Recent sedimentary facies of isolated carbonate platforms, Belize-Yucatan System, Central America

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Gischler, Eberhard and Anthony J. Lomando

Publication_Date: 19990501

Title: Recent sedimentary facies of isolated carbonate platforms, Belize-Yucatan System, Central America

Edition:

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Spreadsheet

Series_Information:

Series_Name: Journal of Sedimentary Research

Issue_Identification: Volume 69(3)

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place:

Publisher: SEPM

Other_Citation_Details:

Online_Linkage: http://www.sepm.org/archive/index.html

Description:

Abstract:

Distribution of recent sedimentary facies is significantly different in four closely spaced, isolated carbonate platforms off the coasts of Belize and Yucatan (SE Mexico). These differences are largely controlled by variations in submarine topography, which are likely the result of differential subsidence and karstification from platform to platform. A variety of depositional styles and patterns is found in platform interiors that developed during the same Holocene sea-level rise. Composition and texture of surface sediment samples were used to define four major sediment types and to distinguish nine depositional environments within the platforms. Facies maps are based on analysis of 454 sediment samples and high-resolution satellite imagery. Glovers Reef is characterized by a circular facies distribution. The nearly continuous reef margin is composed of a coral--red coralline algae--Halimeda grainstone. Mixed nonskeletal (peloidal)/skeletal wackestones and packstones are present in shallow lagoon parts (< 5 m water depth) behind the margin. The deep interior, from 5 to 18 m water depth, is characterized by mollusk--foram--Halimeda wackestones with over 860 patch reefs of coral--red algae--Halimeda--mollusk packstones. Lighthouse Reef also has a coral grainstone and coral--red algae--Halimeda grainstone rim, but the facies distribution in the interior is strongly asymmetrical. The 8-m-deep eastern lagoon is floored by mollusk--foram--Halimeda wackestones and packstones; the 3-m-deep western lagoon has the mixed peloidal/skeletal wackestone to grainstone facies. A linear trend of coalescing patch reefs and skeletal grainstone facies separates the two lagoons. Banco Chinchorro is similar to Lighthouse Reef, inasmuch as facies distribution patterns of the interior are strongly asymmetrical. Mollusk--foram--Halimeda wackestones--grainstones are present in eastern lagoon areas, whereas shallow (< 5 m) western parts of the lagoon are composed of mixed peloidal/skeletal grainstones, packstones, and wackestones. Most of Turneffe Islands is protected on the east by Lighthouse Reef. Accordingly, Turneffe has a narrower reef and skeletal grainstone rim than the other two platforms. Restricted interior lagoons are up to 8 m deep, and are enclosed by wide mangrove rims and surface sediments dominated by Halimeda-rich wackestone rich in organic matter. Coral patch reefs are absent. In contrast, the unprotected northernmost part of Turneffe has a wide reef and grainstone rim and the open lagoon area consists of mollusk--foram--Halimeda wackestones--packstones with abundant patch reefs.

Purpose:

Not Available

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Recent sedimentary facies of isolated carbonate platforms, Belize-Yucatan system, Central America, by E. Gischler and A.J. Lomando, published in Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 69 (3): pp. 947-963, 1999.

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.0

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -87.0

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 19.0

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 16.0

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD SCIENCE PARAMETERS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ANCILLARY KEYWORDS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO TOPIC CATEGORY

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: DATA SET LANGUAGE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > BEACHES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > CORAL REEFS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > LAGOONS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > SEA LEVEL RISE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > SEDIMENTATION

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > BIOGENIC SEDIMENTS > CARBONATE SEDIMENTS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > SEDIMENT COMPOSITION

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > SEDIMENTARY TEXTURES > SEDIMENT GRAIN SIZE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > MARINE SEDIMENTS > STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > OCEAN/LAKE RECORDS > CORAL DEPOSITS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > OCEAN/LAKE RECORDS > MACROFOSSILS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > OCEAN/LAKE RECORDS > SEDIMENTS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > PALEOCLIMATE > OCEAN/LAKE RECORDS > STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS > SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > ROCKS/MINERALS/CRYSTALS > SEDIMENTS

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > TECTONICS > PLATE TECTONICS > STRATIGRAPHIC SEQUENCE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE HABITAT

Theme_Keyword: Carbonate Platform

Theme_Keyword: Coarse Fraction

Theme_Keyword: Coral

Theme_Keyword: Depositional Environments

Theme_Keyword: Facies

Theme_Keyword: Facies Determination

Theme_Keyword: Forams

Theme_Keyword: Geology

Theme_Keyword: Grain Size

Theme_Keyword: Matrix

Theme_Keyword: Molluscks

Theme_Keyword: Reefs

Theme_Keyword: Sedimentology

Theme_Keyword: Stratigraphy

Theme_Keyword: Yucatan

Theme_Keyword: BIOTA

Theme_Keyword: CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

Theme_Keyword: GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

Theme_Keyword: INLAND WATERS

Theme_Keyword: OCEANS

Theme_Keyword: ENGLISH

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Place_Keyword: CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > CENTRAL AMERICA > BELIZE

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

Please use the following to cite the data: Gischler, Eberhard and Anthony J. Lomando, Recent sedimentary facies of isolated carbonate platforms, Belize-Yucatan System, Central America, JSR Volume 69(3), May 1999.

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: EBERHARD GISCHLER

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: ANTHONY J. LOMANDO

Contact_Position: INVESTIGATOR

Contact_Position: INVESTIGATOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Geologisch-Paldontologisches Institut

Address: Universitdt Frankfurt am Main

Address: Senckenberganlage 32--34

City: Frankfurt am Main

Postal_Code: 60054

Country: Germany

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: Chevron Overseas Petroleum Inc.

Address: 6001 Bollinger Canyon Road

City: San Ramon

State_or_Province: California

Postal_Code: 94583

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 49-69-798 25136

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 49-69-798 22958

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: gischler@em.uni-frakfurt.de

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Not Available

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Not Available

Completeness_Report:

Not Available

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Not Available

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Geographic:

Latitude_Resolution: 1 second

Longitude_Resolution: 1 second

Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal degrees

Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Altitude_System_Definition:

Altitude_Datum_Name: Not Available

Altitude_Resolution: 1 m

Altitude_Distance_Units: Not Available

Altitude_Encoding_Method: Implicit coordinate

Depth_System_Definition:

Depth_Datum_Name: Not Available

Depth_Resolution: 1 m

Depth_Distance_Units: Not Available

Depth_Encoding_Method: Implicit coordinate

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: SEPM > Society for Sedimentary Geology

Contact_Person: SEPM

Contact_Position: DATA CENTER CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: 6128 East 38th Street, Suite #308

City: Tulsa

State_or_Province: OK

Postal_Code: 74135-5814

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 800-865-9765 (USA)

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 918-610-3361 (Worldwide)

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 918-621-1685

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: foundation@sepm.org

Resource_Description: gischleratollsedall.xls

Resource_Description: gischlerc835.xls

Distribution_Liability:

Not Available

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: xls

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://www.sepm.org/archive/index.html

Access_Instructions:

DATA CENTER URL

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://www.sepm.org/archive/index.html

Access_Instructions:

This is the location from which the two data sets may be viewed/downloaded. File "gischlerc835.xls" contains the Latitude-Longitude coordinates of individual samples. File "gischleratollsedall.xls" contains the composition and texture data of individual samples.

Fees: None

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20000526

Metadata_Review_Date: 20061013

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: GENE R. MAJOR

Contact_Position: DIF AUTHOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: gsfc-gcmduso@mail.nasa.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time