An assessment of the suitability of individual rhythmic carbonate successions for astrochronological application

A manual is presented to assist in assessing the suitability of individual calcareous rhythmites for high-resolution stratigraphic applications and orbital dating. While the astrochronological approach offers an unprecedented high temporal resolution for stratigraphy, caution is required to carefully choose suitable rhythmites for the analysis. Diagenesis is known to distort or mimic primary signals in particular in carbonate rhythmites. To keep orbital dating a reliable method, the choice of sedimentary successions has to be undertaken with utmost scrutiny. Here, we review and evaluate the methods that have been used for assessing the record of primary signals in calcareous rhythmites. The goal is to provide the orbital stratigrapher with tools for a straightforward and systematic assessment of such successions.