The role of microbes in reef-building communities of the Cannindah limestone (Mississippian), Monto region, Queensland, Australia |
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Authors: | Jian-Wei Shen Gregory E Webb |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Marine Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology and Key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology and Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, People’s Republic of China;(2) School of Natural Resource Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia |
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Abstract: | Reefs in the Cannindah Limestone at Old Cannindah Homestead, Monto region, Queensland, are exceptional in Eastern Australian
Mississippian (Carboniferous) build-ups because of their largest dimension and differentiated microbial fabrics. Calcimicrobes
and microbial carbonates, which represent a marine reefal environment occupied by both corals and sponges, are particularly
abundant in the reef framework fabrics compared to other Mississippian build-ups in the world. They contributed significantly
to the rigidity of the reefs on a crinoidal bank setting. Metazoans and calcimicrobes coexisted and played different roles
in reef construction. Reef-building and cavity-dwelling microbes include Renalcis, Palaeomicrocodium, Girvanella, problematic Aphralysia, Ortonella, Shamovella-like, Rothpletzella-like, Wetheredella-like, and some problematic calcimicrobes, which occur in inter-corallite infillings of fasciculate rugose corals, in thrombolitic
textures, in or within deposits between microdigitate stromatolite and laminated microbialites, and in reef cavities. Some
reef intervals are entirely formed by Renalcis, Palaeomicrocodium, problematic calcimicrobes, and cement. Girvanella, as an encrusting calcimicrobe, generally bound bioclasts and micrite, or together with cement, formed boundstone. Microbial
carbonates, including thrombolites, microencrusters, microdigitate stromatolite, laminated and tabular microbialite, irregular
layers of self-encrusting vesicles, and microbial micrite, occur commonly in reef framestone and boundstone. The role of microbes
and relevant microbial carbonates in the Cannindah reef limestone highlighted a significant account of microbial facies complexes
associated with the Mississippian reefs. |
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Keywords: | Calcimicrobes Cannindah reef limestone Mississippian Paleoecology Australia |
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