The Messinian reef complex of the Salento Peninsula (southern Italy): Stratigraphy, facies and paleoenvironmental interpretation

Summary An integrated study of the early Messinian reef complex cropping out along the eastern coast of the Salento Peninsula (southern Italy), including stratigraphy, facies analysis and paleoecological aspects, is here presented. Fourteen facies types belonging to three main facies associations (back reef and shelf, shelf-edge, slope) have been recognized. They document a wide spectrum of depositional environments, reef building organisms and growth fabrics, in response to depth and other environmental factors in different parts of the reef complex. The biotic structure of the reef is also described and discussed in detail. It consists of different types of reef building organisms and of their bioconstructions (mainlyPorites coral reefs,Halimeda bioherms and vermetidmicrobial “trottoirs”), that differ in composition and structure according to their position on the shelf edge-toslope profile. Results indicate that the reef complex of the Salento Peninsula has strong similarities with the typical early Messinian reefs of the Mediterranean region. However, the recognition of some peculiar features, i.e. the remarkable occurrence ofHalimeda bioherms and of vermetid-microbial “trottoirs”, gives new insights for better understanding reef patterns and development of the reef belt during the Late Miocene in the Mediterranean.