Authors / CoAuthors
Marshall, J.F. | Davies, P.J.
Abstract
Sediments on the continental shelf of eastern Australia increase in carbonate content away from the present shoreline. However, the high values of the outer shelf sands show little latitudinal variation, both tropical and temperate continental shelves being mantled with sediments which are relatively pure carbonates. Thus a high calcimass productivity is not restricted to tropical regions. However, the types of carbonate-secreting organisms do show marked latitudinal variations. North of latitude 24°S the outer continental shelf is dominated by the Great Barrier Reef, and inter-reef and outer shelf sediments contain the remains of hermatypic corals and calcareous green algae, mainly Halimeda, together with varying amounts of foraminifera, Mollusca, Bryozoa, and calcareous red algae. Corals and Halimeda are not present in the sediments south of 24°S, which consists of foraminifera, mollusca, bryozoa and calcareous red algae. The bryozoan content of the sediments increases to the south, and between 38° and 44°S bryozoans become the dominant component of the outer shelf sands. Present-day sea-surface temperature and salinity data have been analysed to predict the distribution of carbonate particle associations. The observed distribution agrees with the predicted one, but the presence of relict carbonate sediments must be taken into account.
Product Type
document
eCat Id
80949
Contact for the resource
Custodian
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Custodian
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia
Keywords
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- GA PublicationJournal
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- ACTNSWQLDTASVIC
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_External
Publication Date
1978-01-01T00:00:00
Creation Date
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unknown
Topic Category
geoscientificInformation
Series Information
BMR Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics 3:2:85-92
Lineage
Unknown
Parent Information
Extents
[-45.0, -10.0, 141.0, 155.0]
Reference System
Spatial Resolution
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Associations
Source Information
Source data not available.