Sequence Stratigraphy: Guidelines for a Standard Methodology

Catuneanu, Octavian

Abstract

The interplay of local and global controls on accommodation and sedimentation generates basin-specific sequence stratigraphic frameworks that record cyclicity at multiple scales. There are no temporal or physical standards for the scale of any type of sequence stratigraphic unit. Sequences, systems tracts, and depositional systems can be defined at different scales, depending on the scope of the study, the resolution of the data available, and the local conditions of accommodation and sedimentation. A scale-independent methodology and nomenclature is key to the standard application of sequence stratigraphy.

Stratal stacking patterns provide the basis for the definition of all units and surfaces of sequence stratigraphy. The same types of stacking patterns may be observed at different scales, in relation to stratigraphic cycles of different magnitudes. At any scale of observation (i.e., hierarchical rank), a specific type of stacking pattern defines a systems tract, and changes in stacking pattern mark the position of sequence stratigraphic surfaces. Beyond this model-independent framework, model-dependent choices with respect to the selection of the “sequence boundary” may be made as a function of the mappability of the different types of sequence stratigraphic surface that are present within the study area. The model-independent methodology, inherently simple and consistent, provides the flexible platform for a standard application of sequence stratigraphy across the entire range of geological settings, stratigraphic scales, and types of data available.

Citation

Catuneanu, O. (2017). Sequence Stratigraphy: Guidelines for a Standard Methodology. In M. Montenari (Ed.), Stratigraphy & Timescales (1-57). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.sats.2017.07.003

• Online Publication Date: Sep 1, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017
• Deposit Date: Jun 7, 2023
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Pages: 1-57
• Series Title: Advances in Sequence Stratigraphy
• Series ISSN: 2468-5178
• Book Title: Stratigraphy & Timescales
• Chapter Number: 1
• ISBN: 978-0-12-813077-3
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.sats.2017.07.003