Small reefal platforms that
form in response to both tectonic and sea level changes are features ubiquitous
through the Phanerozoic. Commonly,
however, these small platforms are buried and limited data are available on
spatial and temporal lithofacies heterogeneity. This paper by McNeill et al. documents the
formation and timing of a ~90 km2 Pliocene-Pleistocene platform as
it evolved in a tropical, convergent tectonic setting (backarc) from a
siliciclastic foundation to a mixed system dominated by reefal carbonates. The results reveal three depositional
sequences defined using field relations and refined depositional ages using
strontium-isotope stratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and coral stratigraphy.
The spatial sedimentological patterns of the three sequences provide a
near-modern analog that illustrates lithofacies variability that may be present
in buried reefal platforms.
Depositional Sequences and Stratigraphy of the Colón Carbonate Platform: Bocas Del Toro Archipelago, Panama by Donald F. McNeill,
James S. Klaus, Laura G. O'Connell, Anthony G. Coates, and William A. Morgan
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