Processes and controlling factors of polygenetic dolomite formation in the Transdanubian Range, Hungary: a synopsis

In the Transdanubian Range (Hungary), dolostone and dolomitic limestone appear in a number of sedimentary successions formed from the Late Permian to the Late Triassic in various depositional settings and under various diagenetic conditions, whereas only a negligible amount of dolomite was detected in the post-Triassic formations. Seven dolomite-bearing units representing ramp, small and large carbonate platforms, and intraplatform basin settings are presented in this synopsis. In most cases, multi-stage and polygenetic dolomitization was inferred. The main mass of the dolostones was formed via near-surface diagenetic processes, which were commonly preceded by the formation of synsedimentary dolomite. Accordingly, surficial conditions that prevailed during sediment deposition controlled the dolomite-forming processes and thus the lateral extension and the time span of dolomitization. The area of episodic subaerial exposure was a critical controlling factor of the lateral extension of the near-surface dolomite genesis, whereas its temporal extension was mostly governed by climate. Burial diagenesis usually resulted in only moderate dolomitization, either in connection with compactional fluid flow or via thermal convection. The Triassic fault zones provided conduits for fluid flow that led to both replacive dolomitization and dolomite cement precipitation. In the Late Triassic extensional basins, synsedimentary fault-controlled dolomitization of basinal deposits was reconstructed.