Uber ein holozänes Korallen- und Mangrovenvorkommen nahe Santa Marta, Kolumbien

Abstract

En el mes de nov./1969 olas larga procedentes de un huracán en el NW del Mar Caribe causaron temporalmente la erosión de la "Punta la Loma", una punta de arena situada en la playa frente al aeropuerto Simón Bolívar de Santa Marta. Como resultado de este suceso afloró el sustrato de esta punta, el cual esta formado de una granodiorita encrustada por corales arrecifales y cubierta por una arena cementada. En la fauna coralina están presentadas solamente especies recientes conocidas de la costa colombiana del Caribe. También se encontraron algunos moluscos y abundantes restos litificados de raíces de mangles.

In November 1969 high swell from a hurricane in the Caribbean Sea NW caused temporary beach erosion at the "Punta la Loma", a sandy spit situated in front of the airport of Santa Marta. The erosion revealed tthe substrate of the spit which is formed of granodiorite incrusted by reef corals and covered with cemented sand, in which numerous remains of lithified roots have been found. All the corals belong to species presently known from the Recent fauna of the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Based on their internal structure the lithified roots have been attributed to mangroves. The fossil deposits are situated up to 1 m above low tide level. Their age has been estimated as Holocene. This is supported by the obvious lack of recrystallization of the corals. The considerable uplift of tthe Sierra Nevada that occurred during Pleistocene time, too suggests a very young i.e. Holocene age of the fossils.