Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Palaeontology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 18688

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: carbonate sedimentology; facies analysis biota and carbonate factories; Meso-Cenozoic carbonate systems; machine learning; field mapping and 3D reconstruction of outcrops; carbonate seismic interpretations; internal waves and carbonates

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Guest Editor
Department of Geological Sciences & Center for Sedimentary Basin Studies, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
Interests: Sedimentology, diagenesis, stratigraphy, and facies analysis of modern and ancient carbonate systems; sequence stratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, and seismic facies analysis of carbonate and mixed carbonate-siliciclastic systems; controls on basin-scale occurrence and seismic-scale geometries of carbonate systems; ecology and paleoecology of reef systems; carbonate reservoir characterization from seismic; forward modeling of carbonate systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbonate systems are the most extensive archive of the Earth’s climate and oceanographic changes, both historical and recent, as well as biological evolution, offering a snapshot of modern reef communities and elucidating critical boundary conditions for predicting ecological response to future climate scenarios. Carbonate rocks are also important energy reservoirs, containing a large percentage of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reserves globally. However, a detailed understanding of the sedimentology and diagenetic patterns governing carbonate systems and the relative impact of various controls on carbonate sediment production, facies distribution, and carbonate platform morphology remains elusive. As we narrow the knowledge gap in “how” this complex system works, an increasing number of questions arise around the interactions and relative thresholds of the different controlling factors that create sudden changes in the system. Recent work on carbonate sedimentology has demonstrated the strong interaction between water chemistry, sediment production, and early diagenesis, and facies distribution in both carbonate and mixed carbonate–siliciclastic systems. The integration of geochemical data with more traditional sedimentological data has provided novel and more accurate means to unravel the complex relationships between chemical, biological, ecological, and sedimentary systems. At the same time, access to ever larger datasets and faster processing software allows more accurate analyses and more robust interpretations.

This Special Issue aims at documenting new and recent advances in carbonate sedimentology by collecting original contributions and review articles addressing a wide range of processes across scale, from the formation of carbonate particles, to the controls on sedimentary structures and depositional facies, to the basin-scale tectono-sedimentary and geochemical processes that control type, production, and accumulation of carbonate sediment, and shape of shallow water and slope to basin carbonate systems. Articles published in this Special Issue will cover the underlying relationship between ocean chemistry and carbonate factory type, resedimentation processes, and base-of-slope architecture, as well as the influence of basin topography on sequence stratigraphic evolution through examples from both outcrops and subsurface, and integration of digital outcrop reconstructions, numerical forward modeling, and machine learning approaches.

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Mallorca, Balears Islands, Miocene Reef

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Platform to basin transition Upper Jurassic Lower Cretaceous Gargano Promontory

 Prof. Dr. Michele Morsilli
Prof. Dr. Marcello Minzoni
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Carbonate sedimentology 
  • Carbonate factories 
  • Carbonate systems and biota 
  • Carbonate facies type and distribution 
  • Carbonate and environmental perturbations 
  • Carbonate and climate change 
  • Machine learning and big data 
  • Forward modeling 
  • Seismic interpretation 
  • Digital outcrop reconstructions 
  • Diagenesis of carbonate rocks and dolomitization 
  • Carbonate reservoir and CO2 storage

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3327 KiB  
Article
Syndepositional Uptake of Uranium, Molybdenum and Vanadium into Modern Bahamian Carbonate Sediments during Early Diagenesis
by Evan Magette, Adam Turner, Yongbo Peng and Achim D. Herrmann
Geosciences 2023, 13(3), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13030066 - 26 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2025
Abstract
Syndepositional diagenesis is a complicating factor when interpreting geochemical proxies in carbonate sedimentary environments. Previous studies have suggested that carbonate deposits may preserve the geochemical and isotopic signatures of seawater that can be used for paleo-redox reconstructions. However, more work is necessary to [...] Read more.
Syndepositional diagenesis is a complicating factor when interpreting geochemical proxies in carbonate sedimentary environments. Previous studies have suggested that carbonate deposits may preserve the geochemical and isotopic signatures of seawater that can be used for paleo-redox reconstructions. However, more work is necessary to understand how these trace metals are preserved. The present study examines shallow marine carbonate sediments from the Bahamas to better understand diagenetic effects on trace metal uptake and sequestration. Analysis of diagenetic effects and trace metal uptake follows a multi-method approach, combining sequential extraction, stable isotope analyses, and rare earth elemental analysis. Stable isotopes track bacterial sulfate reduction, denitrification, and organic matter source and provide insight into thresholds and processes for the authigenic trace metal uptake. Importantly, exchangeable phases exhibit authigenic accumulation of molybdenum, uranium and vanadium, and intensified bacterial sulfate reduction is evidenced by most depleted sulfur isotope signatures. In addition, rare earth element values are very indicative proxies that suggest altered primary seawater trace element in carbonates (no cerium or lanthanum anomaly, moderate heavy rare earth element enrichment, decreased y/ho ratios and positive correlations between aluminum, manganese, and iron). Taken together, these results allow the development of a framework to better understand how to apply sedimentary geochemistry of carbonate rocks to paleo-environments as this study shows significant authigenic accumulation of redox-sensitive trace metals by exchangeable phases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology)
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64 pages, 23199 KiB  
Article
Upper Triassic Carbonate Records: Insights from the Most Complete Panthalassan Platform (Lime Peak, Yukon, Canada)
by Nicolò Del Piero, Sylvain Rigaud, Camille Peybernes, Marie-Beatrice Forel, Nicholas Farley and Rossana Martini
Geosciences 2022, 12(8), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12080292 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3878
Abstract
Upper Triassic carbonate platforms from the Panthalassa Ocean remain less-understood and less-studied than their Tethyan equivalents. This imbalance is largely due to the poorer preservation state of Panthalassan carbonate rock successions in terms of rock quality and depositional geometries, which prevents good appreciation [...] Read more.
Upper Triassic carbonate platforms from the Panthalassa Ocean remain less-understood and less-studied than their Tethyan equivalents. This imbalance is largely due to the poorer preservation state of Panthalassan carbonate rock successions in terms of rock quality and depositional geometries, which prevents good appreciation of depositional systems. In this context, carbonate exposures from Lime Peak (Yukon, Canada) represent an outstanding exception. There, the remains of an Upper Norian Panthalassan carbonate platform are well-exposed, show remarkably preserved depositional geometries and overall superior rock preservation. In this work, we analyse the carbonates from the Lime Peak area with particular attention to the vertical and lateral distribution of biotic assemblages and microfacies at the platform scale. Results demonstrate that the Lime Peak platform was surrounded by a basin with an aphotic sea bottom. The carbonate complex developed in warm waters characterized by high carbonate saturation. The area was also defined by moderate to high nutrient levels: this influenced the type of carbonate factory by favouring microbialites and sponges over corals. During its growth, Lime Peak was influenced by tectono-eustatism, which controlled the accommodation space at the platform top, primarily impacting the internal platform environments and the stability of the slope. Gaining better knowledge of the spatial distribution and dynamics of Upper Triassic organisms and sedimentary facies of Panthalassa in relation to tectono-eustatism lays the first foundations for reconstructing more robust platform models and understanding the evolution of other, more dismantled Upper Triassic Panthalassan carbonate systems through time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology)
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28 pages, 10941 KiB  
Article
The Porosity in Heterogeneous Carbonate Reservoir Rocks: Tectonic versus Diagenetic Imprint—A Multi-Scale Study from the Hyblean Plateau (SE Sicily, Italy)
by Rosanna Maniscalco, Eugenio Fazio, Rosalda Punturo, Rosolino Cirrincione, Agata Di Stefano, Salvatore Distefano, Martina Forzese, Gabriele Lanzafame, Giusy Simona Leonardi, Sergio Montalbano, Alessandra Giovanna Pellegrino, Antonino Raele and Giuseppe Palmeri
Geosciences 2022, 12(4), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12040149 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4506
Abstract
The petroleum industry has always been pursuing highly exploitable gas fields, which are often hosted in carbonate rocks. However, carbonates are highly heterogeneous and show different fabrics and structures as the result of sedimentation in various environments, and subsequent diagenesis and deformation. [...] Read more.
The petroleum industry has always been pursuing highly exploitable gas fields, which are often hosted in carbonate rocks. However, carbonates are highly heterogeneous and show different fabrics and structures as the result of sedimentation in various environments, and subsequent diagenesis and deformation. In this study, a multi-scale and multidisciplinary approach has been performed on classical reservoir rocks from the subsurface of the Hyblean Plateau (Sicily, Italy). We aim at unravelling the important and debated role of tectonic and diagenetic structures (mainly fractures as well as stylolites) in enhancing or reducing the porosity. Black shales, limestones, and laminites of intertidal environment represent the main lithologies. Structure cross-cutting relationships record different stages of the basin geological history, which are related to the tectonic evolution of the area. Our results show that porosity is uncommonly lightly affected by fractures and faults, because of their mineralization, whereas stylolites, which are often considered as barriers to fluid flow, show a certain porosity. Therefore, we want to highlight the importance of a multi-scale and multidisciplinary approach in the analysis of heterogeneously porous, fractured- and stylolite-rich carbonate rocks, and our study aspires to boost other similar gas reservoir studies in energy transition times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology)
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19 pages, 9177 KiB  
Article
Palaeoecological Implications of Lower-Middle Triassic Stromatolites and Microbe-Metazoan Build-Ups in the Germanic Basin: Insights into the Aftermath of the Permian–Triassic Crisis
by Yu Pei, Hans Hagdorn, Thomas Voigt, Jan-Peter Duda and Joachim Reitner
Geosciences 2022, 12(3), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12030133 - 14 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3090
Abstract
Following the end-Permian crisis, microbialites were ubiquitous worldwide. For instance, Triassic deposits in the Germanic Basin provide a rich record of stromatolites as well as of microbe-metazoan build-ups with nonspicular demosponges. Despite their palaeoecological significance, however, all of these microbialites have only rarely [...] Read more.
Following the end-Permian crisis, microbialites were ubiquitous worldwide. For instance, Triassic deposits in the Germanic Basin provide a rich record of stromatolites as well as of microbe-metazoan build-ups with nonspicular demosponges. Despite their palaeoecological significance, however, all of these microbialites have only rarely been studied. This study aims to fill this gap by examining and comparing microbialites from the Upper Buntsandstein (Olenekian, Lower Triassic) and the lower Middle Muschelkalk (Anisian, Middle Triassic) in Germany. By combining analytical petrography (optical microscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy) and geochemistry (δ13Ccarb, δ18Ocarb), we show that all the studied microbialites formed in slightly evaporitic environments. Olenekian deposits in the Jena area and Anisian strata at Werbach contain stromatolites. Anisian successions at Hardheim, in contrast, host microbe-metazoan build-ups. Thus, the key difference is the absence or presence of nonspicular demosponges in microbialites. It is plausible that microbes and nonspicular demosponges had a mutualistic relationship, and it is tempting to speculate that the investigated microbial-metazoan build-ups reflect an ancient evolutionary and ecological association. The widespread occurrence of microbialites (e.g., stromatolites/microbe-metazoan build-ups) after the catastrophe may have resulted from suppressed ecological competition and the presence of vacant ecological niches. The distribution of stromatolites and/or microbe-metazoan build-ups might have been controlled by subtle differences in salinity and water depth, the latter influencing hydrodynamic processes and nutrient supply down to the microscale. To obtain a more complete picture of the distribution of such build-ups in the earth’s history, more fossil records need to be (re)investigated. For the time being, environmental and taphonomic studies of modern nonspicular demosponges are urgently required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology)
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25 pages, 24976 KiB  
Article
Re-Evaluation of the Ionian Basin Evolution during the Late Cretaceous to Eocene (Aetoloakarnania Area, Western Greece)
by Elena Zoumpouli, Angelos G. Maravelis, George Iliopoulos, Chrysanthos Botziolis, Vasiliki Zygouri and Avraam Zelilidis
Geosciences 2022, 12(3), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12030106 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3462
Abstract
Field investigation, Microfacies analysis, and biostratigraphy have been carried out in the central parts of the Ionian Basin (Aetoloakarnania area, Western Greece) in order to decipher the depositional environments that developed during the accumulation of the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene carbonate succession. Three [...] Read more.
Field investigation, Microfacies analysis, and biostratigraphy have been carried out in the central parts of the Ionian Basin (Aetoloakarnania area, Western Greece) in order to decipher the depositional environments that developed during the accumulation of the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene carbonate succession. Three different Standard Microfacies types (SMF) have been observed, corresponding to two different depositional environments (Facies Zones or FZ) of a platform progradation. The three SMF types which occur in the study area during the Upper Cretaceous to Eocene are: 1. SMF 3 that includes mudstone/wackestone with planktic foraminifera and radiolaria, corresponding to toe-of-slope (FZ: 3), 2. SMF 4, which can be classified as polymict clast-supported microbreccia, indicating a toe-of-slope-slope environment (FZ: 4) and 3. SMF 5 which is characterized by allochthonous bioclastic breccia and components deriving from adjacent platforms and which reflects a slope environment. Microfacies analysis provided evidence of a change in the origin of sedimentary components and biota showing the transition from toe-of-slope to slope, as well as a change in organism distribution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology)
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