King Reef, Deep (Holocene of Australia)

Where: Queensland, Australia (17.8° S, 146.1° E: paleocoordinates 17.8° S, 146.1° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Holocene (0.0 - 0.0 Ma)

• Radiocarbon dates indicate that the reef initiated on exposed ‘coffee rock’ outcrops ~ 5600 to 5900 cal yBP and then accreted rapidly to reach sea level (radiocarbon-dated corals indicating that a sequence of up to 3 m thick accreted in ~ 1000 years). Based on corals dated from the uppermost portion of the cores and microatoll dating, vertical reef accretion at King Reef appears to have ceased by ~ 4500 cal yBP

Environment/lithology: platform or shelf-margin reef; shelly/skeletal, muddy framestone

• fringing reef

Size class: macrofossils

Primary reference: R. C. Roche, C. T. Perry, K. G. Johnson, K. Sultana, S. G. Smithers and A. A. Thompson. 2011. Mid-Holocene coral community data as baselines for understanding contemporary reef ecological states. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 299:159-167 [W. Kiessling/M. Krause]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 166541: authorized by Wolfgang Kiessling, entered by Mihaela Krause on 17.02.2015

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Anthozoa
 Scleractinia - Leptastreidae
Leptastrea sp.
Leptastrea sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1848 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Faviidae
Favia sp.
Favia sp. Oken 1815 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Merulinidae
Platygyra sp., Favites sp., Echinopora sp., Leptoria sp., Pectinia sp., Hydnophora sp., Goniastrea sp., Cyphastrea sp.
Platygyra sp. Ehrenberg 1834 stony coral
Favites sp. Link 1807 stony coral
Echinopora sp. Lamarck 1816 stony coral
Abundant (>5%)
Leptoria sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1848 stony coral
Pectinia sp. Oken 1815 stony coral
Hydnophora sp. Fischer de Waldheim 1807 stony coral
Goniastrea sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1848 stony coral
Cyphastrea sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1848 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Acroporidae
Montipora sp., Astreopora sp., Acropora sp.
Montipora sp. Blainville 1830 stony coral
Astreopora sp. Blainville 1830 stony coral
Acropora sp. Oken 1815 stony coral
Abundant (10%)
 Scleractinia - Pocilloporidae
Seriatopora sp., Stylophora sp.
Seriatopora sp. Lamarck 1816 stony coral
Abundant (>5%)
Stylophora sp. Schweigger 1819 stony coral
Abundant (>5%)
 Scleractinia - Agariciidae
Pachyseris sp., Pavona sp.
Pachyseris sp. Milne-Edwards and Haime 1849 stony coral
Pavona sp. Lamarck 1801 stony coral
Abundant (>5%)
 Scleractinia - Poritidae
Goniopora sp., Porites sp.
Goniopora sp. Blainville 1830 stony coral
Abundant (>5%)
Porites sp. Link 1807 stony coral
Very abundant (20%)
 Scleractinia - Lobophylliidae
Moseleya sp.
Moseleya sp. Quelch 1884 stony coral
 Scleractinia - Dendrophylliidae
Turbinaria sp.
Turbinaria sp. Oken 1815 stony coral
Most abundant (30%)