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Geologia Croatica, Vol. 56 No. 1, 2003.

Original scientific paper

Carbonate Sedimentation Rates Today and in the Past: Holocene of Florida Bay, Bahamas, and Bermuda vs. Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of the Jura Mountains (Switzerland and France)

A. Strasser
E. Samankassou

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Abstract

Lagoonal to intertidal sediments from the Holocene in Florida Bay, on the Bahamas, and in Bermuda are compared to similar facies in the Kimmeridgian and Berriasian of the Swiss and French Jura Mountains. Dating by 14C permits the estimation of sediment accumulation rates in the Holocene. In the ancient outcrops, the timing is given by cyclostratigraphic analysis. Elementary depositional sequences formed in tune with the 20-ka precession cycle, although much of this time may have been spent in non-deposition and/or erosion. After decompaction of the ancient sequences, their accumulation rates can be evaluated. It is suggested that the studied Holocene sediments accumulated over the past 6000 years with rates of 0.3 to 3 mm/a, whereas the Kimmeridgian and Berriasian facies show somewhat lower rates of 0.07 to 0.6 mm/a. This difference may be due to metho­dological errors, but also to variable carbonate production. In shallow carbonate systems, much of the sediment produced may be redistributed over the platform or exported. Furthermore, basin morpho­logy and currents can strongly influence facies and thickness of the accumulated sediment. Finally, the accumulated sediment may suffer further erosion before it is preserved in the sedimentary record. Consequently, when estimating sedimentation rates in ancient sequences, it is important to do this with the highest time resolution possible, and only after having decompacted the sediment and evaluated the time lost in hiatuses or condensed intervals.

Keywords

Shallow-marine carbonates; Sedimentation rate; Sequence stratigraphy; Cyclostratigraphy; Holocene; Upper Jurassic; Lower Cretaceous; Florida Bay; Bahamas; Bermuda; Jura Mountains

Hrčak ID:

3784

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/3784

Publication date:

27.6.2003.

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