Clastic Sediment Input
Clastic sediments have a terrigenous source and arrive at carbonate platforms through both fluvial and eolian processes such as river deposits and wind blown dust.
Ultimatly clastic sediments can shut off carbonate sediment production and kill the carbonate factory. It does this in three main ways.
1. Reduction of water transparency
2. Cloggs the feeding and/or respiration of sessile benthic organisms
3. Increasing nutrient and particulate organic concentration of the water. This causes filamentous algae to replace the coelenterates in the carbonate factory. Many organisms in the carbonate platforms thrive in nutrient poor waters while their competition cannot. When nutrient levels increase corals and other organisms lose their advantage and can die off quickly.
Index to carbonate shelf sediments