Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah, the. This online guide is primarily aimed at the application of sequence stratigraphy to outcrops. The book cliffs are one of the worlds best places to study sequence stratigraphy. A panoramic of the book cliffs best shallow marine clastic exposure in the world duration. Sequence stratigraphy and facies analysis of the rollins sandstone member mount garfield formation and reexamination of the contact between the mount garfield and williams fork formations late cretaceous by jesse d. Sequence stratigraphy in the book cliffs, utah goal. This new book sets out to define and explain the concepts, principles and applications of this remarkably influential approach to the study of sedimentary strata.
Sequence boundaries are the key stratigraphic surfaces that separate successive sequences. Over the early 1990s, sequence stratigraphical techniques and methods were gradually introduced in exploration and production studies in brunei darussalam. Selected papers and illustrated abstracts of the eighth annual. Paleogeographic reconstruction of facies belts at precise moments in time is the goal of the sequence stratigrapher. Utah stratigraphic columns overview page these stratigraphic columns are dynamically created on the fly from information stored in a database. Information was gathered from a number of sources see info for more information.
This video is a virtual field trip to one of the classic locations in the world book cliffs, utah, usa where the sequence stratigraphy method was developed and tested. The sequence part of the name refers to cyclic sedimentary deposits. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper campanian strata neslen and mount garfield formations, bluecastle tongue of the castlegate sandstone, and mancos shale, eastern book cliffs, colorado and utah by mark a. Introduction sequence stratigraphy is a branch of geology that attempts to subdivide and link sedimentary deposits into unconformity bound units on a variety of scales and explain these stratigraphic units in terms of variations in sediment supply and variations in the rate of change in accommodation space often associated with changes in. Facies and sequencestratigraphic analysis identifies six highresolution sequences upper sego sequence, neslen sequence, corcoran sequence, buck canyonlower cozzette sequence, upper cozzette sequence, and cozzetterollins sequence. Sequence stratigraphy, based on the successful training course of bp, sets out to define and explain the concepts, principles and applications of this profoundly influential set of techniques. The desert and castlegate sandstones, 2001 pages iiii, 181. Sequence stratigraphy material for this chapter are mainly from the following articles. The book cliffs have preserved excellent strata of the foreland basin of the ancient western interior seaway that stretched north from the gulf of mexico to the yukon in the cretaceous time. Ashton embry for his work in making this series possible. Arabian plate sequence stratigraphy and global chronostratigraphy 101 arabian plate sequence stratigraphy. A flute cast, one of many sedimentary structures found in the book cliffs.
Even though the physical dimensions of the outcrop might be fairly. It usually involves subdividing a sedimentary basin fill into individual sequence s of deposition hence the name, which can then be linked to changes in the two fundamental parameters of sediment supply and accommodation the amount of space available for deposition. Together with his experience from spdc shell nigeria, simon effectively demonstrated both theoretical and applied aspects at all levels in a clear, concise and thoughtful manner. Recent work has recast these classic deposits in the context of sequence stratigraphy, wherein ironstones and related phosphatic and shelly deposits are viewed as condensed facies. Systems tract overlying a type 2 sequence boundary, overlain by a transgressive surface maximum regressive surface, and characterized by a progradational to aggradational parasequence set. Practical sequence stratigraphy was originally published as a fifteenpart series in the canadian society of petroleum geologists monthly magazine, the reservoir, between may 2008 and september 2009. Nov 23, 2016 facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper campanian strata neslen and mount garfield formations, bluecastle tongue of the castlegate sandstone, and mancos shale, eastern book cliffs, colorado and utah by mark a. Flint, 1999, a sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic reinterpretation of the upper cretaceous prairie canyon member mancos b and associated strata, book cliffs area, utah, u. Sequence stratigraphy is a branch of geology that attempts to subdivide and link sedimentary deposits into unconformity bound units on a variety of scales and explain these stratigraphic units in terms of variations in sediment supply and variations in the rate of change in accommodation space relative sea level, the combination of eustatic sea level and tectonic subsidence. It became one of the liveliest and most controversial disciplines in the earth sciences. Sequence stratigraphy is a type of stratigraphy that deals with the description, interpretation, classification, and nomenclature of sedimentary rocks based on their stratal stacking patterns and. Sequence stratigraphy american association of petroleum. The study of genetically related facies within a framework of chronostratigraphically significant surfaces.
Vail, 1987, sequence stratigraphy, allostratigraphy, isotope stratigraphy, and biostratigraphy. Ironstones, condensed beds, and sequence stratigraphy of the. Sequence stratigraphy and depositional environments. Earlier stratigraphic work had predicted that at the type section of the castlegate formation, the castle gate, near price, utah, the unit consists of two sequences separated by a sequence boundary representing approximately one million years of unrecorded time. As a result, none of the examples deal with topics related specifically to cores, well logs, or most significantly, seismic. Ironstones, condensed beds, and sequence stratigraphy of. Stratigraphy is the science of the layered character of rocks, be these sedimentary, volcanic, metamorphic, or igneous rocks.
The sequence stratigraphic approach yields depositional. In the 1980s, exxon scientists used the cretaceous strata of the book cliffs to develop the science of sequence stratigraphy. The book cliffs have preserved excellent strata of the. Chapters in this volume include sequence stratigraphy oman, sequence stratigraphy and diagenesis, sequence stratigraphy of siliciclastic systems, upper devonian. Sequence stratigraphy training course petroskills sqs. Correlate the parasequence s and make a regional sequence stratigraphic interpretation of facies geometries between the surfaces you have identified, establishing the lithofacies. The purposes of this association are to advance the science of geology. Following publication of the landmark american association of petroleum geologists memoir 26 in 1977, seismic and sequence stratigraphy revitalized the traditional subject of stratigraphy. A good appreciation of the nature of reservoir and nonreservoir rocks in the subsurface is of fundamental importance to sound ep decision making. Randi martinsen, tom temples sequence stratigraphy, based on sedimentary response to changes in relative sea level gives the explorationist and the development geoscientist a powerful new predictive tool for regional basin analysis, shelf to basin correlation, and reservoir. In this lab, you will put together your knowledge of nearshore facies and sequence stratigraphy to correlate sections and interpret facies changes in the cretaceous stratigraphy of the book cliffs. Sequence stratigraphy for petroleum play assessment pgs.
Jul 11, 2016 introduction sequence stratigraphy is a branch of geology that attempts to subdivide and link sedimentary deposits into unconformity bound units on a variety of scales and explain these stratigraphic units in terms of variations in sediment supply and variations in the rate of change in accommodation space often associated with changes in. Sequence stratigraphy deals with genetically related sedimentary strata bounded by unconformities. Advances in sequence stratigraphy, volume 2 1st edition. The video shows some of the field evidence for sealevel change and how the sequence stratigraphy model has been applied to this shallowmarine and fluvial succession. Advances in sequence stratigraphy, volume two covers current research across a wide range of stratigraphic disciplines, providing information on the most recent developments for the geoscientific research community. Sequence stratigraphy shortcourse applied stratigraphix. Not least, the dense terminology of the subject is carefully demystified, with reference to numerous real examples.
Seismic stratigraphy has now become one of the standard tools of the geoscientist, and there is a pressing need for an introductory text on sequence stratigraphy. These surfaces are used to provide a frame work to the interpretation of the depositional settings of the sedimentary section. A seventh sequence, the bluecastle, is present in the extreme western part of the study area. Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah. It is also an analytical procedure that provides a framework for stratigraphic units and their bounding surfaces elated to their genesis. Cretaceous shales book cliffs of utah kenilworth member of the blackhawk formation.
The dust has now largely settled but the science of sequence stratigraphy is still being driven forward, with work on. Sequence stratigraphy, based on sedimentary response to changes in relative sea level gives the explorationist and the development geoscientist a powerful new predictive tool for regional basin analysis, shelf to basin correlation, and reservoir heterogeneity. Suu geology field trip to book cliffs near price, utah. Good seismic, wireline and biostratigraphic data facilitated the introduction and. Sequence stratigraphy is useful for analyzing cycles that range, in duration, from the 10 ka to 50 ma scale. Sequence stratigraphy is the study of genetically related facies within a framework of chronostratigraphically significant surfaces. Purchase principles of sequence stratigraphy 1st edition. Sequence stratigraphy is important to study because this approach to stratigraphic correlation helps geologists solve realworld problems in the exploration for and production of resourceswhether the resources be water, coal, oil, or natural gas.
Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book. Named for its similar appearance to a stack of books lined up against a shelf, the book cliffs are one of the most wellknown locations for studying sequence stratigraphy. Usgs dds69g facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic. Thompson submitted to the graduate degree program in geology and the graduate faculty of the university of kansas. The book cliffs region is often cited as an analog for subsurface exploration, particularly in foreland basins, and sequence stratigraphy has become one of the leading methods for correlating and mapping depositional packages, leading to significant discoveries of petroleum in fields that had been abandoned, as well as new discoveries. Mar 09, 2017 sequence stratigraphy is important to study because this approach to stratigraphic correlation helps geologists solve realworld problems in the exploration for and production of resourceswhether the resources be water, coal, oil, or natural gas. The shale and cretaceous sandstone cliffs, formed over time by the uncompahgre uplift, are a remnant of the mancos sea floor. Sequence stratigraphy is a branch of geology that attempts to subdivide and link sedimentary deposits into unconformity bound units on a variety of scales and explain these stratigraphic units in terms of variations in sediment supply and variations in the rate of change in accommodation space often associated with changes in relative sea level. Potential implications for global chronostratigraphy michael d. The american association of petroleum geologists is an international organization with over 38,000 members in 100plus countries. Sequence stratigraphy of deepwater petroleum systems. Facies and sequencestratigraphic analysis identifies six highresolution sequences within upper campanian strata across about 120 miles of the book cliffs in western colorado and eastern utah. Book cliffs field trips geology geosciences physical. Simon provides expertise in the areas of sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and reservoir geologymodelling and has considerable knowledge of the book cliffs.
Sequence stratigraphy is based on the application of the systematic subdivision of the section by well defined surfaces. Sequence stratigraphy, a branch of sedimentary stratigraphy, is a methodology that uses the order sedimentary strata accumulated within a framework of major depositional and erosional surfaces to interpret the depositional setting of clastic and carbonate. Large scale and superbly exposed outcrops in the book cliffs colorado national monument arches national park canyonlands and adjoining areas. Sequence stratigraphy is a working methodology that emphasizes the importance of breaks in the stratigraphic record for the definition of sequences.
Biostratigraphy in sequence stratigraphy aapg wiki. The desert member of the blackhawk formation and the castlegate sandstone in the book cliffs of utah and colorado were analyzed to develop a model of sequence stratigraphy and facies architecture. By identifying and correlating different sedimentary units based on the controls on their supply, transport, and deposition characteristics, a robust depositional framework can be generated that helps to better understand the different petroleum system play elements. Alongside 3d seismic, longreach horizontal drilling and the application of plate tectonics to exploration, sequence stratigraphy has been one of the greatest scientific advances within the petroleum geology industry of the last 50 years. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper. Stratigraphy is the geologic knowledge about the processes by which sedimentary deposits form and how those deposits change through time and space on the earths surface. Sutcliffe abstract the ability to recognise and correlate thirdorder depositional sequences across arabia. The cretaceous books cliffs of utah are best known as the mecca of sequence stratigraphers, but besides excellent exposures that allow tracing of sandstone bodies and sequence boundaries the succession also contains abundant shales and mudstones.
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