Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy, second edition presents principles for practical workflow that guide applications in a consistent manner that is independent of model, geological setting and the types and resolution of the data available. The book explains the points of agreement and difference between the various approaches to sequence stratigraphy, while also defining the common ground that affords the standard application of the method. This enables the practitioner to avoid nomenclatural and methodological confusion and apply sequence stratigraphy. The text is richly illustrated with hundreds of full-colour diagrams and examples of outcrop, borehole and seismic data.
The book's balanced approach helps students and professionals acquire a sound understanding of the concepts and methodology. It will appeal to geologists, geophysicists and engineers with an interest in basin analysis, stratigraphy and sedimentology, as well as in all economic applications that concern the exploration and production of natural resources, including water, hydrocarbons, coal and sediment-hosted mineral deposits.
1. Introduction
2. Data in Sequence Stratigraphy
3. Controls on Sequence Development
4. Stratal Stacking Patterns
5. Stratal Units
6. Stratigraphic Surfaces
7. Sequence Stratigraphic Framework
8. Variability of Stratigraphic Sequences
9. Discussion
10. Conclusions
Octavian Catuneanu is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, with PhD degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Bucharest. He is the recipient of several distinctions in the field of Geology, including the W.W. Hutchison Medal of the Geological Association of Canada for exceptional advances in earth science research, and best paper awards from the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, the Geological Society of America, and the Romanian Academy of Sciences. Octavian Catuneanu served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, Chair of the Task Group on Sequence Stratigraphy of the International Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification, Chair of the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature, and member of the editorial board of several journals in North America, Europe, and Africa. He is the editor of several books and special issues, the author of numerous publications in the fields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, and basin analysis, and the instructor of sequence stratigraphy and related disciplines for universities, conferences, and companies worldwide. The first edition of his Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy textbook (Elsevier, 2006) received the 2007 "Outstanding Academic Title" Choice Award from the American Library Association and remains a best-selling title.
Review of the first edition:
"This volume has the best explanation and exploration of sequence stratigraphy yet published. It stands above earlier such books not only because of its outstanding graphics and clear prose, but also because it approaches the topic philosophically, emphasizing the cognitive models as much as the geological [...] All libraries with geological science programs should have this book, as should all sedimentologists and stratigraphers. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals."
– Choice
"Outstanding conceptual diagrams and illustrations including color photos of geologic outcrops, well cuttings, cores, well logs, and 3D seismic data are the backbone of this book. I firmly believe that this will be a bestseller in the Earth sciences. I really enjoyed reading this extraordinarily comprehensive text."
– The Leading Edge, The Society of Exploration Geophysicists, May 2007
"Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy is an up-to-date and comprehensive textbook covering both theory and practice of sequence stratigraphy. [...] Octavian Catuneanu has written a balanced, well illustrated and up-to-date overview of the various approaches to sequence stratigraphy."
– Journal of Sedimentary Research, August 2006