Sedimentation Models and Quantitative Stratigraphy

'the volume contains original and stimulating contributions to quantitative biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy by four authors who are foremost in this branch of science and have pioneered its application. I agree with this assessment; the book is clearly the place to start for those interested in becoming conversant with modern techniques of stratigraphy analysis.' Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 58 (1987)

M->CREATED

Stratigraphy has come to be indispensable to nearly all branches of the earth sciences, assisting such endeavors as charting the course of evolution, understanding ancient ecosystems, and furnishing data pivotal to finding strategic mineral resources. This book focuses on traditional and innovative stratigraphy techniques and how these can be used to reconstruct the geological history of sedimentary basins and in solving manifold geological problems and phenomena.

Reviews the current state-of-the-art of quantitative stratigraphic correlation. Divided into three main sections covering the theoretical aspects of qualitative stratigraphy, including the mathematical formalization of stratigraphic terms, biostratigraphy, and lithostratigraphy.

Much has been written and debated about the various methodologies applied to modern stratigraphic analysis and the ever increasing complexity of terminologies. However, there exist numerous stratigraphic techniques that are reliant upon precise, quantitative, reproducible data, rather than qualitative interpretive stratigraphic methodologies. Such stratigraphic techniques are applied in an entirely pragmatic non-biased manner within the petroleum industry to provide enhanced stratigraphic understanding of petroleum systems. The petroleum industry is a key driver behind the development of new stratigraphic techniques and a major provider of new stratigraphic data, which has resulted in several of these new techniques having been developed as a requirement to the industry. Furthermore, because techniques, such as isotope chemostratigraphy, elemental chemostratigraphy, magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy, numerical biostratigraphy and heavy mineral stratigraphy are based around precise, quantified and reproducible analytical data, they provide an independent means to test the more interpretive stratigraphic methodologies. This volume attempts an overview of stratigraphic methodologies, but largely focuses on data-generative stratigraphic techniques such as chemostratigraphy, magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy, numerical biostratigraphy and heavy mineral stratigraphy. Where appropriate, each paper discusses data generation methods including sample preparation and analytical methods as well outlining data interpretation methods. This is followed by case histories that demonstrate how those data are used to resolve stratigraphic problems, commonly using material derived from petroleum basins around the World.