Economic importance of coralline carbonates

Carbonate materials are important economic resources: limestones are excellent reservoirs and valuable building stones; unconsolidated sediments may be used as a viable source of calcium carbonate for soil conditioning. Since Late Cretaceous coralline algae are one of the most important shallow-water carbonate producers. Sediment production and deposition in carbonate platforms are controlled by physical, chemical and biotic factors. Chemical and biotic factors rule over sediment texture, composition, distribution and early diagenetic processes, and consequently they have a major impact over limestone properties after diagenesis, especially over porosity and permeability. Porosity and permeability in turn control limestone mechanical properties, its durability and its reservoir potential. Thus, understanding the factors controlling formation and fate of coralline-algal carbonate factories is necessary for both sustainable management of the coralline-dominated marine habitats and profitable exploitation of reservoirs and quarries.