Strength variation in young reef limestones

Carbonate lithologies are notably variable within the reef environment, and many of these variations influence the engineering properties of the materials. With respect to strength, the facies effects are largely eliminated by lithification as the carbonate becomes a strong limestone, but they are critical to the engineering properties of young, non-indurated carbonates. Such variability between young reef limestones is significant, and is not reflected in their grouping as one unit in the widely used classification established by Fookes & Higginbottom (1975).

An extensive programme of fieldwork on the West Indies island of Barbados has recognised considerable variations between reef...