Coral assemblages from a Mississippian mud-mound complex, Central Morocco

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Somerville, Ian D. Rodríguez, Sergio Said, Ismail Cózar, Pedro Sierra De
Copyright Year	2011
Abstract	Microbial mounds are common in the Carboniferous from Western Palaeotethys. A conspicuous Mississippian example is located close to Tabainout village in the southern part of the Azrou-Khenifra Basin, west of Khenifra in Central Morocco. The mud mounds from Tabainout lie almost directly on Ordovician sandstones. Basal Carboniferous deposits are polymictic conglomerates, sedimented in a palaeorelief on the Ordovician sandstones during the upper Visean (Asbian). Calcareous breccias and bioclastic limestones with a diverse assemblage of corals occur in the overlying beds representing the base for the core facies of the mounds (Fig. 1). The basal bedded bioclastic limestones contain abundant colonial and solitary rugose corals: Amplexizaphrentis sp., Amplexocarinia sp., Arachnolasma cylindricum, Clisiophyllum keyserlingi, Dibunophyllum bipartitum, Lithostrotion vorticale, Palaeosmilia murchisoni, Pseudozaphrentoides sp., Rotiphyllum sp., Siphonodendron irregulare, S. martini, S. pauciradiale, S. sociale, Siphonophyllia sp., as well as tabulates (Michelinia) and heterocorals (Hexaphyllia mirabilis). This upper Visean (Late Asbian) shallow-water assemblage is accompanied by abundant algae and algospongia (Koninckopora, kamaenids, Fasciella) and foraminifers (Howchinia and Archaediscus at angulatus stage). The succeeding massive mounds are over 100m thick and form a NW-SE trending ridge. They are composed of micropeloidal mudstones-wackestones with stromatactoid cavities and contain very scarce corals of the genera Amplexus and Axophyllum. Foraminifers are very rare and calcareous algae absent. Fenestellid bryozoans can be locally common.
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Language	English
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Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article