Carbonate platform drowning caught in the act: The sedimentology of Saya de Malha Bank (Indian Ocean)
Lindhorst, Sebastian
Reijmer, John J. G.
Braga, Juan Carlos
Lüdmann, Thomas
Bialik, Or M.
Reolid, Jesus
Geßner, Anna‐Lena
Hainbucher, Dagmar
Bissessur, Dass
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.13032
Persistent URL: http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/11219
Lindhorst, Sebastian; 1 Institut für Geologie Universität Hamburg Bundesstr. 55 20146 Hamburg Germany
Reijmer, John J. G.; 2 Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1085 1081 HV Amsterdam The Netherlands
Braga, Juan Carlos; 4 Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Avenida de la Fuente Nueva S/N 18071 Granada Spain
Lüdmann, Thomas; 1 Institut für Geologie Universität Hamburg Bundesstr. 55 20146 Hamburg Germany
Bialik, Or M.; 5 Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science University of Malta Msida MSD 2080 Malta
Reolid, Jesus; 4 Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología Facultad de Ciencias Avenida de la Fuente Nueva S/N 18071 Granada Spain
Geßner, Anna‐Lena; 6 Center for Marine Sensors, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment Universtät Oldenburg Schleusenstraße 1 26382 Wilhelmshaven Germany
Hainbucher, Dagmar; 7 Institut für Meereskunde Universität Hamburg Bundesstr. 53 20146 Hamburg Germany
Bissessur, Dass; 8 Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration & Exploration 12 Intendance Street Port‐Louis 11328 Mauritius
Abstract
Mesophotic reefs, hardgrounds and current‐controlled pelagic to hemipelagic carbonates are facies marking carbonate platform drowning successions, irrespective of the factors controlling this evolution. A modern analogue of a carbonate platform in a state of drowning, where these facies occur has not been properly reported on to date. In the present study, the sedimentary environments of the Saya de Malha Bank are characterized using a multi‐disciplinary approach including sedimentology, hydroacoustics, seismics and oceanography. The Saya de Malha Bank edifice with a surface of 40 808 km2 is located in the tropical Indian Ocean and lies in a water depth of 8 to 300 m extending from the surrounding more than 2000 m deep ocean floor, with no reef reaching the sea surface. Mesophotic coral and red algal facies co‐exist with hemipelagic and bioclastic sands, together with a hardground. Ocean currents and internal waves are identified as major sedimentological controlling factors in the absence of elevated nutrient influx. Many features distributed along the present‐day Saya de Malha Bank were described from studies presenting fossil examples of carbonate platform drowning. The results herein can therefore be applied to other drowning examples, in some cases allowing for more accurate interpretation of the stratigraphic record.