Advances in Carbonate Sedimentology: From Deposition to Diagenesis
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 60
Special Issue Editors
Interests: depositional environments; carbonate facies; sequence stratigraphy; reservoir heterogeneity; carbonate platform
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Carbonate sedimentology fundamentally focuses on the origins, depositional processes, and initial characteristics of carbonate rocks. The formation of these rocks is predominantly controlled by biological activity and chemical precipitation within marine environments, resulting in complex depositional systems such as reefs, shoals, and tidal flats. The initial fabric and composition of these sediments set the critical groundwork for all subsequent diagenetic alterations.
In recent decades, the field has been revolutionized by high-resolution imaging techniques, 3D seismic geomorphology, and advanced geochemical proxies. These tools allow us to reconstruct paleoenvironments with unprecedented detail, quantify carbonate factory productivity, and understand the controls on platform architecture and sequence stratigraphy in carbonate systems.
A robust sedimentological framework is essential for predicting the initial porosity and permeability distribution in carbonate reservoirs. The original depositional texture—from mud-rich interiors to grain-dominated shoals—creates the primary heterogeneity that diagenetic processes later modify. Accurately mapping these facies is therefore a prerequisite for understanding how reservoir quality evolves through deep time.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent progress in carbonate sedimentology, sequence, carbonate platform models, formation mechanisms of carbonate minerals, and mineral transformations in diagenesis. We seek contributions that enhance our ability to interpret depositional environments, model reservoir heterogeneity, and integrate sedimentology with diagenesis to build comprehensive models of carbonate systems.
Prof. Dr. Xuan Chen
Dr. Zhongxiang Zhao
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- carbonate platform models
- carbonate facies
- sequence stratigraphy
- reservoir heterogeneity
- mineral formation mechanisms
- carbonate minerals
- carbonate rocks
- carbonate systems
- carbonate reservoirs
- diagenesis
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