High Resolution Sequence Stratigraphy

In recent years there has been a huge expansion in studies using high resolution sequence stratigraphic techniques. Sequence stratigraphy has evolved from the original concepts of seismic stratigraphy to a scale above seismic resolution. The papers in this volume illustrate the depth and breadth of current sequence stratigraphic research. Studies are included on many aspects of sequence stratigraphy, from both outcrop and subsurface data with examples from a wide range of countries. The volume will be of interest to research workers and professional geologists within the petroleum industry.

In recent years there has been a virtual explosion of stratigraphic studies utilizing the principles of sequence stratigraphy. Although the concept of time stratigraphy is not new, the packaging of depositional units into systems tracts and sequences is. This new approach has led to the reassessment of areas that in some cases have been the subject of intense geological scrutiny for decades. The fundamental principles upon which sequence stratigraphy is based are applicable at a broad range of temporal and physical scales. This volume arises from several sessions on sequence stratigraphy held at the Thirteenth International Sedimentological Congress, with emphasis on facies associations within a sequence stratigraphic framework.

The innovation and refinement of the techniques and concepts ofsequence stratigraphy has been one of the most exciting andprofound developments in geology over the past thirty years.Seismic stratigraphy has now become one of the standard tools ofthe geoscientist, and there is a pressing need for an introductorytext on sequence stratigraphy. This new book sets out to define andexplain the concepts, principles and applications of thisremarkably influential approach to the study of sedimentary strata.The authors take a rigorous objective stance in evaluating thetechniques and interpretation of sequence stratigraphy - basing thetext on an internal training course developed by British Petroleum(BP). A new text on this increasingly important field A practical guide based on the experience of practisingsequence stratigraphers Based on a highly successful BP training course

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

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.