Microbial Mediation of Dolomite in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Qatar Sabkha Environments

T.R. Bontognali¹, J.A. McKenzie¹, C. Vasconcelos¹, C.J. Strohmenger², J. Jameson², F. Sadooni³, and M. Brauchli⁴

Abstract

Research in natural environments, in conjunction with laboratory culture experiments, has demonstrated that microbes can induce low-temperature dolomite formation, providing a possible solution to the long-standing enigma surrounding the origin of some types of sedimentary dolomite. Our studies evaluated the importance of biomineralization processes occurring in the sabkha environments situated along the Abu Dhabi (UAE) coastline, west of Abu Dhabi City, and in Northwest (Dohat Faishakh) and Southeast (Khor Al-Adaid) Qatar. These modern dolomite-forming environments are frequently cited as the type analogue for the interpretation of many ancient evaporitic sequences.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90188 ©GEO-2014, 11th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, 10-12 March 2014, Manama, Bahrain