Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a downslope accretion history: From coralgal-coralline sponge rubble to mud mound deposits (Eocene, Ainsa Basin, Spain)

Abstract

In the Lutetian intraslope Ainsa sub-basin, small, sub-spherical, carbonate mud mounds occur associated with hemipelagic marls and mixed gravity flow deposits. The studied mud mounds consist of a mixture of allochthonous, parautochthonous and autochthonous components that show evidences of reworking, bioerosion, and accretion by different fossil assemblages at different growth stages. The crusts of microbial-lithistid sponges played an important role stabilizing the rubble of coralgal-coralline sponges and formed low-relief small benthic patches in a dominant marly soft slope environment. These accidental hard substrates turned into suitable initiation/nucleation sites for automicrite production (dense and peloidal automicrites) on which the small mud mounds dominated by opportunistic epi- and infaunal heterozoan assemblages grew. A detailed microfacies mapping and paleoenvironmental analysis reveals a multi-episodic downslope accretion history starred by demosponges (coralline and lithistid sponges), agariciid corals, calcareous red algae, putative microbial benthic communities and diverse sclerobionts from the upper slope to the middle slope. The analyzed mud mound microfacies are compared with similar fossil assemblages and growth fabrics described in many fossil mud mounds, and with recent deep-water fore reefs and cave environments.