Summary
In coral reefs of St. Croix, U.S.V.I., microbialites are found in weakly illuminated cryptic habitats. They form crusts of several centimeter thickness on coralgal framework. A high energy environment causes a thrombolitic texture whereas under low energy conditions stromatolitic crusts are developed. High-Mg-Calcite crystallizes in an organic matrix and silt-sized particles are trapped on an organic mucus; both processes contribute to the accretion of microbialites. A sessile benthic community dominated by foraminifera uses microbialites as a hard substrate to grow.
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Zankl, H. The origin of High-Mg-Calcite microbialites in cryptic habitats of Caribbean coral reefs—Their dependence on light and turbulence. Facies 29, 55–59 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536917
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536917