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Facies and faunal assemblage changes in response to the Holocene transgression in the Lagoon of Mayotte (Comoro Archipelago, SW Indian Ocean)

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Abstract

This paper documents the facies change in response to the Holocene transgression within five sediment cores taken in the lagoon of Mayotte, which contain a Type-1 depositional sequence (lowstand, transgressive and highstand deposits underlain by an erosive sequence boundary). Quantitative compositional analysis and visual examination of the bioclasts were used to document the facies changes. The distribution of the skeletal and non-skeletal grains in the lagoon of Mayotte is clearly controlled by (1) the rate and amplitude of the Holocene sea-level rise, (2) the pre-Holocene basement topography and (3) the growth-potential of the barrier reef during sea-level rise, and the changes in bathymetry and continuity during this period. The sequence boundary consists of the glacial karst surface. The change-over from the glacial lowstand is marked by the occurrence of mangrove deposits. Terrigenous and/or mixed terrigenous-carbonate muds to sandy muds with a mollusc or mollusc-ostracod assemblage dominate the transgressive deposits. Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic or carbonate sand to gravel with a mollusc-foraminifer or mollusc-coral-foraminifer assemblage characterize the early highstand deposits on the inner lagoonal plains. The early highstand deposits in the outer lagoonal plains consist of carbonate muds with a mollusc-foraminifer assemblage. Late highstand deposits consist of terrigenous muds in the nearshore bays, mixed terrigenous-carbonate sandy muds to sands with a mollusc-foraminifer assemblage on the inner lagoonal plains and mixed muds with a mollusc-foraminifer assemblage on the outer deep lagoonal plains. The present development stage of the individual lagoons comprises semi-enclosed to open lagoons with fair or good water exchange with the open ocean.

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Acknowledgements

The gravity cores from the Mayotte lagoon were obtained during the cruise CARLAMAY in 1989 by researchers from the Université d’Aix-Marseille and the Université de la Réunion of the French research programme CORDET 1989-90. We would like to thank G. Kouyoumontzakis, J. F. Babinot (University of Marseille) and Ph. Bouchet (Museum National d’Histoire Naturalle of Paris) for their help with the identification of the ostracods, foraminifera and gastropods. We thank the reviewers E. Gischler and D. Meischner for their constructive comments. We acknowledge A. Stahl and T. Bauch, P. Ferrieri and A. Remia for their help with the laboratory and photographic work. Financial support for this study was provided by grants of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). This is IGM scientific contribution # 1335

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  1. Jens Zinke

    Present address: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, FALW, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  2. John J. G. Reijmer

    Present address: Université de Provence (Aix-Marseille I), Centre de Sédimentologie-Paléontologie FRE, CNRS 2761 “Géologie des Systèmes Carbonatés”, 3, place Victor Hugo, Case 67, 13331, Marseille Cédex 3, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFM-GEOMAR, Leibniz-Institut für Meereswissenschaften, Wischhofstrasse 1-3, Kiel, 24148, Germany

    Jens Zinke & Wolf-Christian Dullo

  2. Istituto di Scienze Marine, Sez. Geologia Marina, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy

    Marco Taviani

  3. Centre d’Océanology de Marseille, Station marine d’Endoume, Chemin de la batterie des Lions, 13007, Marseille, France

    Bernard Thomassin

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  1. Jens Zinke
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Correspondence to Jens Zinke.

Annex 1: List of identified bivalves, gastropods and foraminiferans for selected levels within the core. Core number, depth in core, systems tract and calibrated calendar ages are indicated (Zinke et al. 2001, 2003b)

Annex 1: List of identified bivalves, gastropods and foraminiferans for selected levels within the core. Core number, depth in core, systems tract and calibrated calendar ages are indicated (Zinke et al. 2001, 2003b)

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Zinke, J., Reijmer, J.J.G., Taviani, M. et al. Facies and faunal assemblage changes in response to the Holocene transgression in the Lagoon of Mayotte (Comoro Archipelago, SW Indian Ocean). Facies 50, 391–408 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-004-0040-7

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