Summary
Facies patterns within the Pleistocene reef terraces along the Red Sea coast exhibit lateral changes over short distances. These changes reflect either transitions within the depositional environment or they are related to minor or major sea level fluctuations. On the basis of quantitative distributions of biota in the field as well as in thin section it is possible to establish and map these lateral patterns. Important biota are framebuilders and secondary reef encrusters (foraminifers, coralline algae). Frequency distributions of sessile foraminifera and scleractinians are strikingly similar to those of the recent environment within diagenetically unaltered terraces.
The marine reef terraces occur in different elevated levels above the present sea level. Morphological steps are caused by onlap during different sea levels, by tectonics, or by erosion during transgression. Although several morphological steps exist which obscure the terrace stratigraphy, only three reef units can be distinguished. Each unit exhibits a lateral facies development, which begins at the shore, covering the whole lagoonal facies and ends at the upper reef slope. Besides this lateral facies pattern vertical patterns occur as well, showing a transgressive sequence in the youngest (lower) and oldest (upper) unit and a regressive one in the middle unit. In top quality outcrops, like wadi sections, it is possible to differentiate within the youngest reef unit between three onlaping reef cycles. Such cycles, however, can not be seen in the middle and oldest formations.
The three reef cycles within the youngest unit and the three units as well, exhibit different degrees of diagenetic alterations, which are strongly reflected by a gradual reduction in the number of biota. This reduction may be best described as a process of “sieving”.
Where these differences in diagenesis are recorded, they correspond to the age of the reef units. U/Th datations of the investigated terraces reveal an age for the youngest unit between 86,000 and 118,000 years B.P.. During this time three major sea level high stands have occurred, which explain the existence of the three reef cycles. The age of the middle formation is around 205,000 years, while the age for the oldest formation can only be assumed to fit in the time span between 290,000 and 340,000 years B.P.. All these data correspond to other published datations along the Red Sea coast.
Zusammenfassung
Die fazielle Entwicklung in den pleistozänen Riff-Terrassen des Roten Meeres ist durch einen lebhaften lateralen Fazieswechsel geprägt, wie er auch im rezenten Ablagerungsraum vorkommt (Mergner & Schuhmacher, 1974). Darüber hinaus spielen aber auch abrupte Wechsel eine große Rolle, deren Entstehung auf kleinere und größere Meeresspiegelschwankungen zurückgeführt werden kann.
Grundlage dieser lateralen Gliederung ist die im Gelände und im Schliff erfaßbare Verbreitung der Organismen. Hierfür sind Gerüstbildner und sekundäre Gerüstverfestiger (coralline Algen und Foraminiferen) neben Echinodermen besonders geeignet. In diagenetisch gering beeinflußten Profilen zeigt die Häufigkeitsverteilung der Foraminiferen, besonders die der sessilen Vertreter, eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung mit den bekannten Verhältnissen im Rezenten. Dies gilt auch für die Scleractinier.
In den auf verschiedenen topographischen Niveaus liegenden marinen Terrassen wurden insgesamt drei Riff-Einheiten unterschieden. Diese können im günstigsten Fall morphologischen Terrassenstufen entsprechen. Neben einer lateralen Faziesabfolge, die fossil vom Strandbereich mit teilweiser Beachrock-Bildung über die Seegras-, die Horst-, die Mikroatollzone und das Riffdach bis hin zum oberen Riffhang vollständig erhalten sein kann, zeigen die untersuchten Profile auch eine vertikale Abfolge dieser Ablagerungsräume. Diese können transgressiv oder regressiv entwickelt sein. So ist in der jüngsten und ältesten Einheit eine transgressive Abfolge vorherrschend, während die mittlere Formation mehr von regressiven Profilentwicklungen gekennzeichnet ist. Unter günstigen Aufschlußverhältnissen können in der jüngsten Riff-Einheit drei zeitlich aufeinanderfolgende Riffzyklen unterschieden werden. Riffzyklen sind in den älteren Einheiten nicht nachweisbar, da Aufschlüsse fehlen und ein einheitlicheres Diagenesemuster vorherrscht.
Die drei Riffzyklen innerhalb der jüngsten Riff-Einheit sowie die drei Riff-Einheiten selbst können einen sehr unterschiedlichen Grad der Diagenese aufweisen. Dieser dokumentiert sich in der abnehmenden Häufigkeit der Organismen, was einem “Siebvorgang” gleichgesetzt werden kann. Unterschiede in der Diagenese lassen sich teilweise mit dem Alter der marinen Terrassen korrelieren. U/Th Datierungen haben für die jüngste Formation eine Zeitspanne von 86.000 bis 118.000 Jahre ergeben. Während dieser Zeit sind drei bedeutende globale Meeresspiegelhochstände zu beobachten, die für die Bildung der drei Riffzyklen innerhalb der jüngsten Einheit ausschlaggebend waren. Die mittlere Riff-Einheit ist mit 205.000 Jahren datiert, während für die älteste Einheit nur ein Alter zwischen 290.000 und 340.000 Jahren vermutet werden kann. Dies steht gut in Einklang mit bekannten Datierungen vom Sinai, und der Karibik, was die überregionale Bedeutung der Terrassen am Roten Meer unterstreicht.
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Dullo, WC. Facies, fossil record, and age of pleistocene reefs from the Red Sea (Saudi Arabia). Facies 22, 1–45 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536943
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02536943