Secular changes in the amount and texture of dolomite

The amount of dolomite in Cenozoic carbonates is lower than throughout most of the Paleozoic, a difference that could be due to changes in either chemical conditions or physical conditions that lead to extensive dolomitization. The abundance of mimetic (texturally retentive) dolomites in the Cenozoic suggests that chemical conditions were unusually favorable for dolomite formation, and, therefore, it must be physical conditions that explain the paucity of Cenozoic dolomites. One reasonable explanation for the paucity of Cenozoic dolomites is that glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations reduced the amount of time carbonate sediments were in contact with dolomitizing solutions.