Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia
Ningaloo Reef, situated on the central west coast, is Australia's largest fringing reef system extending southward from 22 deg S for over 200 km. Its narrow lagoon is backed by a coastal plain, which is largely composed of an emergent Last Interglacial reef on the flank of folded Tertiary limes...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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2003
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/4769 |
| _version_ | 1848744609006485504 |
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| author | Collins, Lindsay Zhu, Z. Wyrwoll, K. Eisenhauer, A. |
| author_facet | Collins, Lindsay Zhu, Z. Wyrwoll, K. Eisenhauer, A. |
| author_sort | Collins, Lindsay |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Ningaloo Reef, situated on the central west coast, is Australia's largest fringing reef system extending southward from 22 deg S for over 200 km. Its narrow lagoon is backed by a coastal plain, which is largely composed of an emergent Last Interglacial reef on the flank of folded Tertiary limestones. The west-facing reef is exposed to strong oceanic swells across a narrow (8 km) continental shelf. Climatic aridity, cyclones, tsunamis, and the poleward flowing Leeuwin Current all influence the reef system. Seismic profiling and a coring and dating program along a transect through a reef pass indicate two periods of reef development in the northern part of the reef: Holocene and Last Interglacial. Seaward of the crest, the Holocene reef forms either a prominent 500 m-wide bulge with 10 m of relief and an abrupt seaward slope, or a series of discrete patch reefs. Holocene reef development is limited to depths of less than 30 m and reaches a maximum thickness of ca. 10-15 m below the reef crest. U/Th TIMS dates from distal parts of the Last Interglacial section between -18 and -36 m give ages toward the end of the high stand (120-115 ka). Last Interglacial reef growth was more extensive of the two, filling much of the available accommodation space, perhaps as a result of a stronger Leeuwin Current. This substrate subsequently provided an antecedent foundation for Holocene reef development. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:04:11Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-4769 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:04:11Z |
| publishDate | 2003 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-47692017-09-13T15:54:29Z Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia Collins, Lindsay Zhu, Z. Wyrwoll, K. Eisenhauer, A. coral reefs - U-series dating - seismic structure Ningaloo Reef, situated on the central west coast, is Australia's largest fringing reef system extending southward from 22 deg S for over 200 km. Its narrow lagoon is backed by a coastal plain, which is largely composed of an emergent Last Interglacial reef on the flank of folded Tertiary limestones. The west-facing reef is exposed to strong oceanic swells across a narrow (8 km) continental shelf. Climatic aridity, cyclones, tsunamis, and the poleward flowing Leeuwin Current all influence the reef system. Seismic profiling and a coring and dating program along a transect through a reef pass indicate two periods of reef development in the northern part of the reef: Holocene and Last Interglacial. Seaward of the crest, the Holocene reef forms either a prominent 500 m-wide bulge with 10 m of relief and an abrupt seaward slope, or a series of discrete patch reefs. Holocene reef development is limited to depths of less than 30 m and reaches a maximum thickness of ca. 10-15 m below the reef crest. U/Th TIMS dates from distal parts of the Last Interglacial section between -18 and -36 m give ages toward the end of the high stand (120-115 ka). Last Interglacial reef growth was more extensive of the two, filling much of the available accommodation space, perhaps as a result of a stronger Leeuwin Current. This substrate subsequently provided an antecedent foundation for Holocene reef development. 2003 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/4769 10.1016/S0037-0738(03)00096-4 restricted |
| spellingShingle | coral reefs - U-series dating - seismic structure Collins, Lindsay Zhu, Z. Wyrwoll, K. Eisenhauer, A. Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia |
| title | Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia |
| title_full | Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia |
| title_fullStr | Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia |
| title_short | Late Quaternary structure and development of the northern Ningaloo Reef, Australia |
| title_sort | late quaternary structure and development of the northern ningaloo reef, australia |
| topic | coral reefs - U-series dating - seismic structure |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/4769 |