Neogene Carbonate platform depositional and diagenesis (Geology)

Project description 

Title: Neogene Carbonate platform depositional and diagenesis (Geology)

Time: 2015 - 2018

Project leaders:  Juan Carlos Laya and  Fiona Whitaker

Project summary: This project aimed to study the geology of Bonaire and focused on demonstrating how the stratigraphy and depositional styles on Bonaire Island serve to understand the dynamic of sedimentation and environmental changes in the Caribbean region during the Neogene. The initial work produced two research publications with graduate students (Bowling et al., 2018, and Laya et al., 2018). Later, additional research questions were proposed to continue the project further with a focus on the geological evolution of the rocks. Those questions involved a fundamental topic in geology referred to “dolomite problem” as it is known throughout the scientific community. This subject is one of the most exciting problems in carbonate geology. With our robust dataset, we significantly advanced in the understanding of the dolomite problem by challenging different models of dolomite formation and proposing alternative conceptual approaches. Fieldwork was carried out in 2015 and 2016. The outcome of this research is three peer-reviewed publications with graduate students (See below). To achieve the project objectives, we applied innovative technology, including a digital outcrop model (DOM’s), computer flow simulation, and experimental approaches in the laboratory. As further evidence of the impact in this field, the results of this project were presented at conferences and department seminars at several universities. The following is a list of publications associated with this project including Master's and PhD thesis.