MARINE PALEOENVIRONMENT

Wahyu Dwijo Santoso

dwijo@gc.itb.ac.id
What is Marine (??)

“Clastic Hierarchies”
Christopher G. St. C. Kendall
Sedimentary Environment

(Gorrel, 1958)

“Clastic Hierarchies”
Christopher G. St. C. Kendall
 Marine Physics (Lateral)
Surface Salinity

Thermohaline circulation (THC) is a part of the large-scale

ocean circulation that is driven by global density gradients
created by surface heat and freshwater fluxes (Rahmstorf,
2003)
Marine Physics (Lateral)
Global Surface Temperature
6
Marine Physics (Vertical)
Marine Physics (Vertical)
Hydrostatic Pressure

Ph = Rho* g* h
Marine Physics (Vertical)

• Euphotic = the depth of the water in an ocean that is exposed to

such intensity of sunlight (clean water, low turbidity).
• Mesophotic = the depth of the water in an ocean that is exposed
to medium intensity of sunlight (medium turbidity).
• Oligophotic = the depth of the water in an ocean that is exposed
to less intensity of sunlight (high turbidity).
• Aphothic = the depth without light penetration
 ACD and CCD

Aragonite Compensation Depth

• CCD = the depth in the oceans below which the rate of supply of calcite lags behind the rate of solvation, such that no
calcite is preserved. Around 4 km
• ACD = the depth in the oceans below which the rate of supply of aragonite lags behind the rate of solvation, such that no
calcite is preserved. Around 3 Km
Marine Physics (Vertical)
CCD VS Time VS Place

(van Andel, 1975)

 ADAPTATION

is a process by which an animal or plant species becomes fitted to its environment; it is the result of natural selection’s
acting upon heritable variation. Even the simpler organisms must be adapted in a great variety of ways: in their
structure, physiology, and genetics, in their locomotion or dispersal, in their means of defense and attack, in
their reproduction and development, and in other respects.
ADAPTATION
THE SIMPLE
What is the changes occur?
What is the changes occur?
What is the changes occur?
Causes of the changes

Tectonic Eustacy by glaciation

 FORAMINIFERA

Live planktonic foraminifera: Globigerinella aequilateralis, from near the Bermuda Islands,
showing extensive spine array, and pseudopodia running along them. The test, not including
the spines, is about 1 mm in size. Light photo by C. Hemleben, Tubingen University. Copyright
Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research, Inc., 1987.
 FORAMINIFERA
• Kingdom = Protista Haeckel, 1866
• Phyllum = Granololeticulosa
• Order = Foraminiferida Eichwald, 1830
 Biocoenoese

Thanatocoenoese

24
PLANKTONIC

BENTHONIC

25
FORAMINIFERA
 Phleger (1975) and Parker (1971)
Tropis :
Globorotalia truncatulinoides
Globigerinoides sacculiferus
Globorotalia canariensis
Globorotalia cultrata
Globigerinoides sacculiferus
Globorotalia tumida
Globigerinoides ruber
Pulleniatina obliqueloculata
Sphaeroidinella dehiscens
Globigerinoides conglobatus
Orbulina universa Globigerina bulloides
Globorotalia menardii
Globigerina eggeri Subarctic :
Globigerinoides ruber Globigerina pachyderma
Globigerina bulloides Globigerina quinqueloba
Globigerina bulloides
Temperate :
Globorotalia hirsuta
Arctic :
Globorotalia inflata
Globigerina pachyderma
Globigerina bulloides 29
 TEMPERATURE

• Dextral = the coiling direction is clockwise

• Sinistral = the coiling direction is counter clockwise
31
SALINITAS

• Dwarf foraminifera, under pressure environment (Tasch, 1953 dan

Hallam, 1965)
 JUMLAH NUTRISI & SALINITAS

MIKROFAUNA KERDIL (DWARF FAUNA)

Berhubungan dgn salinitas yg abnormal
Berhubungan dgn lingkungan yg tertekan (Tasch,
1953 dan Hallam, 1965)
Berhubungan dgn kondisi lingkungan yg optimum →
pertumbuhan cepat, namun berukuran kecil
(Bradshaw, 1957 di laboratorium dan Lankford,
1967 di Delta Mississippi)

34
Pelagic Ratio = P/(P+B)

(Grimsdale and Markhoven, 1955)

• Coral morphology influences type of limestone facies.
• Every corals has unique morphology as the response of paleoceanography parameters and paleobathymetry
• Need the detail of corals species to get the good understanding of limestone building and facies classification
 Corals environment

(James and Borque,1992)

• Several factors of modern reef growth: Photic, nutrients, salinity, temperature.

• Ideal environments: low nutrients, low sediments influx, photic zone, 25 – 35 ‰ NaCl, and 25 – 29 °C temperatures
• Growth form of corals is the product of wave energy and sedimentation
 Corals Bathymetry

• Detail species analysis can help to know the stage of carbonate

initiation: build up, catch up, keep up, and give up.
• Every species has unique bathymetry while has the same genus.
For example, Acropora genus(red box) has range bathymetry 0 – 15 m.
However, Acropora digitifera lives 0 – 5 m and Acropora hyacinthus
occupies 5 – 15 m
(Gabioch et al., 1999)
 Quaternary Environments
Marine Sediments and Corals
Marine Environments

Cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface

Between 6-11 billion metric tons of sediment accumulate in the
ocean basins annually
 Definitions

• Planktic – Passively floating organisms living near the surface (0-200m

depth)
• Benthic – Bottom-dwelling organisms
• Test – Protective covering
CLIMAP

The CLIMAP Research Group

Climate: Long-range Investigation, Mapping, and prediction
(CLIMAP)
SST and Ocean Surface Conditions
From 635 ocean sediment cores
Data from faunal counts of diatoms, planktonic
foraminifera, coccoliths, and radiolaria
Stratigraphy - percent fine, coarse, total carbonate, 18O and
13C

Geochemistry - percent opal, quartz, and organic carbon

SPECMAP

Spectral Mapping Project

Determining the spectral characteristics of ocean
sediment-based paleoclimatic records
Establishing a basic timeframe for past climatic events
Climate times series of the past 400,000 years
Based on 17 sediment cores from the Atlantic Ocean.
Quantitative data on planktonic species and assemblages
which reflect conditions in the surface waters of the
Atlantic Ocean
18O, 13C difference (planktic and benthic), and Cd/Ca.
Sedimentation in the Ocean
Problems With Marine Sediments
Selective dissolution of thin-walled specimens
Transportation by ocean currents
Removal of easily transported species
Introduction of exotics
These problems may make some ocean floor
sediments unsuitable for paleoclimatic reconstructions
Regions Usable for Foram Studies
Important Organisms

Foraminifera - Zooplankton
Coccolithophores (coccoliths) – Unicellular algae
Dinoflagellate – Organic walled
Radiolarians – Siliceous zooplankton
Silicoflagallates – Siliceous
Diatoms – Siliceous algae
 Foraminifera – Globigerina bulloides from the Labrador Sea

Foraminifera – Neogloboquadrina pachyderma from the North Atlantic

 Coccolith Dinoflagellate

Centric Diatom Pennate Diatom

Paleoclimatic Inferences
Oxygen isotopic composition of CaCO3 in foram tests
Quantitative interpretations of species assemblages and their spatial
variations through time
Morphological variations in particular species resulting from
environmental factors
Benthic 18O record for equatorial Atlantic for the
past 3.2 Mya
SST Reconstructions for 18,000 yrs BP
Coral Records of Past Climate
Reef-Building Massive Corals that have a symbiotic relationship with
algae
The algae produce carbohydrates through photosynthesis and are therefore
dependent upon water depth, turbidity, and cloudiness
Sectioned and x-rayed
High and low density bands can be distinguished with high-density bands
relating to high SST
 Drilling corals for paleoclimatic
reconstruction.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/magazine/stories/mag95.htm
 Growth bands in Coral. Arrows
indicate "stress bands" revealed in
an x-ray of coral skeletal material
caused by cold, unfavorable
temperatures.

http://www-ocean.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD6.2/giese.html
Benefits of Coral Analysis
Tropical records that fill gaps left by other marine paleorecords
Annual resolution
Dating is checked with 230Th
Possible extent back to 130,000 years BP
Problems with Coral Analysis
Few records that extend past one century
Real extreme events may go unrecorded do to death of the coral
colony for some period of time
Long Coral Based Records of Past Climate
 A New Standard Facies Belt and Biofacies Approach
Based on Acropora Coral in Ujunggenteng Area,
West Java Province, Indonesia

Wahyu Dwijo Santoso, Yahdi Zaim, Yan Rizal

Department of Geology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
Correspondence Author: geawahyu08@gmail.com (Wahyu Dwijo)

AAPG/SEG International Conference & Exhibition

April 3 – 6, 2016
Barcelona, Spain
 Controls of Carbonate Accumulation
• Key factors of carbonate accumulation in
Ujunggenteng area related with biological
factor and sediments influx.

• Paleotopography and paleobathymetry

differences hold the important rule of coral
growth development in Ujunggenteng
Area.

(Jones and Desrochers, 1992; Wilson, 2012)

 Limestone Facies

(James and Borque,1992) (Pomar et al., 1996)

• Coral morphology influences type of limestone facies.

• Every corals has unique morphology as the response of paleoceanography parameters and paleobathymetry
• Need the detail of corals species to get the good understanding of limestone building and facies classification
• The study of coral fosil species and the relationship with carbonate facies still rare performs in Indonesia,
 Corals environment

(James and Borque,1992)

• Several factors of modern reef growth: Photic, nutrients, salinity, temperature.

• Ideal environments: low nutrients, low sediments influx, photic zone, 25 – 35 ‰ NaCl, and 25 – 29 °C temperatures
• Growth form of corals is the product of wave energy and sedimentation
 Corals Bathymetry

• Detail species analysis can help to know the stage of carbonate

initiation: build up, catch up, keep up, and give up.
• Every species has unique bathymetry while has the same genus.
For example, Acropora genus(red box) has range bathymetry 0 – 15 m.
However, Acropora digitifera lives 0 – 5 m and Acropora hyacinthus
occupies 5 – 15 m
(Gabioch et al., 1999)
 Key Questions of Research
• Types of corals in Ujunggenteng Area
• Distribution of corals and biofacies map
• The relationship between corals distribution and ecology factor
• Standard facies belt in Ujunggenteng Area (proposed)
 Research Area

(Modified from Martodjojo, 2003) (Google earth, 2016)

• The research area is located in Ujunggenteng Beach, Sukabumi, West Java.

• Coordinates 70 21 '31.2 "- 70 22' 30" latitude and 1060 24 '12.2 "- 1060 25' 30" longitude.
• Good outcrops and continue coral distribution.
Research Area Condition and Object

Good corals
outcrop

Holocene corals outcrop, dominated by

branching corals of Acropora genus.
 Morphology Analysis

Recent sediments
progradation

Sandstone
Carbonate Platforms
Claystone

200 m

N
 Coral Species
Acropora species (detail species refers to Wallace and Dai, 1997)

Acropora cervicornis Acropora palifera

 Coral Species
Acropora species

Acropora gemmifera Acropora humilis Acropora palmata

 Coral Species

Fungia sp. Montastrea sp.

 Coral Species

Montipora sp. (?)

Porites sp. (?)
Distribution of Corals (Acropora species)
N
Biofacies Map ( from Acropora species)

Without Acropora corals

 3D Biofacies Map ( from Acropora species)
Paleo – sediments source

Recent sediments
progradation

Sandstone A gemmifera – A cervicornis –

(Paleo-progradation sediments) A. humilis biofacies A. palifera biofacies
A B
Claystone A cervicornis –
A. palmata biofacies

200 m
Older Platform (?)

N
A
Cross section A - B B

Increasing paleobathymetry

(Bathymetry ranges of corals from Gabioch et al., 1999

and Boss and Liddel, 1987)
 SEM - EDS Analysis

Petrography Aragonite

SEM

Geochemistry from EDS

Geochemistry from EDS
LD-05
N

LD-04

Decreasing Mg/ Ca ratio

LD-02
Standard Facies Belt
• Different biota between model
from Wilson (1975) with biota
from Ujunggenteng Area.

• Domination of Acropora shows

different dynamic setting of
marine.

• Proposes new standard facies

belt

(Wilson, 1975)
 Paleogeography

• Domination of Acropora and elongated

morphology shows Ujunggenteng
paleogeography around open shelf –
shelf margin area

(Scholle et al., 1983)

Standard Facies Belt
 Shoreface – Thanatocoenose coral

Coral fragments Shoreface sandstone

Open Shelf – Thanatocoenose coral

Thanatocoenose coral
Shelf Margin– Biocoenose coral

Biocoenose coral
 3D Standard Facies Belt
Paleo – sediments source

Recent sediments
progradation

Shelf margin –
Shoreface– Biocoenose coral
Thanatocoenose coral
Lagoon (?) Open shelf –
Thanatocoenose coral

200 m
Older Platform (?)

N
 Stage of Carbonate Evolution

Colony of corals were emerged by high

prograding sediments
High sediments progradation

Platform morphology was built. Many

biocoenose corals was observed

Start corals colonization. Diversity

higher than stabilization stage

Bioclastic and thanatocoenose corals in

A. cervicornis and A. palmata biofacies

(James and Borque, 1992)

 Conclusion
• Based on morphological observation, Acropora spesies in Ujunggenteng
area consists of five species, namely Acropora cervicornis, Acropora
palifera, Acropora gemmifera, Acropora humilis, and Acropora palmata.
• Ujunggenteng area can be distinguished into three biofacies: Acropora
cervicornis – Acropora palifera biofacies, Acropora gemmifera – Acropora
humilis biofacies, and Acropora cervicornis – Acropora palmata biofacies.
• Mg/Ca trend shows negative correlation with paleobathimetry result.
Decreasing Mg/Ca ratio has relationship with increasing paleobathimetry
• This study proposed the new standard facies belt based on environment
and corals taphonomy, which is proposed as Shoreface - thanatocoenose
coral, Open shelf - thanatocoenose coral, and Shelf margin - biocoenose
coral.
 References
• Boss, S.K. and Liddel, W.D. (1987): Back – reef and fore reef analogs in the Pleistocene of North
Jamaica: Implications for facies recognition and sedimen flux in fosil reefs, SEPM Society for
Sedimentary Geology, 219 – 228.
• Gabioch, G., Montaggion, L.F., Faure, G., and Ribaud – Laurenti, A. (1999): Reef coralgal
assemblages as recorders of paleobathymetry and sea level changes in the Indo-Pacific Province,
Quaternary Science Reviews, 1681 – 1695.
• James, N.P. andBourque, P.A. (1992): Reefs and Mounds Facies Models.,Geoscience, Canada.
• Jones, B. and Desrochers, A. (1992): Shallow platform carbonates, Geoscience, Canada.
• Martodjojo, S. (2003): The Evolution of Bogor Basin, ITB Press.
• Pomar, L., W.C. Ward, and D.G. Green (1996): Upper Miocene reef complex of the Llucmajor area,
Mallorca, Spain: SEPM Concepts in Sedimentology and Paleontology, v. 5, p. 191-225.
• Scholle, P.A., Bebout, D.G., and Moore, C.H. (1983): Carbonate Depositional Environments,The
American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Oklahoma.
• Wallace, C.C. and Dai, C.F. (1997): Scleractinia in Taiwan (IV): Review of the coral genus Acropora
from Taiwan, Zoological Studies, 288 – 324.
• Wilson, M.J. (2012): Equatorial carbonates: an earth system apparoach, Sedimentology, 59, 1 – 31.
• Wilson, J. L. (1975): Carbonate Facies in Geologic History, Springer-Verlag.
Aerial Photograph from Google earth, 2016 (Accessed in January, 20 2016)
Sunset at Ujunggenteng Beach

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