Prerequisite:

Second-cycle Bologna degree or a university (level VII) degree.

Content (Syllabus outline):

• Long-term carbon cycle.
• Mineralogy, chemistry and reaction kinetics of major carbonate phases (calcite, dolomite, aragonite).
• The CO₂-carbonic acid system and solution chemistry.
• Interactions between carbonate minerals and solutions.
• Coprecipitation reactions and solid solutions of carbonate minerals.
• Biologically formed and biologically induced carbonate precipitation.
• The oceanic carbonate system and preservation of deep-sea carbonates.
• Composition and source of shallow-water carbonate sediments
• Early diagenesis.
• Burial and metamorphism.
• δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, trace elements and REE incorporation: paleoenvironmental vs. diagenetic proxies.
• Short-term carbon cycle and human impact.

Readings:

Selected chapters and papers:

• Morse JW, Mackenzie FT (1990) Geochemistry of sedimentary carbonates. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
• Holland H, Turekian K, eds. (2014) Treatise on Geochemistry, izbrana poglavja iz 9: Sediments, Diagenesis and Sedimentary Rocks, in Vol. 7: Surface and Groundwater, Weathering and Soils.
• Morse JW, Arvidson RS, Luttge A (2007) Calcium carbonate formation and dissolution. Chemical Reviews 107: 342-381.
• Machel HG (2004) Concepts and models of dolomitization: a critical reappraisal. In: Braithwaite CJR, Rizzi G, Darke G (eds) The Geometry and Petrogenesis of Dolomite Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Special Publication 235. Geological Society, London, 7-63.
• Swart PK (2015) The geochemistry of carbonate diagenesis: The past, present and future. Sedimentology 62:1233-1304
• Immenhauser A (2022) On the delimitation of the carbonate burial realm. The Depositional Record 8:524-574

Objectives and competences:

Objectives

The purpose of the course is to deepen the knowledge on the occurrence and diagenesis of carbonate minerals and sediments in different environments.

Competences

• The student will learn and know how to use the basic physico-chemical principles which affect formation of carbonate minerals and sediments.
• They will gain an overview of geochemical proxies currently in use for the reconstruction of past environmental and diagenetic conditions.
• This knowledge enables interpretation of palaeoenvironment and diagenesis of modern carbonates and ancient carbonate rocks.

Intended learning outcomes:

Knowledge and understanding

• The student knows the basic aspects of carbonate minerals, and their interaction with the aqueous solution.
• They differentiates between early carbonate precipitates in different surface environments from later diagenetic and metamorphic overprints.
• In order to interpret the paleoenvironment of carbonate rock formation and assess the diagenetic overprints, they are able to use a wide range of geochemical proxies.
• When interpreting the (paleo)environment and changes on the Earth’s surface he/she is able to define the role of the global carbon cycle.

Learning and teaching methods:

• Lectures
• Lab work/tutorials
• Field work
• Seminar
• Independent work assignments
• Consultations
• e-Learning

Assessment:

• Long written assignments 30 %
• Presentations 20 %
• Final examination (written/oral) 50 %.