First geo-marine survey of living cold-water Lophelia reefs in the Ionian Sea (Mediterranean basin)

• Published in: Facies
• Main Authors: Taviani, M, Freiwald, A, Mastrototaro, F, Remia, A, Tursi, A, CORAL Shipboard Staff, CORSELLI, CESARE, MALINVERNO, ELISA, SAVINI, ALESSANDRA
• Other Authors: Corselli, C, Malinverno, E, Savini, A, CORAL Shipboard, S
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2005
• Subjects: Deep coral; Living Lophelia reefs; Ionian Sea; Mediterranean; Recent; GEO/01 - PALEONTOLOGIA E PALEOECOLOGIA; Lophelia pertusa
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10281/5375; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10347-004-0039-0

Prosperous deep coral mounds including living colonies of Lophelia pertusa together with Madrepora oculata and Desmophyllum dianthus (= D. cristagalli) have been discovered in 2000, by fishery operations on the eastern side of the Ionian Sea. The living coral mounds are located between ca. 300 and 1,100 m on a gently dipping shelf off Apulia at Santa Maria di Leuca (SML), and characterized by a complex seabed topography. Side scan sonar, shallow high-resolution seismics and sampling indicate that these Lophelia-bearing coral mounds colonize quasi-indurate (firmground) Pleistocene sediment. At places live corals were found on Pleistocene coral-hardgrounds. The fauna associated with these Ionian modern coral mounds is less diversified than modern Eastern Atlantic counterparts. The core of living coral mounds colonies is at present located in 500–700 m and is tentatively suggested that their survival is mostly controlled by oceanographic factors. The SML coral banks represent so far a unique example of living Lopheliabearing coral mounds in the Mediterranean basin