Sedimentology and stratigraphy are neighbors yet distinctly separate entities within the earth sciences. Sedimentology searches for the common traits of sedimentary rocks regardless of age as it reconstructs environments and processes of deposition and erosion from the sediment record. Stratigraphy, by contrast, concentrates on changes with time, on measuring time and correlating coeval events. Sequence stratigraphy straddles the boundary between the two fields. This book, dedicated to carbonate rocks, approaches sequence stratigraphy from its sedimentologic background. This book attempts to communicate by combining different specialities and different lines of reasoning, and by searching for principles underlying the bewildering diversity of carbonate rocks. It provides enough general background, in introductory chapters and appendices, to be easily digestible for sedimentologists and stratigraphers as well as earth scientists at large.

Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy, Second Edition presents principles to practical workflow that guide applications in a consistent manner that is independent of model, geological setting and the types and resolution of the data available. The book explains the points of agreement and difference between the various approaches to sequence stratigraphy, while also defining the common ground that affords the standard application of the method. This enables the practitioner to avoid nomenclatural and methodological confusions and apply sequence stratigraphy. The text is richly illustrated with hundreds of full-color diagrams and examples of outcrop, borehole and seismic data. The book's balanced approach helps students and professionals acquire a sound understanding of the concepts and methodology. It will appeal to geologists, geophysicists and engineers with interest in basin analysis, stratigraphy and sedimentology, as well as in all economic applications that concern the exploration and production of natural resources, including water, hydrocarbons, coal and sediment-hosted mineral deposits. Updates the award-winning first edition in all aspects of sequence stratigraphy, from the underlying theory to the practical applications Presents the standard approach to sequence stratigraphic methodology, nomenclature, and classification; the role of modeling in sequence stratigraphy, and the difference between modeling and methodology Discusses the roles of scale and stratigraphic resolution in sequence stratigraphy, and the workflow that affords a consistent application of the method irrespective of the types of data available Describes the three-dimensional nature of the stratigraphic architecture, and the variability of stratigraphic sequences with the tectonic setting, depositional setting, and the climatic regime Illustrates all concepts with high-quality, full-color diagrams, outcrop photographs, and subsurface well data and seismic images

Sequence stratigraphy represents a new paradigm in geology. The principal hypothesis is that stratigraphie successions may be subdivided into discrete sequences bounded by widespread unconformities. There are two parts to this hypothesis. First, it suggests that the driving forces which generate sequences and their bounding unconformities also generate predietable three-dimensional stratigraphies. In re cent years stratigraphie research guided by sequence models has brought about fundamental im provements in our understanding of stratigraphie processes and the controls of basin architecture. Sequence models have provided a powerful framework for mapping and numerieal modeling, enabling the science of stratigraphy to advance with rapid strides. This research has demonstrated the importance of a wide range of processes for the generation of cyclie sequences, including eustasy, tectonics, and orbital forcing of climate change. The main objective of this book is to document the sequence record and to discuss our current state of knowledge about sequence-generating processes.

Sequence stratigraphy has experienced a virtual explosion of applications in recent years. During that time, the concepts upon which sequence stratigraphy is based have been evolving to conform to new observations as well as new types of data. This volume summarizes the current status of this discipline as it applies to siliciclastic deposits. The emphasis in this volume is on sequence stratigraphy as an "approach" to geological analysis, rather than as a model to which all data sets must conform. The expression of sequence architecture and the nature of bounding surfaces is illustrated through examples and applications drawn from a range of data types, including outcrop, core, wireline log, and 3-D seismic data. In addition, sequence expression also is illustrated using examples of modern landforms.

Aimed at advanced undergraduates but suitable also for graduate students and professionals, it covers processes of sedimentation, describes the characteristics of sedimentary rocks formed in major sedimentary environments, and discusses the fundamental principles of stratigraphy and basin analysis, including recent developments in the important fields of magnetostratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, isotope stratigraphy, and sea-level analysis. The book presents divergent views on controversial topics and is extensively referenced and up-to-date thus encouraging students to refer to recently published literature.

"The stratigraphic concept of a depositional sequence was introduced to the scientific literature by Exxon Production Research Company (EPRco) in the late 70s, building on the shoulders of giants like Chamberlain, Sloss and Wheeler. Since then, several papers compared and contrasted the original Exxon (and later, ExxonMobil) sequence] stratigraphic school with other approaches to subdivide the geologic record, as well as, debating the ExxonMobil model validity and impact on the community. At its core, the Exxon] Mobil gmodel h is really a stratigraphic interpretation method, which was never explicitly documented in the literature. The objective of this book is to present the ExxonMobil sequence stratigraphic method in its current form in an attempt to clarify its usage and application in diverse geologic data and depositional environments. This publication is the result of more than 3 decades of sequence stratigraphy research and application at EPRco and at the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company (URC). The objective is to emphasize the most important aspects of Sequence Stratigraphy . a method to guide geologic interpretation of stratigraphic data (seismic profiles, welllogs, cores and outcrops) across scales (from local to regional and global) and depositional environments (from continental to deep marine)." -- from the SEPM website.

Sequence stratigraphy has advanced considerably since the early applications of the concepts on seismic data. It attempts to discern the migration of facies re sulting from changes in a combination of factors such as, sea level, tectonics, climate and sediment flux, and integrates it with a meaningful chronostratigraphy. The stratigraphic record is envisioned as a framework of repetitive packages of genetically-related strata, formed in response to the shifting base level, in which the locus of deposition of various sediment types may be anticipated. This attribute is rapidly promoting sequence stratigraphy as an indispensable tool for prediction of facies in exploration and production geology. In hydrocarbon exploration the application of sequence stratigraphy has ranged from anticipating reservoir- and source-rock distribution to predicting carbonate diagenesis, porosity and permeability. The capability to anticipate vertical and lateral distribution of facies and reservoir sands in the basinal, shoreface, incised valley-fill and regressive settings alone has been a great asset for exploration. In frontier areas, where data are often limited to seismic lines, sequence-stratigraphic methodology has helped determine the timing and of types of unconformities and anticipate transgressive- and regressive-prone intervals. In production it is aiding in field development by providing improved source and seal predictions for secondary oil recovery. A recognition of stratigraphic causes of poor recovery through improved understanding of internal stratal architecture can lead to new well recompletions and enhanced exploitation in existing fields. The sequence-stratigraphic discipline is in a state of rapid expansion.