Indo-Pacific and Atlantic spurs and grooves revisited: the possible effects of different Holocene sea-level history,exposure, and reef accretion rate in the shallow fore reef

Shallow fore-reef areas worldwide are usually characterized by spurs and grooves. A comparison of examples from the three world oceans suggests that Indo-Pacific spurs and grooves are shaped predominantly by erosion, whereas western Atlantic spur and groove systems are largely a product of constructive processes. I propose that this difference is caused by regional differences in Holocene sea-level change, which controlled exposure to waves and currents, and reef-accretion rates. The transgressive–regressive sea-level curve in the Indo-Pacific realm, i.e., the Mid-to-Late Holocene sea-level fall in these areas has maintained high-energy conditions in the shallow fore reef. Higher exposure to waves and currents favors erosion and leads to a dominance of crustose coralline algae that have relatively slow growth rates. In the western Atlantic, the transgressive Holocene sea level has caused Mid-to-Late Holocene deepening and has maintained accommodation space for reef accretion. Fast-growing acroporid corals thrive under lower exposure and are more common than coralline algae. The fossil record of the spur and groove system is rather poor, which is probably a consequence of the need of excellent, three-dimensional outcrops for identification.