Sedimentary basin analysis is a geologic method by which the formation and evolution history of a

sedimentary basin Sedimentary basins are region-scale depressions of the Earth's crust where subsidence has occurred and a thick sequence of sediments have accumulated to form a large three-dimensional body of sedimentary rock. They form when long-term subsiden ...

is revealed, by analyzing the

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand ...

fill and subsidence. Subsidence of sedimentary basins generates the spatial distribution of accommodation infilling sediments. Aspects of the sediment, namely its composition, primary structures, and internal architecture, can be synthesized into a history of the basin fill. Such a synthesis can reveal how the basin formed, how the sediment fill was transported or precipitated, and reveal sources of the sediment fill. From such syntheses models can be developed to explain broad basin formation mechanisms. Examples of such basin classifications include intracratonic, rift, passive margin, strike-slip, forearc, backarc-marginal sea, fold and thrust belt, and foreland basins. Sedimentary basin analysis is largely conducted by two types of

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

s who have slightly different goals and approaches. The

petroleum geologist A petroleum geologist is an earth scientist who works in the field of petroleum geology, which involves all aspects of oil discovery and production. Petroleum geologists are usually linked to the actual discovery of oil and the identification of ...

, whose ultimate goal is to determine the possible presence and extent of

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...

s and hydrocarbon-bearing rocks in a basin, and the academic geologist, who may be concerned with any or all facets of a basin's evolution.

Petroleum industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larg ...

basin analysis is often conducted on subterranean basins through the use of reflection seismology and data from well logging. Academic geologists study subterranean basins as well as those basins which have been exhumed and dissected by subsequent tectonic events. Thus academics sometimes use petroleum industry techniques, but in many cases they are able to study rocks at the surface. Techniques used to study surficial sedimentary rocks include: measuring stratigraphic sections, identifying

sedimentary depositional environment In geology, depositional environment or sedimentary environment describes the combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes associated with the deposition of a particular type of sediment and, therefore, the rock types that will be ...

s and constructing a geologic map. An important tool in sedimentary basin analysis is sequence stratigraphy, in which various sedimentary sequences are related to pervasive changes in sea level and sediment supply.

References

* Duppenbecker S. J. and Eliffe J. E., Basin Modelling: Practice and Progress, Geological Society Special Publication, (1998). *Evenick, J. C., Glimpses into Earth's history using a revised global sedimentary basin map, Earth-Science Reviews, (2021). doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103564 * Lerche I., Basin Analysis: Quantitative Methods v.2, Academic Press (1990). * Lee, E.Y., Novotny, J., Wagreich, M., Subsidence analysis and visualization: for sedimentary basin analysis and modelling, Springer, (2019). {{doi, 10.1007/978-3-319-76424-5 Sedimentology

See also

References