Interpreting and Classifying Depositional Environments

Question
• Discuss the following with the people around you:
• What characteristics of sedimentary strata do we examine to make environmental interpretations?

Sedimentary Facies
• What is a sedimentary facies?
• Environment interpreted from rocks
• All the characteristics which distinguish it from adjacent facies
• Characteristics - diagenesis = sed. environment

Sedimentary Facies
• How do we recognize an environment?
• Physical Properties - the rock
• Lithology
• Composition (fossils and minerals), texture, fabric (structures - both physical and biological)

Sedimentary Facies
• Physical Properties - large scale
• Geometry of the deposit

Sedimentary Facies
• Physical Properties - large scale
• Facies Associations

Sedimentary Facies
• Tools for recognition
• Detailed measured sections (characterized and sampled)

Sedimentary Facies
• Tools for recognition
• Correlation of closely-spaced measured sections
• Correlation of well logs
• Seismic sections

Sedimentary Facies
• Tools for recognition
• Facies models
• actuallistic