A fine balance: Accommodation dominated control of contemporaneous cool-carbonate shelf-edge clinoforms and tropical reef-margin trajectories, North Carnarvon Basin, Northwestern Australia

The concurrent development of a cool-carbonate Miocene clinoform system and the tropical reef which developed on its shelf in the North Carnarvon Basin is studied. The study, based on seismic interpretation and geometrical analysis, seeks to investigate how the architecture of the clinoforms develops in relation to the advance of the reef-margin, providing a proxy for discussing contemporaneous shoreline versus shelf-edge development. The progradation of the reef and shelf-edge often display a closely mirrored development, although the reef twice advances an order of two to three times the concurrent advance of the shelf-edge. The forced regression of the second advance, as compared to the normal regression during the first, is observed in proportionally higher input of sediment towards advance of the shelf-edge and toe, along with a gentler slope. The inability of the shelf-edge to keep pace with the reef-margin (and by proxy the shoreline) during lower accommodation/sedimentation is a result of the increased volume of sediment required to match reef-margin advance beyond the shelf-edge. Increased accommodation/sedimentation ratios promote higher trajectories where the volumes on shelf and slope are more balanced and the development more closely matched. The observed matched development of reef and shelf-edge during both limited and increased slope sedimentation, suggest that accommodation is the dominant control on the location and trajectory of both 'shoreline' and shelf-edge, and that excess sediment is deposited along the slope.