Abstract

Analysis of a range of aeolianite deposits from the Western Mediterranean (Roquetas in southern Spain and Campo de Tiro in Mallorca) and the Bahamas (Crab Cay on San Salvador Island) has shown that biota can be important in the diagenesis of deposits in the vadose zone, and this may aid in the interpretation of palaeoenvironments, particularly where pedogenic calcretes are absent. This paper looks at how the growth of roots into dune sediments and the associated profusion of micro-fauna and micro-flora can have, on a local scale, a profound affect on the early diagenetic and sediment fabric. These fabrics are affected at three levels: (1) at the site of the former root; (2) directly surrounding the root (the peritrophic zone); and (3) from the peritrophic zone to a few tens of centimetres from the former root.