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Hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites: implications for depositional models

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Abstract

Large benthic foraminifers are considered to be good indicators of shallow marine carbonate environments in fossil series. Over the last 50 years, the palaeoenvironment of Tertiary Nummulites accumulations has been a matter of debate, particularly because of difficulties in interpreting these deposits, and in this way, the absence of analogues in present-day seas does not help. The aim of this paper is to insight the different ways Nummulites tests and clasts may accumulate according to their hydrodynamic behaviour. Based on experimental measurements and on SEM observations, it appears that the high primary skeletal porosity of Nummulites made them easily transportable. The calculated threshold shear velocities confirm that large-sized Nummulites can be moved by weak wave-driven currents. This peculiar hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites could explain the diversity of depositional models. Depending on local hydrodynamic conditions, autochthonous Nummulites deposits can be preserved as in situ winnowed bioaccumulations or be accumulated offshore, onshore or alongshore, away from the original biotope.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant # 200021-107694) and by Total Petroleum, who provided funds for the PhD thesis of S. Jorry and C.A. Hasler. We are grateful to François Gischig, Pierre Le Guern and Gregory Frebourg for their assistance during the experimental measurements. Rossana Martini is thanked for running SEM for us. We are indebted to the journal reviewers Luis Pomar (Mallorca) and Johann Hohenegger (Wien) for their valuable comments which greatly improved the early version of our manuscript.

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  1. Stéphan J. Jorry

    Present address: Department of Earth Science MIS12, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, TX 77005, Houston, US

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  1. Department of Geology, University of Geneva, 13 rue des Maraîchers, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland

    Stéphan J. Jorry & Eric Davaud

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK

    Claude-Alain Hasler

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Jorry, S.J., Hasler, CA. & Davaud, E. Hydrodynamic behaviour of Nummulites: implications for depositional models. Facies 52, 221–235 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-005-0035-z

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