Middle Miocene coral-oyster reefs, Murchas, Granada, southern Spain

Abstract

Middle Miocene coral-oyster patch reefs crop out at Murchas. They are irregularly shaped masses of coral-oyster boundstone, up to 18 m wide and 3-4 m high, that developed on the outer part of a homoclinal ramp, seaward of some sand shoals, in a mixed carbonate-terrigenous environment. Heliastrea is the predominant coral. Porites, Tarbellastraea and the phaceloid coral Mussismilia are also important components. These corals show no clear pattern in their distribution and appear embedded in a silty (bioclastic) matrix. Oysters in the reef community belong to the species Hyotissa aquarrosa.