No reef-rimmed margins to the Permian carbonate platforms of Thailand

In the central Thailand platform, marginal buildups (Early Permian) are formed mainly by fossiliferous grainstones with boundstones occurring only as small biostrome. Boundstones have a dominant skeletal element of encrusting Archaelithoporella and Tubiphytes with calcisponges and abundant syndepositional marine cements. This boundstone texture is similar to that of many other well documented Permian examples, such as El Capitan, U.S.A. and Trogkofel, Austria. In the Ratburi area of Peninsular Thailand, small bioherms (Middle Permian) are interbedded within grainstone shoals. Boundstone textures are matrix rich, with bryozoa, the main skeletal element and Tubiphytes, the main binding element. The Peninsular Thailand buildups formed on platform interior ridges and not in a shelf marginal position. These small biostromal and biohermal buildups in central and Peninsular Thailand did not form massive shelf-margin reef bodies as have been described from Permian platforms in western U.S.A. and southern China.