Occurrence and preservation of Eocene squamariacean and coralline rhodoliths: Eau, Tonga

A widespread rhodolith facies occurs within middle Eocene limestones of Eua, Tonga (Fig. 1). These limestones, first described by Hoffmeister (1932), represent a portion of a broad, early Tertiary platform that developed in the Tonga area prior to disruption and uplift by later Tertiary plate movements (Kroenke and Tongilava 1975). Algal rhodoliths form beds several meters thick within Eocene limestones and occur at localities several kilometers apart along the length of Eua.