Ordered hierarchy versus scale invariance in sequence stratigraphy

Sequence stratigraphy has been applied in a wide range of scales of time and space, from decimeter-thick layers formed within hours to kilometer-thick basin fills formed during hundreds of millions of years. The traditional approach to practice sequence stratigraphy in this wide range of scales is t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of earth sciences : Geologische Rundschau 2010-10, Vol.99 (Suppl 1), p.139-151
Main Author: Schlager, Wolfgang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternatives
Data analysis
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Geochemistry
Geology
Geophysics/Geodesy
Mineral Resources
Original Paper
Sedimentation & deposition
Sedimentation rates
Sedimentology
Stratigraphy
Structural Geology
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Summary:Sequence stratigraphy has been applied in a wide range of scales of time and space, from decimeter-thick layers formed within hours to kilometer-thick basin fills formed during hundreds of millions of years. The traditional approach to practice sequence stratigraphy in this wide range of scales is to subdivide the sediment piles into an ordered hierarchy of sequence cycles of different duration and different architecture. An alternative are scale-invariant models with fractal characteristics. Published data confirm two predictions of the ordered-hierarchy model: sequences of very short duration (200 × 10 6  years) are symmetrical transgressive–regressive cycles. However, the sequence record in the range of 1 × 10 4 –200 × 10 6  years, the principal domain of sequence stratigraphy, shows a rather irregular succession of sequences with variable symmetry and bounded by flooding surfaces or exposure surfaces. For these time scales, scale-invariant models are a good first approximation, particularly because the evidence for scale-invariance and randomness in the stratigraphic record is strong: Frequency spectra of sea-level change as well as rates of sedimentation and rates of accommodation change plotted against length of observation span show basic trends indistinguishable from random walk. These trends, combined with scale-invariant sequence models may be the most efficient tools for across-the-board predictions on sequences and for locating islands of order in the sequence record.
ISSN:1437-3254
1437-3262
DOI:10.1007/s00531-009-0491-8