9.

7 Carbonate microfacies and marine depositional environments 367

Table 9.9 Standard carbonate microfacies types

SMF
No. Name Distinguishing characteristics

1 Spiculite Dark, organic-rich, clayey mudstone or wackestone

2 Microbioclastic calcisiltite
3 Pelagic mudstone or
wackestone
4 Microbreccia or bioclastic–
lithoclastic packstone
5 Bioclastic grainstone–
packstone or floatstone
6 Reef rudstone
7 Boundstone
8 Whole-fossil wackestone
9 Bioclastic wackestone or
bioclastic micrite
10 Packstone–wackestone with Sediment displays textural inversion; i.e. grains show
coated and worn bioclasts
in micrite
11 Grainstone with coated
bioclasts in sparry cement
12 Coquina, bioclastic grainstone A shell hash in which certain types of organisms dominate
or rudstone
13 Oncoid biosparite grainstone Composed mainly of oncoids in sparry cement
containing silt-sized spicules; spicules commonly
oriented, generally siliceous monaxons, commonly
replaced by calcite
Small bioclasts and peloids with a fine grainstone or
packstone texture; mm-scale ripple
cross-lamination common
Micritic matrix with scattered fine sand- or silt-size grain
composed of pelagic microfossils (e.g. radiolarians or
globigerinids) or megafauna (e.g. graptolites or
thin-shelled bivalves)
Worn grains of originally robust character; may consist of
locally derived bioclasts and/or previously cemented
lithoclasts; may also include quartz, chert, or other kinds of
carbonate fragments; commonly graded
Composed mainly of bioclasts derived from organisms
inhabiting reef top and flanks; geopetal fillings and
infiltered fine sediment in shelter cavities common
Large bioclasts of reef-top or reef-flank organisms; no matrix
material
Composed of in situ sessile organisms. May be called
framestone if composed of massive upright and robust
forms, bindstone if composed of encrusting lamellar mats
enclosing and constructing cavities and encrusting micrite
layers, and bafflestone if composed of delicate, complex,
frond-like forms; commonly, micrite clotted or vaguely
pelleted
Sessile organisms rooted in micrite, which contains only a
few scattered bioclasts; well-preserved infauna and
epifauna
Micritic sediment containing fragments of diverse organisms
jumbled and homogenized through bioturbation; bioclasts
may be micritized
evidence of formation in high-energy environment but
contain mud matrix
Bioclasts cemented with sparry cement; bioclasts may be
micritized
(e.g., dasyclads, shells, or crinoids); lacks mud matrix
368 Limestones

Table 9.9 (cont.)

SMF
No. Name Distinguishing characteristics

14 Lags Coated and worn particles; may include ooids and peloids
that are blackened and iron-stained; with phosphate; may
also include allochthonous lithoclasts
15 Oolite, ooid grainstone Well-sorted, well-formed, multiple-coated ooids ranging
from 0.5 to 1.5 mm in diameter; fabric commonly
overpacked; invariably cross-bedded
16 Pelsparite or peloidal Probable fecal pellets; may be admixed with concentrated
grainstone ostracod tests or foraminifers; may contain
centimeter-thick graded laminae and fenestral fabric
17 Grapestone pelsparite or Mixed facies of isolated peloids, agglutinated peloids, and
grainstone aggregate grains (grapestones and lumps); may include
some coated grains
18 Foraminiferal or Consists of concentrations of tests, commonly mixed with
dasycladacean grainstone peloids
19 Loferite Laminated to bioturbated, pelleted lime mudstone–
wackestone; may grade to pelsparite with fenestral fabric;
ostracod–peloid assemblage common in mudstones; may
also include micrite with scattered foraminifers,
gastropods, and algae
20 Algal stromatolite mudstone Stromatolites
21 Spongiostrome Tufted algal fabric in fine lime-mud sediment
22 Micrite with large oncoids Wackestone or floatstone containing oncoids
23 Unlaminated, homogeneous, Micrite; may contain crystals of evaporitic minerals
unfossiliferous pure micrite
24 Rudstone or floatstone with Clasts commonly consist of unfossiliferous micrite or
coarse lithoclasts and/or calcisiltite, and may have an edgewise or imbricate
bioclasts arrangement; may be cross-bedded; matrix sparse
25 Laminated evaporite–
carbonate mudstone
26 Pisoid cementstone, rudstone
or packstone

Source: Wilson, 1975, pp. 64–69, with additions (SMF 25, 26) by Flügel, 2004, p. 681.

Fig. 9.40, which includes an additional zone (10) added by Flügel (2004, p. 662). The major
characteristics of the facies zone are as follows:
1. Facies zone 1 – dark shales and carbonate mudstones; deposited in deeper-water basin environ-
ment, commonly below the oxygenation level
2. Facies zone 2 – very fossiliferous limestones with shale interbeds; deposited on the open-sea
shelf below storm-wave base but above the oxygenation level
 9.7 Carbonate microfacies and marine depositional environments 369

Shelf-edge Shelf-
skeletal sands edge
reef
Lagoonal lime mud

Fo
RIMMED PLATFORM Banks re
slo
10s-100s km pe

Carbonate sands and muds

UNRIMMED PLATFORM
(OPEN SHELF)
10s-100s km

Shallow ramp
Lagoonal
buildups
lime mud Carbonate sands and muds

Downslope
RAMP buildups

10s-100s km

Reefs, skeletal sands,

ooid shoals, lime mud
Mainland

ISOLATED
PLATFORM

up to 100s km

Carbonate muds and sands

La
nd
ma
ss
EPEIRIC PLATFORM

100s-1000s km

Figure 9.39 Schematic representation of principal kinds of marine platform/shelf carbonate

environments. [From Boggs. S., 2006, Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, 4th edn., and
Fig. 11.2, p. 369, based on James and Kendall (1992) and Wright and Burchette (1996). Reproduced by
permission of Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N. J.]
370 Limestones

Meteorically Platform Organic

Evaporitic Platform
affected interior Open marine Slope Toe of slope Deep shelf Basin
restricted margin sands buildups
carbonates restricted
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Sea level 2 1 FZ

Normal wave base

Storm wave base

Wide belts Very narrow belts

Wide belts
SMF 26 SMF 20, 23 SMF 16–19, SMF 8–10, SMF 11–15 SMF 7, 11, SMF 4, 5, 6 SMF 2, 3, 4 SMF 2, 8–10 SMF 1, 2, 3
25 21, 22, 24 16–18 12

Figure 9.40 Facies zones (FZ) and standard microfacies (SMF) types of the Wilson model for
describing a rimmed carbonate platform. [After Wilson, J. E., 1975, Carbonate Facies in Geologic
History: Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, Fig. Xll-1, p. 351, with additions from Flügel, 2004, p. 662,
reproduced by permission.]

3. Facies zone 3 – fine-grained, graded to nongraded limestones, possibly containing exotic blocks
derived from the foreslope; deposited on the toe of the foreslope
4. Facies zone 4 – fine- to coarse-grained limestone with breccia and exotic blocks, deposited on the
foreslope seaward of the platform edge; carbonate debris derived from facies zone 5.
5. Facies zone 5 – organic buildups (reefs and other bioherms) composed of various kinds of
boundstones, particularly framestones; commonly make up the edge or rim of the carbonate
platform, but may not be present on all carbonate platforms
6. Facies zone 6 – winnowed, sorted carbonate sands (calcarenites) composed particularly of skeletal
grains derived from facies belts 4 and 5; ooids also common; deposited in very shallow water
immediately landward of organic buildups or, if no buildups present, at the very edge of the platform
7. Facies zone 7 – mixed carbonate deposits that may include carbonate sands derived from belt 6,
wackestones, mudstones; possible interbeds of shale or silt; patch reefs or other bioherms may be
present; deposited in shallow water on the open-shelf platform where water circulation is normal
8. Facies zone 8 – bioclastic wackestones, lithoclastic and bioclastic sands, pelleted carbonate
mudstones, stromatolites, interbeds of shale or silt; deposited in shallow water on inner platform
where water circulation may be restricted
9. Facies zone 9 – nodular dolomites and anhydrites (on platforms where evaporative conditions
exist); stromatolites; siliciclastic muds or silts; deposited in intertidal to supratidal zone
10. Facies zone 10 – limestones in subaerial or subaquatic settings that have been affected by meteoric
waters under meteoric–vadose and marine–vadose conditions

Note from Fig. 9.40 that each facies zone is characterized by a few standard microfacies types;
however a particular standard microfacies type can appear in more than one facies zone.
The facies zones shown in Fig. 9.40 are based on the rimmed platform model (Fig. 9.39),
as mentioned. Flügel (2004, p. 661) points out that this model is overcomplete, and that
platforms with a reduced number of facies zones are the common case. See Flügel (2004,
pp. 664–670) for discussion of facies zones on ramps, unrimmed platforms, and epeiric
platforms. As suggested by Figs. 9.39 and 9.40, limestones are deposited in a variety of
marine environments. From the shoreline outward, these environments may range from
the supratidal through the shallow subtidal, open-shelf lagoon, platform margin (carbonate