High spatial resolution investigation of nucleation, growth and early diagenesis in speleothems as exemplar for sedimentary carbonates

As opposed to textbook assumptions, it is here proposed that the existence of multiple crystallization pathways for carbonates within the same depositional environment, such as a cave setting or a sabkha, have repercussion on the early diagenetic processes and the extent to which diagenesis significantly resets the original chemical and physical signals. By using speleothems as paradigm for carbonates formed in natural environments where organic compounds are ubiquitous, the present review corroborates the notion that most mechanisms of carbonate crystallization, when the carbonate is not a biomineral, follow inorganic pathways. However, the role of organic substances, as inhibitors of growth and diagenesis, has profound influences on preservation of initial states of crystal formation.