The term, bioconstruction, usually refers to a bioconstructed limestone that has been built-up by colonial and sediment-binding organisms including algae, corals, bryozoans, and stromatoporoids. The term, bioconstructed limestone, was introduced by Carozzi and Zadnick (1959) in their study of the Silurian Wabash reef in southern Indiana. The word, bioconstructed, was used to distinguish the limestones and dolomites which were found in a reef from the dolomitic calcarinites preserved in the reef flanks and the dolomitic shales in the country rock (Carozzi and Zadnick, 1959). The term, bioconstruction, was next applied to Devonian stromatoporoid reefs in the Beaverhill Lake Formation, Upper Devonian, Alberta Canada (Carozzi, 1961).
European use of the word bioconstruction
The word, bioconstruction, was widely accepted and used in European geologic journals, but has not appeared in any North American journals since 1961. The European use of the term, bioconstruction, includes what the...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsBibliography
Carozzi, A.V., 1961. Reef petrography in the Beaverhill Lake Formation, Upper Devonian, Swan Hills area, Alberta, Canada. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 31: 497–513.
Carozzi, A.V. and Zadnik, V.E., 1959. Microfacies of Wabash reef, Wabash, Indiana. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 29: 164–171.
Cumings, E.R., 1930, List of species from the New Corydon, Kokomo, and Kenneth Formations of Indiana, and from reefs in the Mississineaw and Liston Creek formations. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 39: 204–212.
Ladd, H.S., 1944, Reefs and other bioherms. National Research Council, Division of Geology and Geography, Annual Report 4, Appendix K, pp. 26–29.
Noe, S.U., 1996, Late-stage reef evolution of the Permian Reef Complex; shelf margin and outer-shelf development of the Tansill Formation (Late Permian), northern Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, USA. In Reitner, J., Neuweiler, F., and Gunkel, F. (eds.), Global and Regional Controls on Biogenic Sedimentation; 1, Reef Evolution, Research Reports. Goettinger Arbeiten zur Geologie und Palaeontologie. Sonderband. SB2, pp. 249–258.
Rehfeld, U., 1996, Mediating and limiting processes during the development of spongiolitic bioconstructions in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata; a paleontological, facial and geochemical analysis. In Reitner, J., Neuweiler, F., and Gunkel, F. (eds.), Global and Regional Controls on Biogenic Sedimentation; 1, Reef Evolution, Research Reports. Goettinger Arbeiten zur Geologie und Palaeontologie. Sonderband. SB2, pp. 249–258.
Rodriguez, S. and Sanchez, C.F., 1994. Rugose corals and calcareous algae bioconstructions in the Torreon section, Visean, Badajoz. Coloquios de Paleontologia, 6: 61–75.
Wood, R.A., 1999, Reef Evolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cross-references
Atolls
Bioerosion
Bioherms and Biostromes
Coral Reefs
Reefs, Non-Coral
Tidal Environments
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Springer
About this entry
Cite this entry
Fox, W.T. (2005). Bioconstruction. In: Schwartz, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_46
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_46
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-1903-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3880-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences