Reciprocal lowstand clastic and highstand carbonate sedimentation, subsurface Devonian reef complex, Canning Basin, Western Australia

Abstract

Recognises 18 third-order stratigraphic sequences in a major transgressive-regressive facies cycle. A Givetian phase of crustal extension initiated the transgressive-regressive cycle. The cycle terminated in the Tournaisian, following a phase of slow thermal subsidence. Sequence and systems trace geometries, their stacking patterns, and component facies define two distinct styles of sedimentation: 1) a Givetian to early Famennian, reef-rimmed platform complex; and 2) a late Famennian to Tournaisian mixed carbonate and siliciclastic ramp complex. The recognition of relative sea-level cycles in these strata has led to a subsurface model of reef development, which provides new insights into the third-order cyclicity within the larger Pillara and Nullara cycles recognized from previous outcrop studies. -from Authors