Research
My research group is focused on determining the impact of environmental conditions such as climatic changes, sea-level and oceanographic variations, on the deposition and diagenetic changes in shallow marine carbonates. Below are descriptions of recent and ongoing projects carried out by the research group:
Dolomite and Dolomitization
Dolomitized clinoforms of the Seru Grandi outcrop, located on northern Bonaire. Laya et al (in review)
Miocene dolomites Bonaire
This project focuses on the dolomitization of Miocene carbonate platforms on Bonaire Island.
Historically, the island of Bonaire has been the subject of numerous dolomite studies. Given the historical significance of the dolomites on Bonaire for the development of the reflux model for dolomitization and the fact that these Cenozoic dolomites have a relatively simple and short diagenetic history, Bonaire offers a unique opportunity to constrain environmental conditions for dolomitization with a degree of confidence that is hard to achieve in other studies of older dolomites. Our ongoing research focuses on testing different dolomitization models and analyzing the 3D expressions of the dolomite geobodies.
Dolomite crystal developed on a large benthic foraminifera (Prince et al, in prep.)
Dolomitization on Miocene platform and Drifts, Maldives
In this project, we investigate the role of bottom currents which enhance advective flow regime at the sea-floor. This regime appears to be linked to extensive dolomitization in the Kardiva platform and associated carbonate drift deposits in the Maldives.
Dolomite abundance vs global events during Neogene. Laya et al., in prep.
Neogene Dolomite events
Neogene dolomitization has received considerable attention in the last three decades, as their abundance suggests synchronicity in the dolomitization events. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of these dolomitization events including allogenic processes such as stable sea levels and global aridity (e.g. Messinian salinity crises). However, significant issues remain regarding insufficient evidence to support these hypotheses, are due to differences in diagenetic environments producing synchronous and similar dolomitization events.
Diagenesis and Porosity evolution
Preliminary observation of microstructures in Cretaceous carbonates from Oman.
Origin of microporosity on Cretaceous rocks
The occurrence of microporosity in carbonate reservoirs is commonly associated with low oil recovery as a result of strong capillary forces attributable to narrow pore throats. Consequently, reservoirs hosted within microporous carbonates are often complex, with petrophysical parameters that are notoriously difficult to predict. Despite their economic importance, both the modes of genesis and the spatial distribution of physical properties within microporous carbonate reservoir rocks remains poorly understood. This project attempts to tackle that problem through a combination of outcrop, microstructural and petrophysical studies, to reveal the depositional and diagenetic controls on porosity formation and modification within carbonate rocks.
This project is funded by QNRF in collaboration with Dr. Thomas Seers (TAMUQ), Dr. Cathy Hollis (UoManchester) and Total. https://www.qnrf.org/en-us/Funding/Research-Programs/National-Priorities-Research-Program-NPRP.
Oomoldic porosity and cements of Happy Spraberry field, Midland Basin. Laya et al., 2021.
Investigating origin of oomoldic porosity
Selective dissolution of metastable aragonite and high-magnesium calcite allochems is widely accepted as evidence of meteoric diagenesis. In this project, we attempt to explain observations of oomoldic porosity in the Permian Happy Spraberry Field, which shows no evidence of any interactions with meteoric fluids.
Conceptual model of porosity creation in the Baturaja Formation, Northwest Java Basin. Widodo et al., in prep.
Burial dissolution in Oligo-Miocene carbonate reservoirs
In this project, we investigate the role of burial dissolution on porosity evolution in Oligo-Miocene carbonate reservoirs.
Miocene Carbonate Platforms
Global distribution of Neogene carbonate platform. Modified from Sun and Esteban, 1994
Miocene carbonate facies
Cenozoic isolated carbonate platforms are commonly dominated by corals, coralline algae, and large benthic foraminifera. During the Miocene, several climatic and oceanographic events occurred which had a significant impact on carbonate production, including the Miocene Climatic Optimum (17–14.7 Ma) and subsequent major climatic shift to cooler temperatures 14–11 Ma that led to the transition to the present-day climate. We investigate how environmental conditions affect bioclast distributions and how these deposits evolves through the last 20 Ma.
Permian rocks
New paleogeographic model for Early Permian. Laya and Tucker, 2012
Permian in Northern South America
My group has worked on carbonate facies analysis and paleogeographic reconstruction of Permian carbonates, especially in South America where we proposed a new model for Central Pangea Paleogeography during the Early Permian. As a part of this research, I have worked in the role of allogenic and autogenic processes which have shaped the geology of the region. In our most recent work, we provide a new basin evolution model using cutting-edge techniques such as clumped isotopes as a proxy of burial paleotemperatures as well as solid state reordering in carbonate rocks (Shenton et al., 2015).
Digital Terrain Model, Wolf Camp Hills located in west Texas
Pennsylvanian phylloid-algal mound architecture and sequence stratigraphic
Digital outcrop models (DOM) are an effective tool to delineate stratigraphic relationships in large-scale outcrops. In the Wolf Camp Hills located in west Texas, we utilize DOM to document late Pennsylvanian strata, to capture phylloid-algal mound architecture and sequence stratigraphic relationships in a tectonically-active shallow-marine depositional environment. Our study will record vertical and lateral variability in outcrop, and hopefully derive meaningful comparisons documented in analogues subsurface reservoirs.
Modern Carbonates
Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of Joulter island Northern GBB.
Evolution of Joulters cay island
The South Joulter’s cay is an island which was form in the north east coastal margin of the GBB, within the present day active ooid shoal. Explanation of this elevated topography is controversial. since, no high stand sea-level can be invoked. For that reason, there are alternative hypotheses including aeolian processes or storm deposits associated to be responsible for the accumulation of ridges. We investigate the possible scenarios to explain those deposits.
Copy of DJI_0560 edited.movAerial view of Joulter's island easter coast.