The strength of biogenic sand reefs: Visco-elastic behaviour of cement secreted by the tube building polychaete Sabellaria alveolata, Linnaeus, 1767 |
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| Authors: | Jean-Benoît Le Cam Jérôme Fournier Samuel Etienne Jérôme Couden |
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| Institution: | 1. Clermont-Université, Institut Français de Mécanique Avancée, CNRS EA 3867 FR TIMS 2856, Laboratoire de Mécanique et Ingénieries, BP 265, 63175 Aubière cedex, France;2. CNRS UMR 7208 BOREA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, CP53, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France;3. Université de la Polynésie française, BP 6570, 98702 Faa’a, Tahiti, French Polynesia;4. CNRS UMR 6042 GEOLAB, Clermont-Université, 4 rue Ledru, 63037 Clermont-Ferrand cedex 1, France |
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| Abstract: | Mechanical properties of the biomineralised cement from tube-building marine worms are poorly known. Secreted from an organ connected to the polychaetes specialised glands, the cement glues sand grains and calcareous shell fragments of a given size and, on a larger scale, ensures the resistance of the reef to waves. In this study, three kinds of mechanical tests were performed with worm tubes to establish the nature of the cement behaviour. Results obtained show that cement behaves like a visco-elastic material. This property allows the tubes to dissipate the mechanical energy from the waves to which they are subject and to reduce the mechanical stress transmitted inside the tubes to the polychaetes. Comparison of “fresh” and “dry” cements highlights that the visco-elastic behaviour of the cement is maintained after five years. The viscosity of the cement is therefore not related to moisture but to its chemical composition. More generally, these results offer a better understanding of the role of cement on worm reefs strength and their persistence in the geological record. |
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| Keywords: | biogeomorphology biogenic reef Sabellaria alveolata mechanical behaviour visco-elasticity |
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