Biogenic Sedimentary Rocks in a Cold, Cenozoic Ocean: Neritic Southern Australia

This book documents and interprets the onshore Cenozoic temperate carbonate depositional system along the southern margin of Australia, which is the largest such cool-water carbonate system on the globe. It focuses on four Eocene to Pleistocene successions, including temperate carbonates, biosiliceous spiculites, and marginal marine siliciclastics, and discusses diagenesis and controlling factors such as tectonics, oceanography, climate, and glaciation of nearby Antarctica. The research has revealed new implications for the interpretation of cool-water carbonate sedimentology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 217 pages
Publication date: 18 April 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This book provides a comprehensive documentation and interpretation of the onshore Cenozoic temperate carbonate depositional system along the southern margin of Australia. Spanning four distinct basins, these strata, along with the extensive modern marine system offshore, form the world's largest such cool-water carbonate system. The approach adopted is both classic and comparative, while the information presented is a synthesis of recent research and novel insights.

A brief introductory section outlines the contextual setting, modern comparative sedimentology offshore, and the structural framework of the Cenozoic onshore. The heart of the book revolves around a detailed analysis and illustrative presentation of the four Eocene to Pleistocene successions. These deposits encompass a diverse range of materials, including temperate carbonates, biosiliceous spiculites, and marginal marine siliciclastics. Each unit is interpreted, to the greatest extent possible, based on our current understanding of the modern offshore depositional system.

A subsequent section focuses on diagenesis, both pre- and post-late Miocene uplift. It emerges that alteration in these two packages exhibits distinct characteristics. The preceding attributes of each succession are then interpreted in light of controlling factors such as tectonics, oceanography, climate, and glaciation of nearby Antarctica. This research has unearthed novel implications for interpreting specific attributes of cool-water carbonate sedimentology, which can only be discerned from the rock record. Insights into cyclicity, reef mounds, biosiliceous deposition, and trophic resources are provided in the subsequent section.

The concluding part of the book emphasizes global comparisons, particularly focusing on the Mediterranean and New Zealand regions. By examining these comparative aspects, the book sheds light on the broader patterns and trends observed in the Cenozoic temperate carbonate depositional systems across different parts of the world.

Overall, this comprehensive work offers valuable insights into the geological history, depositional processes, and diagenesis of the Cenozoic onshore temperate carbonate depositional system in Australia. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, students, and professionals interested in the study of carbonate systems and their evolution.

Weight: 391g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030639846
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021