Print this pageMorphometric Analyses and Habitat Characterization of a Deepwater Carbonate Depositional Environment
Examining spatial patterns in carbonate depositional environments using fine-scale satellite imagery data is a common approach for improving input parameters in geologic models. Although a few similar studies in deep-water carbonate environments have been performed, usually the low-resolution data restrain the use of a quantitative approach. Here we report the quantitative patterns of spatial deposition on deep-water coral mound fields in the Straits of Florida. This work relies on the integration of centimeter-scale bathymetric and backscatter maps from a total area of 130km2 collected with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and groundtruthed by submersible dives via video transects and bottom samples. These data reveal high variability in coral mound abundance and size across the surveyed area. Spatial patterns of coral mounds were quantitatively analyzed using a set of morphometric parameters including size and frequency distribution, shape characterization and complexity. Deep-water habitat characterization maps were also generated by extracting the backscatter intensity values and trained with the ground-truthing data. Morphometric analyses for each facies type were performed, including a geospatial facies-facies relationship analysis, which provides insight into whether facies distribution is random or deterministic. The statistical spatial analyses of deep-water coral mounds and their associated substrate types, together with the development of fine-scale habitat characterization maps, provide for the first time a quantitative assessment of a deep-water carbonate environment. This study contributes to our understanding of the major processes governing mound formation and development in the Straits of Florida. This information will also aid in the interpretation of ancient deep-water carbonate environments, as well as to ongoing exploration for hydrocarbons in off-platform carbonates.
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90100©2009 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition 15-18 November 2009, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil