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Stratigraphy:
Many past geologic events have resulted in strata or layers of
sediment which have formed a stacked vertical sequence of sedimentary
rocks. A good example is sediment in the form of mud and sand from a river
accumulating on a sea-floor. The sediment forms a layer which eventually
becomes hardened or lithified into a sedimentary rock.
The importance of stratigraphic sequences is that they provide a rock record
of past events e.g. a pebbly beach may be recorded as a CONGLOMERATE,
a sandy river may be recorded as a layer of SANDSTONE; a clayey tidal flat
as a layer of SHALE.
Pebbly beach
conglomerate
Sandy beach sandstone
Muddy marsh
shale
Stratigraphy is the study of these layered rocks, especially
their sequence, correlation from place to place, relative ages and
interpretation. Several important stratigraphic principles
emerged from the study of stratigraphy centuries ago by the
early founders of the science of geology:
NICOLAUS STENO (1669)
Modern Ancient
sand dune sand dune
WILLIAM "STRATA" SMITH (1769 - 1839)
5. Principle of Biological Succession: Different kinds of plants and animals
succeed one another in time because life has evolved continuously; therefore only
rocks formed during the same age can contain similar assemblages of fossils.
Since these fossil assemblages are unique for particular periods of the past, they
can be used to:
a. correlate rocks from around the world, and to
b. order rock layers into a sequence of relative age (i.e. older . newer).
CHARLES LYELL (1830)
6. Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships: Any geologic feature which cuts
across or penetrates another body of rock must be younger than the rock mass
penetrated.
7. Principle of Inclusions: Any rock that contains fragments of an adjacent
rock must be younger than the adjacent rock.
What was the sequence of events?
Harry Williams, Historical Geology
Harry Williams, Historical Geology
Walthers Law and overlapping of facies
A marine transgression is a
geologic event during which
sea level rises relative to the
land and the shoreline moves
toward higher ground,
resulting in flooding.
The opposite of transgression
is regression, in which the sea
level falls relative to the land
and exposes former sea bottom.
Marine Trangression
Marine Regression
Walthers Law
Sedimentary environments that started out side-by-side will end
up overlapping one another over time due to transgressions and
regressions.
Lithostratigraphic Units
A lithostratigraphic unit is a defined body of sedimentary, extrusive igneous,
metasedimentary, or metavolcanic strata which is distinguished on the basis of
lithic characteristics and stratigraphic position. A lithostratigraphic unit
generally conforms to the Law of Superposition and commonly is stratified and
tabular in form.
3. Furthermore, most of the worlds oil lies in sedimentary rock formed from
marine sediments deposited on the edges of continents. For example, there are
many large deposits that lie along the Gulf of Mexico and the Persian Gulf.
4.Carbonate reservoirs contain approximately 50% of the world
hydrocarbon reserves. The largest oil field, the Jurassic Ghawar field in
Saudi Arabia, and the largest gas field, the Permian/Triassic North field in
Qatar, are in carbonate rocks.
5. Petroleum Geosciences is principally concerned with the reservoir
basins which are also sedimentary in nature.
6. Sediemntary rock like shales and evaporites form by far the best
seal/cap rocks.
Therefore knowledge of sedimentary rocks, sedimentary facies,
environment of deposition are all very important in oil exploration.