Stephen E. Kaczmarek

Dr. Kaczmarek is an assistant professor of geology and head of the Carbonate Petrology & Characterization Laboratory at Western Michigan University. His academic interests focus on carbonate diagenesis. He is especially interested in the processes and outcomes associated with dolomitization and calcitization. Much of his research relies on obtaining detailed textural, mineralogical, and geochemical information from natural and laboratory synthesized minerals. To obtain this information, he and his students utilize various analytical instruments, including X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thin-section petrography (TSP), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and stable isotope (C & O) geochemistry.

After earning his Ph.D., Dr. Kaczmarek was employed as a research scientist for ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company (2005-2011). There, he investigated carbonate reservoirs, taught a variety of courses, and worked on exploration and production projects all over the world. In 2011, he returned to academia as an assistant professor of geology at Bridgewater State University. In 2015, he joined the faculty at Western Michigan University.

Dr. Kaczmarek serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Sedimentary Research, and routinely referees manuscripts and proposals for more than a dozen scientific journals and grant funding agencies worldwide. His research activities are supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and industry sponsors.

Sponsored Research

• 2019-2021: Investigating the early diagenetic history of Miocene Limestones and Dolostones, Qatar, ExxonMobil Research Qatar, WMU #10242, PI ($150,000)
• 2018-2020: Collaborative research: testing models of calcite microcrystal diagenesis through experiments, geochemistry, and advanced imaging, U.S. NSF (EAR-SGP), #1828880, PI ($155,671)
• 2018-2020: Fostering interest in earth science teaching through the reflective practice of science, U.S. NSF (DUE-IUSE-GEOPATHS-EXTRA), #1701007, co-PI ($420,770)
• 2017-2019: Unraveling the early diagenetic history of Eocene limestones and dolostones, Qatar, ExxonMobil Research Qatar, #09855 & #09404, PI ($155,000)
• 2016-2019: Acquisition of a handheld XRF spectrometer to enhance sedimentary and paleoenvironmental research, U.S. NSF (EAR-IF) #1636441, PI ($76,771)

Courses

• Physical Geology (GEOS 1300)
• Sedimentation and Stratigraphy (GEOS 4350)
• Carbonate and Evaporite Depositional Systems (GEOS 6460)
• Carbonate Petrology (GEOS 6650)

• Manche, C.J. and Kaczmarek, S.E. (2019) Evaluating reflux dolomitization using a novel high-resolution record of dolomite stoichiometry: A case study from the Cretaceous of Central Texas, U.S.A., Geology, v. 47, p. 586-590.
• Hashim, M. and Kaczmarek, S.E. (2019) A review of the nature and origin of limestone microporosity, Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 107, p. 527-554.
• Ryan, B.H., Kaczmarek, S.E., and Rivers, J. (2019) Dolomite dissolution: An alternative pathway for the formation of palygorskite clay, Sedimentology, v. 66, p. 1803-1824.
• Kaczmarek, S.E. and Thornton, B. (2017) The effect of temperature on stoichiometry, cation ordering, and reaction rate in high-temperature dolomitization experiments, Chemical Geology, 468, p. 32-41.
• Kaczmarek, S.E., Gregg, J.M., Bish, D., Machel, H., and Fouke, B. (2017) Dolomite, very-high magnesium calcite, and microbes – implications for the microbial model of dolomitization, in Characterization and Modeling of Carbonates - Mountjoy Symposium I (Eds. A. MacNeil, J. Lonnee, & R. Wood) SEPM Spec. Pub. 109, p. 7-20.

For a complete list of publications, please visit: Google Scholar and ResearchGate