Prolonged carbonate diagenesis under an evolving late cenozoic climate; Nullarbor Plain, southern Australia

Abstract

The Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia, the largest areal karst on the globe, is a ~240,000km 2 uplifted succession of Cenozoic marine carbonates whose surface has been exposed for 14 to 15m.y. The middle Miocene Nullarbor Limestone forms the upper surface of the plain and hosts a complex and prolonged record of meteoric diagenesis. Such a complete record offers unique insights into the effects of climate, tectonics, sea level, topography, and hydrology on the style and placement of numerous diagenetic events in flat low lying carbonate plains. Alteration took place during three broad phases comprising eight stages that are interpreted to have formed against a background of dramatic climate change. Middle Miocene phase one diagenesis took place under a humid climate and resulted in rapid mineral equilibration, calcite cementation, extensive karst development, and finally widespread lacustrine and palustrine sedimentation. Resultant palustrine sediments, especially terrestrial ooids, are now preserved at the surface and in underlying karst cavities. Latest middle Miocene to middle Pliocene phase two diagenesis occurred during a prolonged period (~8m.y.) of temperate climate and resulted in initial deep cave dissolution during low sea levels and later shallow cave development in the course of a high sea level. Onset of a somewhat more arid climate in the latest Pliocene led to the development of the modern desolate landscape of the Plain. This final phase of diagenesis involved creation of solution pits filled with black limestone pebbles, open and closed dolines with associated colluvium fill, and pervasive pedogenic calcrete. The Nullarbor Plain demonstrates that low lying carbonate plains can have low surficial erosion rates, precisely record relative sea level positions, be able to have extensive caves with extended periods of arrested calcite precipitation, and finally host extensive terrestrial ooid deposits. The importance of this comprehensive paragenetic record is its applicability to not only recognize unconformities in the rock record but to better appreciate the climate in which they formed. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.