Inside a sediment‐stressed Middle Devonian carpet reef: Cave exposes details of three‐dimensional facies architecture and palaeoecology

ABSTRACT During the Middle Devonian, reef growth reached an acme, and corals stromatoporoids colonized depositional niches commonly considered unfavourable for reefal organisms. This paper documents detailed facies architecture palaeoecology of a stratigraphically thin ( ca 12 m, ‘carpet reef’), lower Givetian body exposed along walls ceilings labyrinthine passages in Klutert Cave western Germany. The cave exposures 26 000 m 2 rock surface) data from short cores, neighbouring caves outcrops document demise autoparabiostrome. forms part parasequence with carbonate upper clastic unit, bounded by flooding surfaces. Despite comparatively small study area 1 km ), exceptional exposure quality reveals changes over relatively distances both vertical lateral. sedimentary matrix build‐up contains between 20 to 95 wt.‐% clay quartz silt sand fraction. Based on this observation, thrived murky waters under sediment‐stressed conditions. Stromatoporoids, example, display irregular ragged flanks, feature that is agreement environment. No evidence reduced rates, decreased calcification or numbers species found. In fact, coral diversity density are highest within one two biostromal units show peak values, indicating remarkable adaptation builders initial settlement rugose phaceloid took place mixed clastic–carbonate substrate (the basal surface). Up‐section, succession coral–stromatoporoids present here described great detail. Reef collapse occurred when much accommodation space was filled, argillaceous sediments suffocated protected, low‐energy