Rhodolith Pavement facies, Upper Coralline Limestone Fm. (Miocene of Malta)

Where: Malta (35.9° N, 14.4° E: paleocoordinates 35.7° N, 14.1° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Upper Coralline Limestone Formation, Messinian (7.2 - 5.3 Ma)

• The strata are thought to be Messinian or possibly late Tortonian in age

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: reef, buildup or bioherm; reef rocks and wackestone

• the most widespread facies, both vertically (0.4 m to 14 m) and laterally (up to 10 km). It is also within this facies that rhodoliths attain their greatest size, some having long axis dimensions in excess of 200 mm. The sediments consist of alternations of rhodoliths and wackestones as plane beds or cross beds (Fig.5C). Point counts from rhodolith beds have mean values of 49.5% rhodolith and 46% wackestone, comprising micrite and finely comminuted foraminifera, algal clasts and other debris.
• rhodolith pavement; rhodoliths and wackestones

Size classes: mesofossils, microfossils

Primary reference: D. W. J. Bosence. 1983. Coralline algae from the Miocene of Malta. Palaeontology 26:147-173 [W. Kiessling/M. Krause]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 141551: authorized by Wolfgang Kiessling, entered by Mihaela Krause on 28.03.2013

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Florideophyceae
 Corallinales - Corallinophycidae
Lithophyllum bahrijense, Lithophyllum "sp. B", Lithophyllum spp., "Lithophyllum mgarrense" = Lithophyllum nitorum, cf. Lithophyllum prelichenoides, Lithophyllum albanense, Lithoporella melobesioides, Archaeolithothamnium affine
Lithophyllum "sp. B" Philippi 1837
Lithophyllum spp. Philippi 1837
"Lithophyllum mgarrense" = Lithophyllum nitorum Adey and Adey 1973
Lithophyllum albanense Lemoine 1924
 Hapalidiales - Corallinophycidae
"Lithothamnium magnum" = Lithothamnion, Mesophyllum commune
"Lithothamnium magnum" = Lithothamnion
Mesophyllum commune Lemoine 1939
Ulvophyceae
 Bryopsidales - Halimedaceae
Halimeda sp.
Halimeda sp. Lamouroux 1812
Echinoidea
 Clypeasteroida - Clypeasteridae
Clypeaster altus
Clypeaster altus sand dollar
 Spatangoida - Schizasteridae
Schizaster sp.
Schizaster sp. Agassiz 1835 heart urchin
 Cidaridae - Cidaridae
"Cidaridae indet." = Cidaroida
"Cidaridae indet." = Cidaroida Claus 1880 pencil urchin
Bivalvia
 Pectinida - Pectinoidae
Chlamys sp., Spondylus crassicosta
Chlamys sp. Röding 1798 scallop
Spondylus crassicosta Lamarck 1819 scallop
Stenolaemata
 Cyclostomata - Theonoidae
Radiofascigera sp.
Radiofascigera sp. d'Orbigny 1853
Gymnolaemata
 Cheilostomata - Microporidae
Calpensia nobilis
Calpensia nobilis Esper 1796
Anthozoa
 Scleractinia - Merulinidae
Tarbellastraea sp.
Tarbellastraea sp. Alloiteau 1950 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Poritidae
Porites sp.
Porites sp. Link 1807 stony coral