The Role of Pressure Solution in Diagenesis of Carbonate Deposits: Theory and Laboratory Simulation

Contemporary understandings of the physicochemical mechanism of diagenetic transformations in carbonate rocks have been reviewed. The transformations comprise the dissolution of stressed zones of the rocks with the formation of supersaturated solutions, mass transfer in the direction of the concentration gradient, and reprecipitation. Characteristic features of the mechanism, which make it possible to diagnose its effects on the results of petrographic observations and to simulate the process under laboratory conditions, have been discussed. Especial attention has been focused on applied aspects, which will stimulate further interdisciplinary studies performed at different scales.