Facies Models 8. Shallowing- Upward Sequen- ces in Carbonates Noe! P James Memorial University of Newfoundland St John's, Newloundiand AIC 587 Introduction Peraps the most commonly encountered carbonate deposits are laterally persistant, evenly bedded limestones and dolomites ot apparent shallow water origin, as demonstrate by abundant fossil mud cracks and stromatolites. These deposits, whi ‘occur most commoniy on the continents and in relatively undeformed portions of ‘mountain belts. are not only importa sources of paleontological and sedmentological information, but are also cor hydroc (particularly lead anc rocks fo ic ores ). As such, it is ‘bons and me precisely as possiote. the environment in which each bedded was deposited. A.quantum jump in our understanding deposits occurred when ale tidal flats were in detail. notably by Rabert Ginsburg andhis colleagues in Florida land the Bahamas about 20 years ago. It was quickly realized that there were a 0st ol sedimentary structures and of the in sediment textures on these flats that would allowa ‘much more precise detinition of environments of deposition than was sssible belore: these findings were ‘Quickly applied to fossil sequences ischer, 1964; Laporte, 1967; Aitken, 1966; Roehl, 1967). This application in turn generated two different ines of investigation. 1) description of other areas of modern tidal flat deposition, in particular the southern shore of the Persian Gulf where evaporites are ‘common and Shark Bay, Western Austialia, where a great varie ‘mogsern stromatolites are forming, and: tlat deposits in the geologic recora Despite the great number of studies ich record carbonate sequences with © of period exposure, there date, a synthesis of th been, to s.Insilciclastic deposits tis commonly the seaqur nck Iypes that detines the environment of deposition In carbonate stratge wvever. he actual sequence is of less porlance, possibly because sedimentary environments commonly be detined accurately on the basis ndstructures. ‘The Model Carbonate sediments characterstically {ccurnulate al rates much greater than the rate of subsidence of the shel or platform upon which they are deposited This is because carbonate sediments dinaily in the especially in Figure 1 Bedised carbonates ranging in age trom S -Sullvanfm, W- WaterfoulFm, A water where conditions for the biological {and physiochemical fixation of ‘arbonate are optimum, As aresult ‘arbonate accumulations repeatedly build up to $ea leveland above, resulting aracleristic sequence of deposits each units deposited in shallowing-upward sequence also may ommonly is repeated many times in a sion of shallow water deposits Readers wil recognize that such a shallowing upward sequence also may be termed a regressive sequence. This term has led to much confusion in he past, because ithas been used to describe deposis associated with ahigh accumulation under relatively static sea s. Sol have level abandoned the ter ait reat k- descriptive mn, albeit interpretive, th upward sequence, which others have hoaling-upward (even though all such deposits are not 1) The model as a norm, The ideal carbonate shallowing-upward sequence comprises four units,Geoscience Canada, Volume 4, Number 3 ilustrated in Figure 2, The basal unit which is generally thin, records the inital transgression over pre-existing deposits ‘and so is commonly a high energy deposit. The bulk of the sequence which may be of diverse lithologies consists of normal marine carbonate, as discussed ‘below, The upper partof the sequence Consists of two units: the intertidal unit within the normal range of tides; the other a supratidal unt, deposited in the area covered only by abnormal, \Wwinablown or storm tides, Each of these units exnipits he characteristic criteria of subaerial exposure The thread that binds all such sequences together is he presence of the distinctive intertidal unit, which, once recognized, allows one to interpret the surrounding ihologies in some kind of logical sequence (Fig. 3), 2) The modelas a predictor. First-order ‘variation on the basic model revolves ‘around the twormain types of intertidal environment: 1) quel, low-energy situations, commonly relertedto 2s tidal flats. and 2) agitated, high-energy situations, or quite simply, beaches. ‘Second-order variation involves the kind of subtidal units below and of supratidal Units above; the subtidal reflects the type of marine environment adjacent to the ®) TeamesteAnt 5 “SUPRATIOAL | iwrerrion, $s eusToAL of B | open maswe bg Lagoon ° oT) A eae roe Figure Fresno he shatowna upward Combmerae rset. -lssiterovs store © sori extrac nae lrestaor dotante 0 wel siete dolore or imestone, tat-pebble breccia €- shale orca acketed to ° inl ssalico meaby: “text Syimbo's used throughout are hoon Ginseung 197 tidal flat and the supratidal reflects the adjacent terrestrial environment, in particular the climate (Fig. 4). For purposes of discussion | willbegin, with those sequences that contain low- energy intertidal units (tidal-tats) because they exhiitthe greatest variety of distinctive features and consequently are well documented, both in modem ‘and ancient settings, To place the observed features in context we should first examine modem carbonate tidal flats. ‘Sequences with a Low-Energy Intertidal Unit ‘Modern Tidal Flats The main elements of a modern ‘carbonate tidal fat system as ‘exempltied by the narrow shelf and ‘embayments of Shark Bay, Westem ‘Australia, the southem coast of he Persian Gulf and the wide platform of he Bahama Banks are shown in Figure 5 A characteristic of most modern ‘examples is that they occur in protected locations: protected that is from the open ‘ocean waves and swells, yet stil affected by tides and severe storms, This unique setting is commonly alforded by the presence of a semi- o ® 0D Figures Actual sequence of several shalowing upward sequences tom the Manius New Vark Stale (Fim Laporte, 1975). tar ‘SUPRATIDAL, Cw ic [if INTERTIDAL i] (rare ES RR A sna we ‘SUBTIDAL Figure 4 [Allow dlagram cating the various possi environmental ransivons present na Carbonate shallowing-ypward sequence. protective barrier composed of lime ssand shoals, locally associated with reefs and/or isiands. The barrier commonly is dissected by tidal channels through which flow high velocity tidal currents. A shallow muddy lagoon lies in the lee of this barrier. The lagoon may be enormous as in the case of the Bahamas, relatively narrow and elongate as in the Persian Gull, or very small as in the pocket emmbayments of Shark Bay. Insuch an arrangement, tidal flats are present as: 1) small flats atop landon the lee side of the emergentsand Shoals ofthe barrer, and 2) large flats along ihe shoreline of the shallow lagoon (Fig.5) Thus tidal fats occur in association with two separate carbonate accumulations, high energy sand bodies, ‘and low energy ime muds. A third ype ot ‘association which is less common in modern situations is the association with reefs. especially the interior of large reef complexes Intertal environments, The intertidal zone, especially along rocky coasts and beaches is commonly a gradual transition from sea to land without much noticeable variation, On wide gradually sloping tidal flats, this zone can be the familiar gradual transition or a complex area of many subenvironments, At one tendof the spectrum the flats have few, very shallow, short tidal creeks (Fig, 6) At he other endothe spectrum the ats are dissected by many tidal creeks llanked by levees. Sight depressions between the creeks are occupied by tidal ponds (which til and partially empty during each rise and fall of the tide), and the whole complex is fronted by small beach ridges or erosional steps (Fig 6), Porhaps in this case it would be better to refer to the whole zone as the "pondand18 Phan view of he geamenty 4 modern te arcompiee Rove Ma WA ats cam De reson none aacent to te ta orm te fe crock belt” because some of the areas, are dry mastof ine tne {levees and peaches) whereas alhers are Ccontinuouisty subse ged {panes and creeks) These coniplications nave led some workers fe g. Ginsburg and Hardie, 1975) to despar of conventional teem and nstead to relate different zones tothe per cent oltime that hey are exposed rather tras to their position ‘Onsovne tal tials, nine Bahamas tor sxampie where there are mary tal 1ecks and noticeable relat between levee and tidal pond {about 1 m),thetrue 'sleestal zone which les between the wo may comprise only 60 10 70 per cent ol he mtertidal environment, In other aeas such as the PersianGull where hele ate fewer creeks and less rele, iaknost the whole tat teuly teria The unportant pom to grasps that humerous environments may ex'stn very close proxanty, nat only perpendicular fo the shoreline but parallel ti as well so that in the {geolage record rapid, local itholog cal vanabors afc to bo oxpected, both vertically and laterally. rather than.a smooth succession ol progressively shallower environments, The tidal lal wedge is bull up of fine (rained segments brought onto the tats ‘ron the agjacen tattshote marine zane Figues lock deayrans showng the mayor ‘oynhoogy a elements da att A types tt tal wih Yew ohanness aNd bordoreig a vey ane cesert sma tothe ‘moaern Persian Gul). 19h? -anormatmanne tesa at with rigny cnannets and ponas ano bordering an elevated wer-aiawned area oF low swamp aigat marsh ma huanat civnate ‘simi he madsern Bahanas)