SSP1
Carbonate depositional systems - archives of time, space and change
Throughout Earth history, carbonate sediments have formed and been deposited in a wide range of marine and non-marine settings via the complex interplay of biological, chemical and physical processes. The carbonate sedimentary record is essential for determining past global change and understanding the complex interactions between climatic processes, oceanographic and environmental changes, the evolution of the biosphere, stratigraphic architecture development and subsequent diagenetic processes. The complementary study and understanding of present-day carbonate depositional system processes is crucial to the interpretation of the stratigraphic record and the application of carbonate archives to future pathway predictions.