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Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia


Posted on 02 August 2011

TitleLate Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2003
AuthorsCollins, L, Rong Zhu Z, Wyrwoll K-H, Eisenhauer A
JournalSedimentary Geology
Volume159
Issue1-2
Pagination81 - 94
Date Published06/2003
ISSN00370738
Keywordscoral, geology, other
AbstractNingaloo Reef, situated on the central west coast, is Australia's largest fringing reef system extending southward from 22°S for over 200 km. Its narrow lagoon is backed by a coastal plain, which is largely composed of an emergent Last Interglacial reef on the flank of folded Tertiary limestones. The west-facing reef is exposed to strong oceanic swells across a narrow (8 km) continental shelf. Climatic aridity, cyclones, tsunamis, and the poleward flowing Leeuwin Current all influence the reef system. Seismic profiling and a coring and dating program along a transect through a reef pass indicate two periods of reef development in the northern part of the reef: Holocene and Last Interglacial. Seaward of the crest, the Holocene reef forms either a prominent 500 m-wide bulge with 10 m of relief and an abrupt seaward slope, or a series of discrete patch reefs. Holocene reef development is limited to depths of less than 30 m and reaches a maximum thickness of ca. 10–15 m below the reef crest. U/Th TIMS dates from distal parts of the Last Interglacial section between −18 and −36 m give ages toward the end of the high stand (120–115 ka). Last Interglacial reef growth was more extensive of the two, filling much of the available accommodation space, perhaps as a result of a stronger Leeuwin Current. This substrate subsequently provided an antecedent foundation for Holocene reef development.
URLhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0037073803000964
DOI10.1016/S0037-0738(03)00096-4
Short TitleSedimentary Geology
Refereed DesignationRefereed