Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I Principles
Hutton - Superposition & Original Horizontality Potential problems - deformed beds Walthers Law Matching Environments (Lithofacies) vs Time Siccar Point Scotland
Group - e.g. Brigham Group (includes Geertsen Fm.) Formation - Mappable, recognizable - e.g. Geertsen, Langston Formations Member - e.g. Naomi Peak Limestone and Spence Shale Members of the Langston Formation
Bed
Ash
Storm (Tempestites) Seismites Floods (Inundites) Impact ejecta
Longer-Term
Hardgrounds Transgressive Surfaces Maximum Flooding Surfaces P&S p. 330
Subsurface Techniques
I Rock samples from wells
Seismic Wave
velocity (1-8 km/sec) frequency (10-80 Hz) (velocity / wavelength) (20-600m) wavelength
amplitude
Wavelength (60m typical) Resolution = wavelength, therefore 30m packages resolved Higher frequency gives better resolution, but less penetration
Biostratigraphy
I Ecostratigraphy (Biofacies)
Short range
- Rapid evolution or - Rapid extinction Widespread (planktonic, float after death, or dispersed by wind) Little ecologic control Abundant
Ammonites
Pollen
Biochronology - Zones
Range Zones (= Chron, time unit) Taxon Concurrent (Oppel) Acme Partial Assemblage Datum (FAD, LAD) Biomere - extinction-bounded range zones Stage (= Age, time unit), based on several zones
Biochronology - Problems
Fuzzy boundaries - Species identification - Timing of appearance/disappearance - Migration over time - Lazarus species - Zombie species Environmental control
more time
less time
IV Absolute Dating
Isotopic U, Pb, K, Ar Radiogenic - Fission Track - Thermoluminescence (TSL, OSL) - Electron spin resonance (ESR) Sideral (counts) - Varves - Sclerochronology - Dendrochronology Amino Acid Racemization
less time
Eons Hadean 4.6 - 3.9 Ga firey Archean 3.9 - 2.5 Ga ancient Proterozoic 2.5 - .540 Ga before life Phanerozoic .540 Ga present abundant life Eras Paleozoic 540 - 248Ma ancient life Mesozoic 248 - 65 Ma middle life Cenozoic 65 Ma present modern life Periods Epochs