Sedimentary rocks often show repeating patterns in their layering or bedding, which can give
clues about how the Earth`s climate changed over millions of years. These patterns are often
linked to changes in the Earth`s orbit and position relative to the sun, but these patterns can
also be the result of changes in the sediment itself after deposition (a process called
diagenesis). The diagenetic processes make it harder to read climate information from the
rock record, and especially, how long certain rock layers took to form.
This project aims to answer two big questions: (1) How do diagenetic changes in carbonate
sedimentary rocks affect the information they hold about past climate cycles? And (2) how is
time recorded and spread out in these repeating sedimentary rock layers?
To explore this, we will use two new scientific techniques: one using changes in chemistry
and another using statistical methods. We will apply these methods to samples from ocean
drilling projects from different locations, water depths, and time periods, where past research
has already given us clues about the sedimentary rocks diagenetic and climatic history. This
will help us better understand the relationship between Earth`s climate, the sedimentary rock
record, and the distribution of geological time.