Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Terrigenous sediment-dominated reef platform infilling: an unexpected precursor to reef island formation and a test of the reef platform size–island age model in the Pacific

  • Report
  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Low-lying coral reef islands are considered highly vulnerable to climate change, necessitating an improved understanding of when and why they form, and how the timing of formation varies within and among regions. Several testable models have been proposed that explain inter-regional variability as a function of sea-level history and, more recently, a reef platform size model has been proposed from the Maldives (central Indian Ocean) to explain intra-regional (intra-atoll) variability. Here we present chronostratigraphic data from Pipon Island, northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR), enabling us to test the applicability of existing regional island evolution models, and the platform size control hypothesis in a Pacific context. We show that reef platform infilling occurred rapidly (~4–5 mm yr−1) under a “bucket-fill” type scenario. Unusually, this infilling was dominated by terrigenous sedimentation, with platform filling and subsequent reef flat formation complete by ~5000 calibrated years BP (cal BP). Reef flat exposure as sea levels slowly fell post highstand facilitated a shift towards intertidal and subaerial-dominated sedimentation. Our data suggest, however, a lag of ~1500 yr before island initiation (at ~3200 cal BP), i.e. later than that reported from smaller and more evolutionarily mature reef platforms in the region. Our data thus support: (1) the hypothesis that platform size acts to influence the timing of platform filling and subsequent island development at intra-regional scales; and (2) the hypothesis that the low wooded islands of the northern GBR conform to a model of island formation above an elevated reef flat under falling sea levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  • Chappell J (1983) Evidence for smoothly falling sea level relative to north Queensland, Australia, during the past 6000 yr. Nature 302:406–408

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Embry AF, Klovan JE (1971) A late devonian reef tract on Northeastern banks island, Northwest territories. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology 33:730–781

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuentes MMPB, Dawson J, Smithers S, Limpus CJ, Hamann M (2010) Sedimentological characteristics of key sea turtle rookeries: potential implications under projected climate change. J Mar Freshw Res 61:464–473

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie R (1977) Radiocarbon dating of marine mollusc shells. Australian Quaternary Newsletter 9:13–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie R, Polach HA (1979) The suitability of marine shells for radiocarbon dating of Australian prehistory. In: Berger R, Suess HE (eds) Radiocarbon dating. Proceedings of the 9th international 14C conference, Las Angeles and La Jolla. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 404–421

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopley D, Smithers SG, Parnell KE (2007) The geomorphology of the Great Barrier Reef: development, diversity and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kench PS, McLean RF, Nichol SL (2005) New model of reef-island evolution: Maldives, Indian ocean. Geology 33:145–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kench PS, Smithers SG, McLean RF (2012) Rapid reef island formation and stability over an emerging reef flat: Bewick Cay, Northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Geology 40:347–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kench PS, Owen SD, Ford MR (2014a) Evidence for coral island formation during rising sea level in the central Pacific Ocean. Geophys Res Lett 41:820–827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kench PS, Chana J, Owen SD, McLean RF (2014b) The geomorphology, development and temporal dynamics of Tepuka Island, Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu. Geomorphology 222:46–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larcombe P, Carter RM, Dye J, Gagan MK, Johnson DP (1995) New evidence for episodic post-glacial sea-level rise, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Mar Geol 127:1–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKoy H, Kennedy DM, Kench PS (2010) Sand cay evolution on reef platforms, Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. Mar Geol 269:61–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLean RF, Stoddart DR, Hopley D, Polach H (1978) Sea level change in the Holocene on the northern Great Barrier Reef. Philos Trans R Soc Lond A 291:167–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary M, Perry CT (2010) Holocene reef accretion on the Rodrigues carbonate platform: an alternative to the classic ‘bucket-fill’ model. Geology 38:855–858

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer SE, Perry CT, Smithers SG, Gulliver P (2010) Internal structure and accretionary history of a Holocene nearshore, turbid-zone coral reef: Paluma Shoals, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Mar Geol 276:14–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry CT, Smithers SG (2011) Cycles of coral reef ‘turn-on’, rapid growth and ‘turn-off’ over the past 8500 yr: a context for understanding modern ecological states and trajectories. Glob Chang Biol 17:76–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry CT, Kench PS, O’Leary M, Riegl BR, Smithers SG, Yamano H (2011) Implications of reef ecosystem change for the stability and maintenance of coral reef islands? Glob Chang Biol 17:3679–3696

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perry CT, Kench PS, Smithers SG, Yamano H, O’Leary M, Guilliver P (2013) Timescales and modes of reef lagoon infilling in the Maldives and controls on the onset of reef island formation. Geology 41:1111–1114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purdy EG, Gischler E (2005) The transient nature of the empty bucket model of reef sedimentation. Sed Geol 175:35–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purdy EG, Winterer EL (2006) Contradicting barrier reef relationships for Darwin’s evolution of reef types. Int J Earth Sci 95:143–167

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reimer PJ, Bard E, Bayliss A, Beck JB, Blackwell PG, Bronk Ramsey C, Buck CE, Cheng H, Edwards RL, Friedrich M, Grootes PM, Guilderson TP, Haflidason H, Hajdas I, Hatté C, Heaton TJ, Hoffmann DL, Hogg AG, Hughen KA, Kaiser KF, Kromer B, Manning SW, Niu M, Reimer RW, Richards DA, Scott EM, Southon JR, Staff RA, Turney CSM, van der Plicht J (2013) IntCal13 and Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50,000 yr cal BP. Radiocarbon 55:1869–1887

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roche R, Perry CT, Johnson KG, Saltana K, Smithers SG, Thompson AA (2011) Mid-Holocene coral community data as a baseline for understanding contemporary reef ecological states. Palaeogeog Palaeoclim Palaeoecol 299:159–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlager W (1981) The paradox of drowned reefs and carbonate platforms. Geol Soc Am Bull 92:197–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smithers SG, Larcombe P (2003) Late Holocene initiation and growth of a nearshore turbid-zone coral reef: Paluma Shoals, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Coral Reefs 22:499–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart DR, McLean RF, Hopley D (1978) Geomorphology of reef islands, northern Great Barrier Reef. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 284:39–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuiver M, Reimer PJ (1993) Extended 14C data base and revised CALIB 3.0 14C calibration program. Radiocarbon 35:215–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veron JEN, Stafford-Smith M (2002) Coral ID—key to the zooxanthellate scleractinian corals of the world. CD-Rom. Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, Townsville

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski E, Fabricius K, Spagnol S, Brinkman R (2005) Wet season fine sediment dynamics on the inner shelf of the Great Barrier Reef. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 77:755–762

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe CD (2008) Reef-island topography and the vulnerability of atolls to sea-level rise. Glob Planet Change 62:77–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe CD, McLean RF, Smithers SG, Lawson EM (1999) Atoll reef-island formation and response to sea level change: West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Mar Geol 160:85–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamano H, Kayanne H, Chikamori M (2005) An overview of the nature and dynamics of reef islands. Global Environmental Research 9:9–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamano H, Cabioch G, Chevillon C, Join J-L (2014) Late Holocene sea-level change and reef-island evolution in New Caledonia. Geomorphology 222:39–45 (Amst)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the crew of the RV James Kirby for logistical support during fieldwork which was undertaken through, and with partial support from, the IAG Working Group REEForm. Radiocarbon analysis of reef cores was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Radiocarbon Facility (NRCF010001) Allocation 1654.0912 to C.T.P. and P.G.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK

    CT Perry

  2. School of Environment, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    PS Kench & JJ Daniells

  3. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    SG Smithers

  4. National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University, 8000 N. Ocean Drive Dania, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33004, USA

    BR Riegl

  5. NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankin Avenue, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, Scotland, UK

    P Gulliver

Authors
  1. CT Perry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. PS Kench
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. SG Smithers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. BR Riegl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P Gulliver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. JJ Daniells
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to CT Perry.

Additional information

Communicated by Geology Editor Prof. Eberhard Gischler

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Perry, C., Kench, P., Smithers, S. et al. Terrigenous sediment-dominated reef platform infilling: an unexpected precursor to reef island formation and a test of the reef platform size–island age model in the Pacific. Coral Reefs 36, 1013–1021 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1592-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1592-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation