Constructional dynamics for a Lower Cretaceous carbonate ramp (Gorbea Massif, north Iberia)

Abstract

Abstract The lower Albian distally steepened Egalezaburu carbonate ramp is composed of four stacked cycles with homogeneous characteristics throughout the section. Relative sea-level changes accounted for cycle formation and changes in facies distribution. During transgression and highstands, fossiliferous boundstones were deposited on the inner ramp, and argillaceous mudstones formed on the mid- and outer ramp. Shallow marine benthic communities flourished in open, moderate-energy environments, controlled by the depth of the photic zone. During lowstands, shallow-water sedimentation shifted basinward, and skeletal grainstones dominated shallow-water environments on the mid-ramp, controlled by the depth of the wave-base. Meanwhile megabreccias accumulated locally in oversteepened sites, at the mid- to outer ramp transition. The resulting cycles differ from the inner to the mid-ramp: shallowing-upward muddy cycles formed in the inner ramp during transgressions and highstands, as deepening-upward cycles with a basal grainy unit formed on the mid-ramp during lowstand to early highstand. Photic zone and wave-base levels, controlled by relative sea-level fluctuations, were the main controls on facies types and distribution and cycle development for the Egalezaburu ramp.