Norian-Rhaetian reefs in Argolis Peninsula, Greece

Abstract

Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic shallow-water carbonate sequences of the ‘Pantokrator limestones’ are widely distributed in the Argolis Peninsula, southern Greece. Within this sequence are some reef or reefal structures. In the Mavrovouni Mountains, near Sarmeika, 6 km SE of the ancient theatre of Epidavros (Argolis Peninsula), a Norian-Rhaetian reef complex has been identified. This is the first well-documented Norian-Rhaetian reef in Greece. The main reef builders are coralline sponges (‘sphinctozoans,’ ‘inozoans’, and sclerosponges), followed by dendroid, cerioid, and solitary corals, and algae. The reef type corresponds to a ‘sponge-coral reef’.