Simulation of sedimentary facies on the Northern California shelf

• Published in: Geology (Boulder) 1997-07, Vol.25 (7), p.635-638
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yong, Swift, Donald J. P, Niedoroda, Alan W, Reed, Christopher W, Thorne, Julian A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: California; Computer based modeling; continental margin sedimentation; continental shelf; data processing; digital simulation; East Pacific; Geology; lithofacies; Marine; marine sediments; marine transport; North Pacific; Northeast Pacific; Northern California; Oceanography; Pacific Ocean; probability; sediment transport; sedimentation; Sediments; sorting; statistical analysis; stochastic processes; storms; theoretical models; United States
• ISSN: 0091-7613; 1943-2682
• DOI: 10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0635:SOSFOT>2.3.CO;2

A dynamic model is developed to simulate the sedimentary facies on the Northern California Shelf. In the model, dispersal mechanisms of small time scale are described by deterministic sediment-transport equations. However, at large time scale, the shelf dispersal system is described in probabilistic terms owing to its stochastic behavior. The probability of storm-bed generation is described by the bed generation potential, Pg, which is determined by the probability density distribution function of the local storms. The bed preservation potential, Pp, valued between 0 and 1, is a parameter that describes the probable truncation a storm bed that will be buried in a bed succession. The truncation depends on the erosion and deposition caused by subsequent random storms. By estimating the preservation potentials of all generated storm beds, the most probable storm-bed succession is predicted. The computations support the hypothesis that sedimentary facies are produced by the coupled mechanisms of progressive sorting and stratal condensation on continental margins.