Tropical carbonate deposition and diagenesis

Dr Stephen Lokier¹, Dr Chelsea Pederson², Professor Gianluca Frijia³, Professor Michele Morsilli³

¹University of Derby, United Kingdom, ²The University of Southern Mississippi, USA, ³University of Ferrera, Italy

Carbonate sediments have formed in a wide range of marine and non-marine settings through the complex interplay of biological, chemical and physical processes. Today, most carbonate deposits are found in tropical coastal areas in association with large carbonate platforms hosting significant marine diversity. Carbonate platforms are widespread throughout the Phanerozoic geological record, and, at times, their extent was much larger than today (e.g., during the Cretaceous). Precisely constrained high-resolution sedimentological, stratigraphic and geochemical records are important for determining past global change and understanding carbonate production and alteration through the complex interactions of climatic processes, oceanographic and environmental changes, the biosphere, stratigraphic architecture and subsequent diagenesis. This session invites contributions from general and interdisciplinary topics within the diverse fields of carbonate sedimentology, stratigraphy and diagenesis focusing on recent and fossil carbonate deposits. The session will explore a broad range of geochemical, biological and stratigraphic proxies and their applications to understanding Earth history.