Faunal and sedimentological analysis of a latest Silurian stromatoporoid biostrome from the central Appalachian Basin

作者：Cole Selina R^*; Haynes John T; Lucas Philip C; Lambert Richard A

来源：Facies, 2015, 61(3): 12.

DOI：10.1007/s10347-015-0440-x

• Carbonate sedimentology
• Reef paleoecology
• Facies analysis
• Silurian-Devonian boundary
• Eastern Laurentia
• Appalachian Basin

A period of reduced reefal abundance and size occurred around the time of the Silurian-Devonian boundary, between the middle Silurian and Middle Devonian reef building peaks. In southeastern Laurentia, stromato-poroid and coral reefs became especially rare during this time, and very few buildups have been reported from the region. This paper reports on the sedimentological, faunal, and paleoenvironmental characteristics of a newly discovered latest Silurian stromatoporoid-dominated buildup in the Keyser Limestone of the Virginia Appalachians. The buildup is classified as a parabiostrome, because over 95 % of the stromatoporoids in the buildup have been disturbed. Based on qualitative and statistical comparisons of facies characteristics, the buildup most likely formed from a stromatoporoid-tabulate buildup that was repeatedly damaged by high-energy events. Multivariate analyses of point count data reveal a decrease in stromatoporoids and an increase in tabulate corals and matrix moving vertically upward through the buildup, indicating changes in faunal composition as the buildup grew. The results of this study provide unique insight into reef development in one of the oldest Silurian reefal buildups from the central Appalachian Basin during a time interval when reefal buildups were poorly represented.

• 出版日期2015-7