Fig. 11

Creation of shallowing-up sequences at constant sea level and with fluctuating sea level. The resulting sedimentary record represents the evolution through time of one point on the shallow carbonate platform. Subsidence is assumed constant. At constant sea level (a), once sediment has filled in the available space, progradation of tidal flats is initiated. Carbonate production decreases then stops when the adjacent lagoon is filled in. Subsidence creates new accommodation but carbonate productivity picks up only after a lag time. With fluctuating sea level (b), accommodation is created during sea-level rises (in addition to subsidence) but the sediment becomes subaerially exposed during falls, thus superimposing supratidal features onto subtidal and intertidal sediment. Legend of symbols is given in Fig. 4