Here is a list of some books you should know about…some good, some not.
Link to Carbonate Sedimentology Home Page
General Books
- Bathurst, R. C. G., 1976, Carbonate Sediments and their Diagenesis (Second Edition): Developments in Sedimentology, Elsevier, 658 p.
- Carozzi, A. V., 1988, Carbonate Rock Depositional Environments: A Microfiches Approach.
- Demicco, R. V., and Hardie, L. A., 1994, Sedimentary Structures and Early Diagenetic Features of Shallow Marine Carbonate Deposits: SEPM Atlas Series, No. 1, 263 p.
- Flugel, E., 1982, Microfacies Analysis of Limestones, Springer-Verlag, 633 p.
- Flugel, E., 2010, Microfacies Analysis of Carbonate Rocks (second edition), Springer-Verlag, 984 p.
- Ham, W. E. (ed.), 1962, Classification of Carbonate Rocks, AAPG Memoir 1, 270 p.
- James, N. P. and Jones, B., 2016, Origin of Carbonate Sediimentary Rocks: Wiley, 446 p.
- Milliman, J. D., 1974, Marine Carbonates: Recent Sedimentary Carbonates Part 1: Springer-Verlag, 375 p.
- Rao, C. P., 1996, Modern Carbonates – tropical, temperate, polar: University of Tasmania, 206 p.
- Schlager, W., 2005, Carbonate Sedimentology and Sequence Stratigraphy: SEPM Concepts in Sedimentology and Paleontology 8, 200 p.
- Scholle, P. A., D. G. Bebout, and C. H. Moore (eds.), 1983, Carbonate Depositional Environments: AAPG Memoir 33, 708 p.
- Scoffin, T. P., 1987, An introduction to Carbonate Sediments and Rocks: Blackie, 274 p.
- Tucker, M. E., and V. P. Wright, 1990, Carbonate Sedimentology: Blackwell, 482 p.
- Wilson, J. L., 1975, Carbonate Facies in Geologic History: Springer-Verlag, 471 p.
The relevant chapters are quite good in:
- Walker R. G., and James, N. P., 1992, Facies Models – Response to Sea Level Change: Geoscience Canada and Geological Association of Canada, 409 p.
- Reading, H. G., 1996, Sedimentary Environments and Facies (third edition): Springer-Verlag. The chapter on “Shallow-water carbonate environments” by Wright and Burchette is quite good except for the lack of coverage of cool water carbonates.
- James, N. P., 1997, The cool-water carbonate depositional realm: in James, N. P., and Clarke, J. A. D., eds., Cool-water carbonates, SEPM Special Publication 56, p. 1-20. This is a good place to start for cool-water carbonates (and you will be reading it).
From a series of older articles, two are strongly recommended despite their age:
- James, N. P., and I. G. Macintyre, 1985, Carbonate Depositional Environments Modern and Ancient – Part 1: Reefs – Zonation, Depositional Facies, and Diagenesis: Colorado School of Mines Quarterly, v. 80, n. 3, 70 p.
- Hardie, L. A., and E. A. Shinn, 1986, Carbonate Depositional Environments Modern and Ancient – Part 1: Tidal Flats: Colorado School of Mines Quarterly, v. 81, n. 1, 74 p.
Specialized books that are useful for petrography:
- Horowitz, A. S., and P. E. Potter, 1971, Introductory petrography of fossils: Springer-Verlag, 302 p.
- Johnson, J. H., 1961, Limestone Building Algae and Algal Limestones: Colorado School of Mines, 294 p.
- Johnson, J. H., 1971, An Introduction of the Study of Organic Limestones: Colorado School of Mines Quarterly, v. 66, 185 p.
- Majeske, O. P., 1969, Recognition of invertebrate fossil fragments in rocks and thin sections: Inter. Sed. Pet. Series XI, Publ: E. J. Brill, Leiden, 101 p., 106 plates.
- Scholle, P. A., 1978, A Color Illustrated Guide to Carbonate Rock Constituents, Cements, and Porosities: AAPG Memoir 27, 241 p. (Also released in CD format.)
- Wray, J. L., 1977, Calcareous Algae: Elsevier, 185 p.
Plus a whole host of publications:
- Springer’s books on fossil algae, carbonate reservoirs, reef diagenesis…
- Elsiver’s Lecture Notes
- SEPM Special Publications, Core Workshops, Reprints
- IAS Special Publications
- AAPG Memoirs, Studies in Geology
- CSPG Memoirs
- University publications such as the Univ. of Miami “Sedimenta”
Numberous journals publish sedimentology-related articles as their primary or occasional subject matter. The following list will get you started. (I should add lots of European journals.)
- Journal of Sedimentary Petrology/Research
- Sedimentology
- Sedimentary Geology
- Marine Geology
- Palaios
- Geology
- American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin
- Journal of Geology
- Geological Society of America Bulletin
- American Journal of Science
- Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
- Earth Science Reviews
- Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
- Facies
- Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum
Places to start on the topic of diagenesis:
- McIlreath, I. A., and Morrow, D. W., 1990, Diagenesis: Geoscience Canada Reprint Series #4, 338 p.
- Appropriate chapters in Tucker and Wright (1990) and James and Jones (2016).
- Morse, J. W., and Mackenzie, F. T., 1990, Geochemistry of Sedimentary Carbonates: Developments in Sedimentology 48, Elsevier, 707 p. Strong on geochemistry but very detailed.
To quote a friend (Lloyd Pray): ” The problem is that we have but part of one life to devote to the study of carbonates.”