Modern fringing reef carbonates from equatorial SE Asia: An integrated environmental, sediment and satellite characterisation study

Fringing reefs of SE Asia may conservatively comprise ~30% of the world's coral reef area, but remain almost unstudied (White, 1987; Tomascik et al., 1997). This study provides insights into the primary sedimentological and early alteration characteristics of an isolated fringing reef system (Kaledupa-Hoga) from the Tukang Besi Archipelago, SE Asia. A combined multispectral satellite imagery, field and petrographic study allowed for the generation of an environmental facies map, which acts as a model for the distribution of primary sedimentological characteristics in relation to the primary environmental facies. The islands of the Tukang Besi Archipelago are mesotidal (71% accuracy when compared with field and sedimentary data. With the exception of the reef crest and reef slope that commonly have widths on a sub-imaging resolution (