华北地台马沟剖面寒武系苗岭统微生物岩的组构特征、沉积环境和地质意义

华北地台大约从寒武纪第二世的晚期开始接受沉积,超覆在前寒武-寒武纪“巨型不整合面”之上,形成了一套二级海侵背景下的厚层陆表海硅质碎屑岩-碳酸盐岩混积序列,这套特别的地层序列在苗岭统和芙蓉统中包含了多种多样的微生物岩。研究区苗岭统出露较为完整,包括毛庄组、徐庄组、张夏组和崮山组,分别构成4个三级层序即SQ1至SQ4。在SQ2的高位体系域和强迫型海退体系域中,以及SQ3的高位体系域中发育了较为特别的由微生物岩构成的生物层、生物丘或生物丘复合体。微生物岩的种类和沉积环境包括形成于正常浪基面以下、潮下带低能环境的类型I迷宫状微生物岩,潮下带上部至潮间带中-高能环境的类型II和类型III迷宫状微生物岩,风暴浪基面之上浅水环境中的均一石,潮间带短柱状叠层石和潮上带近水平缓波状叠层石,以及高能鲕粒滩中的小型叠层石生物丘。通常认为寒武系苗岭统的微生物岩（礁）以凝块石和树形石为特征,而本次研究在苗岭统中发现了迷宫状微生物岩和均一石,补充丰富了对寒武系微生物岩（礁）多样化和复杂化构成的认识。无论是在迷宫状微生物岩、均一石中,还是叠层石中,都见到了一种或多种钙化蓝细菌（鞘）化石,如葛万菌（Girvanella）、附枝菌（Epithyton）和基座菌（Hedstroemia）等,以及大量的钙化微生物席残余物,表明这些微生物岩是由蓝细菌所主导的微生物席的复杂的钙化作用产物,而大量呈弥散状分布的黄铁矿晶体或颗粒则表明硫酸盐还原菌等非光合作用细菌和异养细菌可能在促进碳酸盐沉淀过程中扮演了重要角色。     

Lower Cambrian shelf and shelf margin buildups,Flinders Ranges,South Australia1

Carbonate buildups in the Flinders Ranges of mid-Early Cambrian age grew during a period of high archaeocyath diversity and are of two types: (1) low-energy, archaeocyath-sponge-spicule mud mounds, and (2) high-energy, archaeocyath-calcimicrobe (calcified microbial microfossil) bioherms. Mud mounds are composed of red carbonate mudstone and sparse to abundant archaeocyath floatstone, have a fenestral fabric, display distinct stromatactis, contain abundant sponge spicules and form structures up to 150m wide and 80 m thick. Bioherms are either red or dark grey limestone and occur as isolated small structures 2–20 m in size surrounded by cross-bedded calcarenites and calcirudites or as complexes of mounds and carbonate sands several hundreds of metres across. Red bioherms comprise masses of white Epiphyton with scattered archaeocyaths and intervening areas of archaeocyath-rich lime mudstone. Grey bioherms are complex intergrowths of archaeocyaths, encrusting dark grey Renalcis and thick rinds of fibrous calcite cement. The bioherms were prone to synsedimentary fracturing and exhibit large irregular cavities, up to 1.5 m across, lined with fibrous calcite. The buildups are isolated or in contiguous vertical succession. Mud mounds occur alone in low-energy, frequently nodular, limestone facies. Individual bioherms and bioherm complexes occur in high-energy on-shelf and shelf-margin facies. The two types also form large-scale, shallowing-upward sequences composed of basal (deep water) mud mounds grading upward into archaeocyath-calcimicrobe bioherm complexes and bioherms in cross-bedded carbonate sands. The uppermost sequence is capped by ooid grainstone and/ or fenestral to stromatolitic mudstone. The calcimicrobe and metazoan associations form the two major biotic elements which were to dominate reefs throughout much of subsequent Phanerozoic time.     

湖北宜昌王家坪下寒武统天河板组古杯礁丘及其成岩作用

王家坪古杯礁丘是由不规则古杯和蓝绿藻Renalcis、Epiphyton、Cirvanella等组成的障积礁丘。可分为:孤立小型古杯泥丘和由丘状藻-古杯粘结岩叠置而成的点礁。以Renalcis为主的藻-古杯粘结岩与孤立小型古杯泥丘一样形成于风暴浪基面之下的低能陆架。以Epiphyton为主的藻-古杯粘结岩形成于较动荡的中-高能陆架浅滩。除造礁生物的沉积作用外,早期海底胶结作用和充填固化作用对古杯礁丘的形成亦起了十分重要的作用。     

塔里木盆地苏盖特布拉克地区下寒武统肖尔布拉克组碳酸盐岩微生物建造特征*

塔里木盆地苏盖特布拉克地区下寒武统肖尔布拉克组发育3种类型碳酸盐岩微生物（蓝细菌）建造,即下部微生物丘状和层状建造、中上部微生物礁和顶部叠层石建造。微生物丘状和层状建造的特点是似层状孔洞和纹层结构发育,形成于潮下高能带,与微生物席粘结有关,分布相对稳定。微生物礁是由枝状或丛状微生物骨架生长和微生物席粘结两种方式形成,分布较广,可分为两大期：第1大期发育在海退背景下,呈宏观块状建造特征;第2大期则发育在较大的海侵背景下,呈现两期点礁特征。叠层石建造发育在更大范围的海侵背景下,超覆于点状建造之上,要求的水动力条件相对较强,由微生物粘结作用形成,其中叠层石和核形石是其重要标志,仅分布在研究区北部的苏Ⅱ、苏Ⅲ和苏Ⅳ剖面近顶部。     

Lower Cambrian patch reefs and associated sediments: southern Labrador, Canada

The complex pattern of biological accretion, internal sedimentation, early lithification, and biological destruction, that characterizes modern reefs and many fossil reefs has been recognized in archaeocyathid-rich patch reefs of Lower Cambrian age in the Forteau Formation, southern Labrador. Patch reefs occur as isolated masses or complex associations of many discrete masses of archaeocyathid-rich limestone and skeletal lime sands, surrounded by well-bedded skeletal limestones and shales. Each reef is composed of many loafshaped mounds stacked on top of one another. The limestone of each mound comprises archaeocyathids and Renalcis or Renalcis-like structures in a matrix of argillaceous lime mud rich in sponge spicules, trilobite and salterellid skeletons. Numerous growth cavities roofed by pendant Renalcis-like organisms and Renalcis are partially to completely filled with geopetal sediment indicating that much of the matrix was deposited as internal sediment. Two stages of diagenetic alteration are recognized: (1) syn-depositional, which affected only the reefs, and (2) post-depositional, which affected both reefs and inter-reef sediments. On the sea floor reef sediments were pervasively cemented and fibrous carbonate was precipitated in intraskeletal and growth cavities. These limestones and cements as well as archaeocyathid skeletons, were subsequently bored by endolithic organisms. Later post-depositional subaerial diagenesis resulted first in dissolution of certain skeletons and precipitation of calcite cement above the water table, followed by extensive precipitation of pore-filling calcite below the water table. These carbonate reefs are similar in structure to the basal pioneer accumulations of much younger lower and middle Palaeozoic reefs. They did not develop into massive ‘ecologic’ reefs because archaeocyathids never developed the necessary large, massive, hemispherical skeletons. This occurrence indicates that reefs developed more or less coincident with, and not long after, the appearance of skeletal metazoans in the Lower Cambrian.     

河北柳江盆地中晚寒武世藻类丘礁的演化

河北柳江盆地中晚寒武世藻类丘礁十分发育，并形成完好纵向演化序列。藻礁具有两个演化方向，其一是骨骼钙藻Ｅｐｉｐｈｙｔｏｎ向非骨骼蓝绿藻方向演化；其二是块状藻丘向厚层状叠层石礁方向演化。藻类丘礁的演化特征及其沉积相序揭示了该区中晚寒武世时从碳酸盐台地边缘斜坡至台缘浅滩和潮坪环境的演化历史。     

四川盆地古生代生物礁滩特征及发育控制因素

在古生代,生物礁从老到新主要发育在早寒武世、早志留世及晚二叠世地层中。地理分布上,它们分别产于四川盆地北、东北缘大巴山、米仓山地区（早寒武世礁）、四川盆地南北缘（早志留世礁）以及鄂西渝东、川东北地区（晚二叠世礁）。早寒武世礁滩组合包括古杯礁、灰泥丘及鲕粒滩,造礁生物为古杯、蓝藻类微生物,附礁生物有三叶虫、腕足类、海百合及海绵等。由于受海平面波动的控制,生物礁具有旋回性,并从西向东,层位逐渐抬升。早志留世礁有点礁、灰泥丘及层状礁等,其分布受古陆影响的陆源碎屑-碳酸盐缓坡的控制,也与海平面波动有关。晚二叠世生物礁有点礁、台缘礁及灰泥丘,其分布也受古地貌格局和海平面波动的控制。     

Early Cambrian reefs, reef complexes, and associated lithofacies of the Shackleton Limestone, Transantarctic Mountains

The Shackleton Limestone formed a carbonate platform that bordered part of the Greater Antarctic craton in middle and late Early Cambrian time. In the Holyoake Range of the central Transantarctic Mountains, this unit records deposition on a stable shelf on which flourished ecological reefs composed of microorganisms and archaeocyathans. Burrow-mottled lime mudstone, wackestone and packstone with patch reefs represent accumulation in shelf areas of relatively low to moderate energy. Thick ooidal grainstone units reflect deposition in higher energy shoals and as sand sheets that were associated with extensive reef complexes. The framework of these reefs was principally the product of micro-organisms, by inference mostly cyanobacteria. Archaeocyathans constitute as much as 30% of some reefs, but commonly they form less than 10% and are absent from some. On the basis of microbial composition, three reef types are recognized. The first type is a Renalcis boundstone that lacks archaeocyathans. Within these, abundant upward-directed thalii of Renalcis formed a framework that trapped fine-grained sediment. The second type, which forms the core of some larger reefs, is composed of stromatactis-bearing, microbial boundstone. The third, yet most common, reef type is variable in composition. It is characterized by the presence of abundant Epiphyton, but may include archaeocyathans, and the microbial microfossils Girvanella and Renalcis as well as cryptomicrobial clotted micrite. In this type of reef, frame-building organisms typically constructed highly porous structures that had small interparticle and fenestral pores and large growth-framework cavities, as well as rare metre-sized caverns. Within these spaces, Epiphyton and, less commonly Renalcis, encrusted framework elements, fine-grained sediments accumulated, and pervasive sea-floor cements were precipitated. Boundstone fabrics in the Shackleton Limestone are highly complex, with fabrics analogous to younger, more metazoan-rich reefs, as well as deep-water stromatactis-bearing mud-mounds. The Epiphyton-Girvanella-archaeocyathan frameworks and stromatactis-bearing boundstones, both of which seemingly first appeared in the middle Early Cambrian, are regarded as the precursors, in structure, composition, and preferred hydrologic setting, of the more extensive reefs and complex framework styles of later Phanerozoic time.     

Cryptalgal-metazoan bioherms of early Ordovician age in the St George Group, western Newfoundland

Bioherms are common in the St George Group, a sequence of shallow-water carbonate rocks deposited on the western continental shelf of Iapetus Ocean. They range from small heads and metre-sized mounds to extensive banks and complexes many metres thick and hundreds of metres in lateral extent. The cores of these bioherms are principally composed of thrombolites (unlaminated, branching, columnar stromatolites), structures quite distinct from laminated stromatolites which are common in intertidal beds. Associated with thrombolites is a diverse fauna of burrowing invertebrates, trilobites, nautiloids, pelmatozoans, brachiopods, gastropods, rostroconchs and archaeoscyphiid sponges. On the basis of framework-building components, three main bioherm types are distinguished: (1) thrombolite mounds, (2) thrombolite-Lichenaria or -sponge mounds and (3) thrombolite-Lichenaria-Renalcis reef complexes. The framework of the last is the most complex, with abundant cavities and a demonstrably uneven growth surface of thrombolites, corals and free-standing Renalcis heads, walls and roofs. Some cavities were active sediment conduits while others were protected, their roofs draped with Renalcis and their walls coated by cryptalgal laminites. These bioherms possess the attributes of shallow-water ecologic reefs. They span a critical time gap in the development of reefs, the transition period from algal-dominated bioherms of the Precambrian and Cambrian to the metazoan-dominated bioherms of the Middle Ordovician and remaining Phanerozoic.     

Distribution of Chancelloriids in a Middle Cambrian Carbonate Platform Deposit, Taebaek Group, Korea

The onset of the Cambrian witnessed the diversification of “small shelly fossils (SSF)”, which affected carbonate depositional system. One of the problematic SSF, chancelloriids, are common components of the early to middle Cambrian carbonate and shale, and their contributions toward Cambrian carbonates are not yet fully understood. This study assesses distribution patterns of chancelloriid sclerites in the Cambrian Series 3 Daegi Formation based on microfacies analysis and discusses their sedimentologic implications. In the lower part of the formation, partially articulated chancelloriid sclerites occur mainly in bioclastic packstone and grainstone facies, with isolated sclerite rays in nodular packstone to grainstone facies. In the middle part of the formation, chancelloriid fragments occur only sporadically in bioclastic wackestone to packstone, bioclastic grainstone and oolitic packstone to grainstone facies, whereas boundstone facies are nearly devoid of their fragments. There are no chancelloriid fragments in the upper part of the formation, which consists of oolitic packstone to grainstone facies. Chancelloriids are interpreted to have primarily occupied platform margin shoal environments, shedding their sclerites to surrounding areas, and thus contributed as sediment producers. The distribution of Daegi chancelloriid sclerites is similar to other Cambrian examples, with the exception of common chancelloriids in Cambrian Series 2 reefs and their apparent near absence in the Daegi and other Cambrian Series 3 reefs. This disparity resulted from changes in the ecologic niche of chancelloriids after the end-Cambrian Series 2 reef crisis, coupled with an overall decline of chancelloriids in the middle Cambrian.     

High-latitude pelmatozoan–bryozoan mud-mounds from the late Ordovician northern Gondwana platform

Mud-mound complexes identified within the early to middle Ashgill Cystoid Limestone Formation of northeastern Spain are the first fossil build-ups to be described in the high latitude north-facing margin of Gondwana. Mud-mound complexes comprise individual lenticular mounds (composed of floatstones, cephalopod-rich mudstones and cementstones), flanks and intermound deposits (including pelmatozoan packstones and floatstones). The small mounds are mainly composed of bryozoans, cystoids and crinoids, and were developed on outer ramp environments. Mound initiation depended upon the stabilization and colonization of densely packed lenses of pelmatozoan-rich sediments. In a mid-ramp setting, pelmatozoan–bryozoan meadows were episodically degraded by common wave- and storm-induced processes, the development of semi-consolidated substrates, and the periodic influx of terrigenous material. Finally, during the Hirnantian regression, the Iberian mixed (carbonate–siliciclastic) platform was exposed to subaerial conditions sufficiently for erosion and karstification to occur. From a palaeogeographical point of view, the pattern of the Ashgill Iberian platform deposition is characterized by episodic exclusion of carbonates from most nearshore environments by a shoreline source of siliciclastic sediments. A similar interpretation to that made on the Iberian Cystoid Limestone Formation, in terms of gradual proximality–distality changes, is proposed for comparable facies types in Ashgill limestones described in southwestern Europe. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

从川东北长兴组沉积相展布规律探讨地震异常体与生物礁的相关性

礁型气藏(井)是四川油气勘探的一个新领域。然而,这些礁型气井都是在钻探过程中偶然发现的,这就向地质学家们提出了一个问题:怎样利用地震资料发现地下生物礁,并指导钻探?本文拟从沉积相的角度出发,探讨所发现的地震异常体的性质、类型以及与生物礁的关系,进而指出有利的礁型气藏(井)的勘探类型及地区。地震异常体的识别标志     

礁滩体与建设性成岩作用

礁、礁丘、丘同属碳酸盐建隆,礁、滩是重要勘探目的层。但各自在沉积组分、组构、环境和时空分布,以及油气地质条件上迥然不同,因而无论从理论还是勘探实践上,都有必要将其各成体系划分开来。礁滩自身为好储集岩,当建设性成岩作用叠加后可形成好的储层。碳酸盐岩优质储层形成,主要受沉积微相与建设性成岩作用两大因素控制。前者是基础,并以高能的礁滩相带为最好;后者主要包括破裂、白云石化和溶蚀三大类,并以白云石化或溶蚀为最优,其中的溶蚀分布最广泛、影响最深刻而对优质储层形成起决定性作用。礁滩储层中的古岩溶类型最为丰富多彩,包括同生期、准同生期、表生期和埋藏期热流体岩溶的所有类型,白云岩化礁滩体也不例外。其中,同生-准同生期岩溶的形成机制与礁滩沉积时高频层序旋回向上变浅序列的短暂暴露淋溶有关,表生期岩溶则受控于礁滩沉积后三级层序旋回Ⅰ型界面的暴露淋溶。由此,导致礁滩储层中除了可以也是(碳酸盐岩中)唯一保存原生孔隙外,还发育了次生溶蚀孔洞缝和大型溶洞。礁丘、灰泥丘尤其是丘间洼地中发育高有机质丰度烃源岩;它们自身没有有效的原生孔隙,但岩溶作用可以形成次生孔隙。     

世界石炭纪生物礁发育基本特征

石炭纪生物礁在晚古生代礁体演化序列中处于特殊地位。石炭纪是生物礁地史演化过程中一个非常关键的时期,发育的生物礁类型有:(1)叶状藻礁丘;(2)叠层石礁丘;(3)珊瑚礁;(4)Waulsortian灰泥丘;(5)Chaetetes礁丘;(6)钙质微生物—藻礁丘。石炭纪生物礁总体上表现为礁相结构、造礁群落组成及礁体建造阶段的造礁作用相对比较简单,这些都体现出生物礁在石炭纪的发展受到生物灭绝事件的影响。在以藻礁占主导地位的宾夕法尼亚亚纪,中国后生动物骨架礁发育,尤其是发育有Fomitchevella大型珊瑚礁,成为世界石炭纪生物礁的一个亮点。从石炭纪整个生物礁的发展情况来看,后生动物骨架礁与以微生物和钙藻为主导的生物礁或许是两个平行发展的礁系统,后生动物骨架礁的发展在大规模生物灭绝事件之后有明显的演化滞后现象,以钙藻和微生物为主导的造礁群落的复苏在生物灭绝事件之后更为迅速。从石炭纪生物礁古地理分布来看,石炭纪生物礁基本上分布在南北纬30°之间的区域,因此,它们代表了在相对温暖的气候条件下生长的礁体,与现代珊瑚礁的分布相近似。     

Reefs in the Early Paleozoic Taebaek Group, Korea: A Review

Various early Paleozoic (Cambrian Series 3–Middle Ordovician) reefs are found in the Taebaek Group, eastern Korea, located in the eastern margin of the Sino-Korean Block. They occur in every carbonate-dominant lithostratigraphic unit of the group, but their morphology and composition differ markedly. The Daegi Formation (middle Cambrian: Cambrian Series 3) contains siliceous sponge-Epiphyton reefs formed in a shallow subtidal environment, which is one of the earliest metazoan-bearing microbial reefs after the archaeocyath extinction. The Hwajeol Formation (upper Cambrian: Furongian) encloses sporadic dendrolites consisting of Angulocellularia, which developed in a relatively deep subtidal environment, representing a rare deeper water example. The onset of the Ordovician radiation resulted in the formation of microbialite–Archaeoscyphia–calathiid patch reefs in shallow subtidal deposits of the Lower Ordovician Dumugol Formation. Subsequent late Early Ordovician relative sea-level fall established extensive peritidal environments, forming microbial mats and stromatolites of the Lower–Middle Ordovician Makgol Formation. Ensuing Ordovician radiation resulted in one of the earliest metazoan skeletal reefs of the Middle Ordovician Duwibong Formation, constructed by stromatoporoid Cystostroma and bryozoan Nicholsonella, and developed around shallow shoals. These reefs reflect ongoing evolution and sea-level change during the early Paleozoic, and exemplify a rare glimpse of peri-Gondwanan records of reef evolution, which warrant detailed investigations and comparison with their counterparts in other regions.     

鄂尔多斯盆地西缘奥陶纪生物礁基本特征、分布规律及成礁模式

鄂尔多斯盆地西缘奥陶纪发育有生物礁。本文通过对鄂尔多斯盆地西缘野外及钻井岩心生物礁调查及室内鉴定分析,认为在乌海桌子山地区、棋探1井地区、彭阳石节子沟等地发育了较为典型的生物礁,主要造礁生物为珊瑚、层孔虫和海绵。三处生物礁发育特征有差异,北段礁体生长发育2～3期,中段发育2期生长,南段生长发育可达4期;北端及南端生物礁造礁生物个体较大,生长的水体环境相对较浅,而中段生物礁造礁生物个体较小,生长的水体相对较深。这些典型生物礁的生长、发展和消亡呈现了不同的发育特征和时空分布规律,北段生物礁体发育层位早,中、南段发育层位晚,这种分布变化规律与华北板块在早古生代处于赤道附近发生了北漂右旋的旋转漂移规律有关。通过对不同地段生物礁基本特征分析,结合δ13C和δ18O同位素分析结果,认为盆地西缘生物礁成礁模式为中央古隆起西部陆缘海背景下的开阔台地边缘带点礁-滩体组合模式,分布较为局限,认为该地区生物礁死亡原因系海平面快速上升事件导致礁体被淹死所致,也进一步推测生物礁之上存在一次海平面快速上升事件。     

石门杨家坪下寒武统杷榔组三段内波和内潮汐沉积研究

湖南石门杨家坪下寒武统杷榔组第三段主要为一套深灰色、灰绿色页状至薄层含粉砂水云母泥(页)岩与泥质粉砂岩夹透镜状、条带状粉砂岩，其沉积环境为斜坡环境。中上部透镜状、条带状粉砂岩中交错层理极为发育，纹层倾向既有沿斜坡向上和向下双向倾斜的，也有沿斜坡向下或沿斜坡向上单向倾斜的，它们不应是等深流沉积或浊流沉积，而应为内波、内潮汐产生的沿斜坡上下交替流动所形成的。笔者对寒武系内波、内潮汐沉积做了首次研究。     

云南广南早二叠世生物礁的基本特征及其造架生物——串管海绵化石

在我国西南南盘江地区广泛分布着二叠系生物礁。可分为两种类型:1)堤礁;2)孤立礁。前者一般沿碳酸盐台地的边缘分布,后者发育于盆地内孤立碳酸盐台地的边缘。广南生物礁的礁后灰岩由浅灰色块状骨架岩组成。造架生物以串管海绵、纤维海绵、tabulozoans等为主,往往有蓝绿藻包覆。骨架生物之间有极为发育的纤状方解石胶结物。本文共描述了串管海绵8属12种,它们是Waagenella salinaria irregalaris Zhang,Waagenella sp., Rhabdactinita of columnaria Yabe and Sugiyama, Rhabdactinia sp., Intrasporeocoelia hubeiensis Fan and Zhang,Intrasporeocoelia sp., Uvanella guangnanensis sp. nov., Girtycoelia sp., Colospongia of dubia Laube, Colospongta sp., Verticillites sp.,Lichuanospongta typica Zhang.     

Sedimentology and budget of a Recent carbonate mound, Florida Keys

The sedimentology of a Recent carbonate mound is investigated to further our understanding of mound building communities, surface and subsurface mound sediments, and the overall sediment budget of mounds. Nine sedimentary facies of the surface of Tavernier mound, Florida Keys are described. These sediments are composed of Neogoniolithon, Halimeda, Porites, mollusc and foraminiferal grains, and lime mud. Muds rich in aragonite and high magnesian calcite show little mineralogical variation over the mound surface. Geochemical evidence suggests that the mud is mainly formed from breakdown of codiacean algae and Thalassia blade epibionts. Production rates of the facies are established from in situ growth rate experiments and standing-crop surveys. Annual calcium carbonate production is c. 500gm^-2, intermediate between reef and other bay and lagoonal environment production rates in the Caribbean. The internal structure of the mound, studied from piston cores and sediment probes, indicates that seven facies can be identified. Five of these can be related to the present-day facies, and occur in the upper part of the mound (gravel-mound stage). The remaining two facies, characterized by molluscs and aragonite-rich muds, occur in the lower part of the mound (mud-mound stage), and are most similar to facies from typical Florida Bay mud mounds. Mangrove peats within the mound indicate former intertidal areas and C¹⁴ dates from these peats provide a time framework for mound sedimentation. The mound appears to have formed because of an initial valley in the Pleistocene surface which accumulated mud in a shallow embayment during the Holocene transgression. A sediment budget for the mound is presented which compares production rates from present-day facies with subsurface sediment masses. During the mud mound stage production rates were similar to accumulation rates and the mound was similar to the present-day mounds of Florida Bay. During the gravel mound stage (3400 yr BP-present day), conditions were more normal marine and the establishment of Porites and Neogoniolithon on the mound increased production rates 10% over accumulation rates. This excess sediment is thought to be transported off the mound to the surrounding seabed. Models are proposed which divide carbonate mounds on the basis of internal versus external sediment supply. Comparisons are made with other Recent and ancient mounds. Similarities exist between the roles of the biotic components of late Palaeozoic mounds but major differences are found when structures and early diagenesis are compared.     

Facies distribution of the Lower Cambrian cryptic microbial and epibenthic archaeocyathan-microbial communities, western Anti-Atlas, Morocco

Marine microbial communities recorded in the Moroccan Anti‐Atlas were unaffected across the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian transition. A stromatolite‐dominated consortium was replaced at the beginning of the Atdabanian (ca 20 Myr after the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian boundary) by shelly metazoan and thromboid consortia, which contain the oldest biostratigraphically significant fossils of the Moroccan Cambrian. The associated collapse of microbial mat (stromatolitic) growth appears to coincide with a change from pre‐Atdabanian shallow‐water restricted conditions into Atdabanian deeper, open‐sea conditions. It is postulated that this environmental change led to an episode of improved water circulation over carbonate platform interiors, promoting shelly metazoan immigration into the region. The Tiout/Amouslek lithostratigraphic contact in the early Atdabanian marks the end of an episodically unstable seafloor as suggested by the abundance of slumping and sliding structures, and synsedimentary microfaults and cracks recorded in the underlying Tiout Member. Concurrent with the transition is the occurrence of a network of cryptic fissures and cavities that provided habitats for a coelobiontic chemosynthetic–heterotrophic microbial community composed of stromatolitic crusts, Renalcis–Epiphyton–Girvanella intergrowths, and Kundatia thalli. In the overlying Amouslek Formation, archaeocyathan–thromboid reefs were constrained by substrate stability, water depth and subsidence rate. Four reef geometries are distinguished: (i) patch reefs surrounded by shales, (ii) bioherms in which flank beds intercalate laterally with carbonate and shale inter‐reef sediments, (iii) biostromes or low‐relief structures formed as a result of lateral accretion of patch reefs, and (iv) kalyptrate complexes that nucleated because of a marked tendency for aggregation, and in which patch reefs and bioherms occur stacked together bounded by clay–marl–silt seams.