Early Devonian reefs at Reefton, New Zealand: guilds, origin and paleogeographic significance

Study of 35 systematically collected and 10 semi-random samples (about 100 cm(2) each) from one outcrop of the Lankey Limestone (Emsian) near Reefton, New Zealand indicates that it is a reef framestone built by tabulate (4? spp.) and clonal rugose (one sp.) corals, two species of stromatoporoids, a few bryozoans (2? spp.) and crinoids. The guild structure of the reef community and data on skeleton orientation and growth direction further indicate that there was relatively minor biostratonomic alteration of the original community. Skeletons are either in growth position or tipped, toppled or even overturned, but they have remained in situ. Other clone-rich Lankey Limestone outcrops in the Reefton area support the notion of an upper shelf reef system and stratigraphic and sedimentologic data suggest that it was located near the Gondwana margin at a paleolatitude of about 35 degreesS.