ODP Leg 133 Northeast Australian Margin: A chronicle of carbonate platform development

Abstract

Since the 1950s, modern shallow-water environments in subtropical to tropical regions that are actively producing carbonate sediments, the building material for carbonate platforms, have been choice research areas for carbonate sedimentologists. These carbonate factories serve as modern analogs for ancient carbonate environments, but knowledge of the processes controlling evolution of carbonate platforms, from their initiation through growth and demise, remains rudimentary. Understanding these processes is crucial for our interpretation of the rock record in ancient carbonate platforms.