My research focuses on decoding records of Earth history that shed light on the origin of animals, the evolution of Earth’s climate and geography, and the sensitivity of the Earth-system to physical, chemical, and biological perturbations. I concentrate my efforts on precipitated sedimentary rocks such as carbonate, because a single outcrop may contain physical evidence for the energetics of winds, waves, and currents, biological records of ecology and evolution; chemical archives of the climate system; and magnetic evidence of latitude and geography. My most unique contributions of new data are the measurements I make during extended field campaigns, complemented by a combination of geochemical and geophysical field and laboratory measurements, and simple numerical models. Innovative to this pursuit is my application of the process-oriented study of modern systems that provide quantitative uncertainties to interpretations of ancient rock.