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Platform carbonates are a major component of the Earth System but their spatial extent through geological time is difficult to reconstruct, due to the incompleteness of the geological record, sampling heterogeneity and their intrinsic complexity. Here we use coupled ecological niche modeling and deep-time general circulation models to predict the occurrence of platform carbonates at the global scale during the Cretaceous. Specifically, niche modeling uses fuzzy logic to predict probable occurrence of platform carbonates as a function of sea-surface temperature, sea-surface salinity, primary productivity and water depth. The first three parameters derive from Cretaceous global paleoclimatic simulations using a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model, while bathymetry is based on paleogeographical reconstructions. Model predictions are validated with the well-documented and abundant geological …