae. 2.3.4. Green alga Halimeda 2.4. Conclusions. CHAPTER 3 :
STRUCTURE, ZONATION AND DYNAMIC PATTERNS OF CORAL REEF COMMUNITIES. 3.1. Introduction. 3.2. Structure
and zonation of modern coral reef communities. 3.2.1. The Western Atlantic-Caribbean Province. 3.2.2. The Indo-Pacific
Province. 3.3. Structure and zonation of Quaternary coral reef communities. 3.3.1. The Western Atlantic-Caribbean Province. The Pleistocene. The latest Pleistocene to Holocene. The Recent past. 3.3.2. The Indo-Pacific Province. The Pleistocene. The latest Pleistocene to Holocene. The Recent past. 3.4. Dynamic patterns of coral reef communities. 3.4.1. Reef-community stability. 3.4.2. Reef-community variability. 3.4.3. Reef-community stability
versus variability : the time-scale question. 3.5. Conclusions CHAPTER 4: CONTROLS ON THE DEVELOPMENT,
DISTRIBUTION AND PRESERVATION OF REEFS. 4.1. Introduction. 4.2. Controls on reef development and distribution.
4.2.1. Biotic controls: the role of recruitment, species saturation, competition, predation, symbiosis and disease. 4.2.2. Abiotic controls: the role of physical and chemical disturbances Substrate availability and refuges. Antecedent
topography. Tectonics Dust input Atmospheric CO 2 and aragonite saturation Sea level. 4.3.
Controls on reef community preservation: the taphonomic approach. 4. 3.1. The distribution of taphonomic signatures. Identification
of reef subenvironments Identification of short-term depositional events. 4.3.2. The taphonomic features as criteria
for identifying reef sub-environment and depositional events. The modern and Holocene record. The Pleistocene record. 4.3.3. Taphonomic controls on modern and fossil reef communities. Coral communities Molluscan communities. Foraminiferal assemblages. Echinodermal assemblages.4.4. Conclusions. CHAPTER 5. PATTERNS OF CARBONATE
PRODUCTION AND DEPOSITION ON REEFS. 5.2. Patterns of reef carbonate production 5.2.1. Growth and Production rates of reef
dwellers. Corals. Coralline algae. Rhodoliths. Halimeda. Molluscs. Benthic foraminifera. Calcareous epibionts. Bioeroders. 5.2.2. Carbonate production at the scale of single reef systems. 5.3. Patterns of reef carbonate deposition 5.3.1. Nature and distribution of components in surficial sediments. Corals. Coralline algae Green algae Halimeda Molluscs. Foraminifera. Other skeletal components. Non-skeletal
and compound carbonate grains. Unlithified carbonate mud. Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sediments. Free-living nodules. Microbialites. 5.3.2. Classification of sediment types. Carbonate rudstone-dominated types. Carbonate
grainstone/packstone-dominated types. Carbonate wackestone/mudstone-dominated sediments Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sediments. 5.3.3. Temporal and spatial shifts in skeletal sediment composition. 5.3.4. Depositional rates of reef carbonate
piles. Reef-tract, framework-dominated piles. Reef-tract, detritus-dominated piles. Lagoonal sediment piles. Halimeda mounds. 5.3.5. Control of reef growth styles on rates of deposition. 5.3.6. Control of latitude
on rates of deposition. 5. 4. Conclusions. CHAPTER 6 : REEF ANATOMY AND STRATIGRAPHY. 6.1.
Introduction. 6.2. Morphology and anatomy of Holocene reefs. 6.2.1. Nature and composition of reef piles. Fore-reef
piles. Reef-edge, framework-dominated piles. Reef-edge, detritus-dominated piles. Backreef/lagoonal sediment piles. 6.2.2. Thickness of reef piles. 6.2.3. Conceptual models of reef deposition. 6.3. Structure and Pleistocene
stratigraphy of barrier reefs and atolls . 6.3.1. Barrier and Shelf Reefs. Case studies from the Caribbean. Case
studies from the Indian Ocean Case studies from the Pacific Ocean. 6.3.2.Atolls.6.4. Stratigraphy of emerged reef
terraces. 6.4.1. The Huon Peninsula and Barbados models. 6.4.2. Other reef terraces sequences. 6.4.3.High-carbonate
islands. 6.4.4. The question of multi-stage terrace development. 6.5. Stratigraphy of submerged reef terraces and
banks. 6.5.1. Case studies from stable areas. 6.5.2. Case studies from subsiding areas. 6.5.3. Case studies from
uplifting areas. 6.6. Reef stratigraphy and numerical modelling. 6.7.Conclusions. CHAPTER 7. REEF
HYDROGEOLOGY 7.1. Introduction 7.2. External Hydrology: Water characteristics and reef responses to waves and currents 7.2.1.Sea surface temperatures Temperatures and Global limits to reef growth Intratropical temperature variations. Historical changes in temperature limits. 7.2.2. Water Quality and nutrients The modern record The Holocene-Pleistocene
record. 7.2.3. Salinity The modern record. The Holocene-Pleistocene record. 7.2.4. Water Turbidity The modern record The Holocene-Pleistocene record. 7.2.5. Hydrodynamics: the effects of tides, currents, waves,
tropical storms and tsunamis. Tides and regional currents. Winds anw Waves. Hydrodynamics and Coral Morphology. Storms, Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons Tsunamis. 7.3. Groundwater Hydrology
Characteristics of the reef hydrological system.
7.3.2.Flow in Holocene reefs. 7.3.3.Flow in Pleistocene reefs. Case Studies from the Caribbean. Case studies from the Pacific. 7.4.
Conclusions CHAPTER 8. REEF DIAGENESIS 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Mineralogy of sediment
components 8.3. Cements in Quaternary reef limestones 8.3.1. Controls on cement morphology Contamination Growth rates and reactant supply Changes in water chemistry Rates of Fluid flow Microbial control. 8.3.2. Textures of cements Marine cements. Subaerial cements and associated deposits 8.3.3. Geochemistry of cements. 8.4. Replacement and dissolution 8.4.1. Early diagenesis of coral skeletons. 8.4.2. Replacement of aragonite 8.4.3. Dissolution of carbonate minerals 8.4.4. The effects of compaction
Hydrological
control of flow rates
Flow in sea water.
8.5.2.Flow rates in meteoric waters 8.6. Rates of reef diagenesis 8.6.1. Rates of diagenesis in marine
environments 8.6.2. Rates of diagenesis in freshwater environments 8.7. Diagenetic sequences 8.7.1. The
control of sea level and climate. 8.7.2. The control of porosity 8.8. Dolomite and Reefs 8.8.1. Penecontemporaneous
dolomite 8.8.2. Conceptual models of reef dolomitization. Evaporation and mixing-zone dolomites Thermal
convection and large-scale circulation of sea water 8.8.3. Cycles of dolomitization 8.8.4. Dissolution
and alteration of dolomites 8.9. Phosphorites 8.9.1.Origins Avian guano Microbial mediation 8.9.2. Age of deposition 8.10. Conclusions CHAPTER 9. CORALS AND CORAL REEFS AS RECORDS
OF CLIMATIC CHANGE. 9.1. Introduction. 9.2. Individual coral colonies as recorders of climate. 9.2.1. Growth mode
of banded coral skeletons and its environmental control. 9.3.2. Environmental variables and their proxies in corals. Sea surface temperature Sea surface salinity Precipitation Solar radiation Atmospheric and oceanic circulation 9.3. Climate reconstruction based on individual coral colonies 9.3.1. The record of the last decades and centuries. The
Pacific Ocean The Indian Ocean The Red Sea. The Western Atlantic. The Eastern Atlantic. 9.3.2.
The Holocene record. 9.3.3. The last Glacial Maximum to early deglacial record. 9.3.4. The Pleistocene record. The
last interglacial. The penultimate deglaciation. Older interglacial-glacial periods. 9.4. Coral reefs as recorders
of sea level change 9.4.1. Reef evidence of sea-level position. Reef flats and associated growth frameworks Erosional
features Compositions of coralgal communities Other reef dwellers Geometry of subtidal to supratidal sedimentary
deposits. Fabrics and distributional patterns of cements Stratigraphy of stacked reef sequences in cores. Numerical
modelling of reef growth. 9.4.2. Reconstruction of sea-level changes over time The middle to late Holocene. The
Last deglaciation. The last interstadial period. The last interglacial period. Older glacial-interglacial cycles. 9.5. Conclusions CHAPTER 10. CONCLUSIONS : CORAL REEFS FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE. 10.1. The historical perspective 10.2. The role of controlling factors in reef growth and distribution 10.2.1.
Environmental controls 10.2.2. Biotic controls 10.2.3. Disturbances and resilience of reefs 10.3. The fossil record
as a proxy for the future of reefs 10.4. Global warming and the future of reefs 10.5. Prospective
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