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Significance of Stylolites in Dolomitic Limestones

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Abstract

STUDIES of Western Australian stylolitic limestones reported here strongly support the widely held view that stylolites form by pressure-solution1–3, and agree with suggestions that pressure-solution can significantly reduce the volume of carbonate formations. Furthermore, these results indicate that selective pressure-solution of calcite in dolomitic limestone can cause relative enrichment in dolomite, and this allows speculation that the process can form pure dolomite rocks (dolostones) from some dolomitic limestones. Calcite is likely to be released for the cementation of nearby formations, and thinning in the limestone bodies may induce new structures in overlying strata.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia

    J. E. GLOVER

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  1. J. E. GLOVER
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GLOVER, J. Significance of Stylolites in Dolomitic Limestones. Nature 217, 835–836 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/217835a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/217835a0

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