Flooding of a carbonate platform: The Sian Kaʼan Wetlands, Yucatán, Mexico—A model for the formation and evolution of palustrine carbonate factories around the modern Caribbean Sea and in the depositional record

The Sian Ka'an Wetlands in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula serve as a model for understanding the dynamic interactions between marine and freshwater carbonate depositional environments. This study reveals that rising sea levels during the Late Holocene transgression have caused the progressive reflooding of the Yucatán Platform, leading to the backstepping of the MesoAmerican Reef and the encroachment of coastal environments into the platform interior. The wetlands form a vast palustrine carbonate factory, directly linked with marine carbonate factories seaward, demonstrating sensitivity to subtle changes in water depth, climate, vegetation, hydrology, and tectonic activity. Modern analogues include the Florida Everglades and relict marsh environments in the Bahamas, while ancient examples reflect similar processes during marine transgression or basin fill onlap. The study suggests that freshwater palustrine carbonate factories are transient deposystems with potentially low preservation in coastal settings but greater potential inland or in subsident basins.

Platt, N. H., & Wright, V. P. (2023). Flooding of a carbonate platform: The Sian Kaʼan Wetlands, Yucatán, Mexico—A model for the formation and evolution of palustrine carbonate factories around the modern Caribbean Sea and in the depositional record. The Depositional Record, 9(1), 99–151. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/dep2.217