My PhD research aimed to provide an integrated geochemical and geomicrobial characterization of the microbial carbonate deposits. The primary focus was documenting actively forming carbonate mud in the lowland marsh systems of the Everglades National Park using an integrated textural, geochemical, and microbial approach. Waters, sediments, and organic constituents were analyzed to assess the primary deposits, as well as evaluate subsequent diagenesis. The modern example was then used as a calibration to examine Holocene and Pleistocene microbial carbonate deposits in the shallow subsurface of south Florida. Together, this modern and near-modern characterization of the depositional and diagenetic processes surrounding freshwater carbonate formation addresses how microbial deposits are identified in ancient rocks, and the paleoenvironmental interpretation of microbial carbonate deposits found throughout geologic time.
A second focus included the evaluation of microbial oncolite deposits to better understanding how microbial processes influence rock textures. These coated, concentric grains cap a large carbonate sequence on the atoll of Maré, New Caledonia. Formed during the late Pliocene, these grains represent some of the final stages of atoll formation and marine deposition. By characterizing the chemical and physical attributes of these microbial carbonates, this project assessed the depositional environment of the oncoids, as well as the effects of the textures during burial and alteration processes.
Dissertation:
2017 - University of Miami (link)
Associated publications:
2019 - Sedimentology (link)
2019 - The Depositional Record (link)
2015 - Journal of Sedimentary Research (link)