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

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Collins, Lindsay
    Zhu, Z.
    Wyrwoll, K.
    Eisenhauer, A.
    Date
    2003
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
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    Citation
    Collins, Lindsay B and Zhu, Zhong Rong and Wyrwoll, Karl-Heinz and Eisenhauer, Anton. 2003. Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia. Sedimentary Geology 159 (1-2): 81-94.
    Source Title
    Sedimentary Geology
    DOI
    10.1016/S0037-0738(03)00096-4
    Faculty
    Department of Applied Geology
    Division of Resources and Environment
    Remarks

    Published by Elsevier.

    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/4769
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Ningaloo Reef, situated on the central west coast, is Australia's largest fringing reef system extending southward from 22 deg 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.

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