Botryoidal masses of (former) aragonite make up the core facies of some Lower Permian phylloid algal mounds in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. These mounds were deposited along a shelf edge in shallow, gently current-swept environments. The aragonite appears to have been precipitated inorganically as in-situ seafloor growths, with individual vertical relief as much as 5.0 cm above the substrate. As such, they represent the first reported occurrence of marine aragonite formation at the sediment/water interface. The lateral and vertical coalescence of botryoids created a three-dimensional network of interbotryoid and internal cavities that were simultaneously filled with fossiliferous marine sediment and/or aragonite-fan cements. The volume of marine aragonite in th se inorganic boundstones is as high as 85% in some samples.

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