<p> The Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Viking Formation at Harmattan East and Crossfield, Alberta, contains two regionally extensive erosion surfaces, VE3 and VE4, separating three allomembers, A-B, D and E. These erosion surfaces can be mapped over large areas of the Alberta basin allowing for the creation of a Viking allostratigraphy. </p> <p> The allostratigraphic base of the Viking alloformation in the study area is informally designated BV. The BV log marker is overlain by allomember A-B, which in turn is overlain by the regionally extensive ravinement surface VE3. The VE3 surface is sharply overlain by allomember D, a northeastward thinning clastic wedge composed of storm dominated facies and nonmarine deposits. Allomember D is in turn overlain by the regionally extensive ravinement surface VE4. Allomember E, which overlies this unconformity is a complex succession of coarse grained facies interbedded with dark mudstones. The upper . part of allomember E is composed of dark mudstones bounded at the top by a regionally extensive condensed section (Base of Fish Scales) that informally marks the allostratigraphic top of the Viking alloformation in the study area. </p> <p> Viking sedimentation began with the deposition of basinal and offshore transitional mudstones, siltstones and sandstones of allomember A-B. A major drop in sea level allowed valleys to incise into these sediments. Nonmarine and upper shoreface deposits of allomember A-B were eroded at Harmattan East during the ensuing transgression that produced the VE3 ravinement surface. A second relative sea level lowering resulted in northeastward progradation of allomember D. Renewed transgression modified the older subaerial erosion surface on top of allomember D, forming the marine ravinement surface VE4 and the overlying deposits of allomember E. Multiple stillstands or slow rates of transgression produced the "steplike" southwestward climbing morphology on the VE4 surface. Fluvial systems supplied coarse sediment to each shoreface incision ("step"). During minor sea level falls, storm and tidal currents reworked sediment at these shorefaces and also transported sediment basinward over older "stepped" shorelines forming onlap markers EO to E5. Continued transgression blanketed the coarse grained interbeds with offshore dark mudstones (Colorado Shale). A major pause in basin deposition led to the formation of a condensed section of fish skeletal remains (Base of Fish Scales). The base of this unit marks the end of Viking depostion in the study area. </p> <p> The Harmattan East Viking oil field is producing from the coarse grained transgressive lag that overlies VE4. It is separated from Caroline field (along depositional strike) by a rise in the VE4 surface. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

<p> Thick turbidite beds, belonging to the β1 member, Cloridorme Formation (Ordovician), are exposed on the wavecut platform between St. H‎élier and Fame Point, Gasp‎é, Quebec. The local paleocurrent direction (to the west) is approximately parallel to the east-west strike of the vertical beds.</p> <p> These thick turbidite beds display a sequence of sedimentary structures which differs from the sequence defined by Bouma. Three broad divisions are recognised: a basal division consists of either limestone or quartz granule to pebble conglomerate (0-4 cms thick) or coarse sand greywacke or calcareous wacke (0-15 cms thick). Basal divisions of calcareous wacke frequently display ripple-lamination, parallel lamination, or upstream inclined laminae. Where the upstream inclined laminae form a single set, they occur below a sinuous profile (wavelength 40-80 cms, and amplitude 2-5 cms).</p> <p> A second division (0-330 cms thick) consists in most places of spindle or globular shaped calcareous nodules scattered in an argillaceous matrix. In some beds streaking and lobing of light coloured carbonate bearing material is associated with these nodules. The upper division consists of fine grained siltstone and shale.</p> <p> Thick broken blocks which have fallen from the cliffs, display the internal characteristics of the second division. Hemi-ellipsoid structures, arranged en echelon and convex towards the base of the bed, are displayed by one block.</p> <p> The upstream inclined laminae in the basal divisions of calcareous wacke beds are interpreted as the result of the upstream migration of antidunes. The nodules within the second division developed as 'pseudonodules'. The hemi-ellipsoid structures resemble damped large scale (macroturbulent) eddies associated with the flow of dense grain dispersions. The directions of the internal motions are shown by the orientation of grains and graptolite stipes.</p> <p> Correlation of these beds has been achieved over a distance of 7-1/2 miles. Over this distance the beds show little change in their characteristics. Basal divisions of granule and pebble conglomerate persist over this distance and show that coarse particles may be transported by turbidity currents over long distances. The sedimentary structures of the basal divisions of several calcareous wacke beds give the appearance (probably misleading) of an increase in flow regime downcurrent.</p> <p> The beds were probably deposited from initially low concentration but high density turbidity currents accompanied by a period of coarse grain traction and suspension near to the bed. In the case of calcareous wacke beds this period of traction formed rippled, flat or antidune bed forms. Stratification has been preserved by the rapid deposition of sediment en masse from the subsequent high concentration body of the current. The formation of a succession of 'quick' beds led to the sedimentation of the second division.</p> <p> Calculations suggest that the currents moved over slopes of much less than 1°.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Fine-grained clastic sediments make up the gross lithology in interior basins of ancient epicontinental seas, such as the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. This study provides a high-resolution thin-bedded facies analysis and regional correlations to determine how the heterolithic units of the Juana Lopez Member of the Mancos Shale were transported and deposited in the San Juan Basin. Data for this study was obtained from outcrop observations in eleven measured sections, spanning a distance of 115 kilometers. Eleven facies are observed, four sequences and eleven parasequence sets are identified. A depositional model is determined through the high-resolution facies analysis, which suggests deposition on a proximal to distal mudbelt through multiple processes, including turbidity currents, hypopycnal plumes, wave enhanced sediment gravity flows (WESGFs), storm surges, tides and oceanic currents. Overall, the Juana Lopez is dominated by upward-shoaling parasequence sets, with an increasing number and thickness of sandstone dominated bedsets, suggesting regressive sedimentation with distal expressions of transgression found in two parasequence sets. The source of sediment is determined through 520 paleocurrent measurements and plaeogeographic data, and is determined to be transported by along-shelf currents, dominantly from proximal NE clastic wedges. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This thesis is missing page 28 from this and all other copies. -Digitization Centre / Glacial and glacially-influenced deposits examined at two sites in west-central Ellesmere Island provide insights into the nature of glaciation during the late-Wisconsinan and Holocene advances, and the modes of deposition from arid, high latitude ice bodies. Glacial lithofacies identified indicate that englacial debris content varied spatially and it is inferred that basal thermal conditions also exhibited a complex pattern. Direct glacial deposits usually consist of unsorted diamicts with a complete size range of matrix components, indicating an absence of meltwater-sorting or winnowing during deposition. Glacially-influenced fluvial, lacustrine, and nearshore marine deposits show that most of the Quaternary sediments were deposited by low-frequency, high magnitude events during deglaciation. A tentative reconstruction of late-glacial history in the Strathcona Fiord area proposes that an ice tongue surged down Strathcona Fiord from a previous maximum position coincident with the present day head of the fiord. This surge destabilised the margin locally, causing rapid collapse in the valleys and melting into ice-cored basins on the higher plateau areas. Periodically these ice-cored basins would drain, providing large water and sediment discharges and reworking in some sites whilst leaving other deposits unaffected. Subsequent reworking has been minimal in the cold, arid environment where continued uplift favours fluvial incision rather than extensive sandur development. Examination of the modern ice margin shows that the ice here is frozen to the substrate but basal debris bands indicate that at some localities basal temperatures must be above pressure melting point. Patterns of debris entrainment and deposition and debris lithologies suggest that much of the transported debris is incorporated where lobes of ice begin to flow out from the main ice cap. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Lake sediments can play an important role in understanding and reconstructing temporal characteristics of the geomagnetic field, as they potentially offer near continuous high-resolution archives of magnetic information extending throughout the Holocene. To date lake sediment geomagnetic data has typically been excluded from British archaeomagnetic secular variation curves (SVC) due to uncertainties with the acquisition of magnetisation by lake sediments. This paper presents the argument that, with regards to British datasets, the real problem lies with poor chronological control and sets out to illustrate that with British archaeomagnetic data some progress has been made. The results indicate that it is not currently possible to resolve secular variation on a time scale of ¿100 years from published British lake sediment data but more success has been made with data from archaeological sediments. This level of detail has been considered necessary for the incorporation of lake sediment data into the British archaeomagnetic dataset, as the ability to resolve short-term geomagnetic changes is critical for the integration of any dataset into the British SVC. As the latter is predominantly employed to date archaeological architecture and artefacts requires that it has the ability to resolve changes over timescales relevant to human lifetimes. Using currently available data this retrospective critique confirms that, in archaeological sediments, depositional and thermoremanent magnetisation can record the same direction over the same time interval.

The East Shetland Basin is a superb natural laboratory in which to study the role that normal fault growth and linkage has in determining petroleum prospectivity. Use of several high density 3D seismic volumes and over 250 boreholes permits key aspects of the Late Jurassic rift and its Permo-Triassic precursor to be analysed and its role on hydrocarbon trap formation, reservoir distribution and migration determined. The regional interpretation has revealed the generation of a North Sea archipelago of Upper Jurassic islands, the role of relay ramps in controlling syn-rift sediment dispersal patterns and the impact of normal faults of the later episode crossing and offsetting those generated by the earlier phase. The uplift, erosion and meteoric flushing of Upper Jurassic and older strata within the exposed fault blocks could potentially have huge consequences for the Brent play by enhancing reservoir properties and hence, help identify new play opportunities down-dip of major structures. Fault control on sediment dispersal can also be documented in a more localized study on the Cladhan Field, the site of a pronounced basin-margin relay ramp. This recent discovered set of syn-rift density flows illustrates how the development and distribution of depositional gradients and transport pathways form subtle play types. The Cladhan area is just one of several locations throughout the East Shetland Basin where the interaction of multiple rift phases is influential in the structural feedback after the Upper Jurassic rifting event. The delicate interaction and reactivation of underlying structural trends creates a series of multi-tiered fault block systems which can define several aspects of a petroleum system, depending upon the strike, polarity and level of reactivation of faults from one rift to another. The observations of fault growth and linkage in the Northern North Sea may provide generic lessons that help in determining petroleum prospectivity in other hydrocarbon rift basins (e.g. E. Africa and the N. Atlantic seaboard of North America).

Facies and stratigraphic architecture right at the transition from marine to non-marine environments is poorly documented. In the Cretaceous outcrops of Utah, Star Point and Blackhawk Formations are well studied. The nature of spatio-temporal transition of these two Formations, in the deposition-strike orientation, remains undocumented. This study characterizes facies and stratigraphic complexity at the transition of the two Formations that crop out in depositional-strike orientation in the Wasatch Plateau. Data from outcrop including photomosiacs and measured sections demonstrate this complexity at a range of scales. The Star Point constitutes a shoreface environment. The Blackhawk constitutes a coastal-fluvial environment. In the northern part of study area, the transition from marine to continental strata is expressed by intertonguing succession. The dip-oriented outcrops show pinch-outs of two parasequences into coastal-plain deposits. This complexity decreases southward, the southern outcrops show a simple transition. At least two sequence boundaries are correlated across the outcrop belt.

A Formação Tacuarembó (Jurássico Superior – Cretáceo Inferior), subdividida em Membro Batoví e Membro Rivera, aflora na região norte do Uruguai, nos departamentos de Rivera e Tacuarembó. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é a análise sedimentológica e estratigráfi-ca da Formação Tacuarembó, através da caracterização faciológica, a reconstrução dos modelos deposicionais e a definição das relações de contato entre os membros Batoví e Rivera. Para alcançar tal objetivo, foi realizado o levantamento, na escala 1:50, de um tes-temunho e de quarenta e uma seções colunares, estas divididas em sete transectas com base em sua distribuição espacial. Como resultado, foram detalhadas litofácies posterior-mente agrupadas em diferentes associações de fácies. O Membro Batoví é constituído por associações de fácies de (1) dunas eólicas, (2) lençóis de areia eólicos, (3) canais fluviais efêmeros, (4) canais fluviais perenes entrelaçados e (5) deltas. O Membro Rivera, por sua vez, é constituído essencialmente por associações de fácies de dunas eólicas. A intercala-ção entre depósitos fluviais, eólicos e deltaicos, com predominância de associações fluviais sugere que o Membro Batoví representa o modelo deposicional de porção distal de um sis-tema fluvial distributário Já o Membro Rivera caracteriza-se pelo sucessivo cavalgamento de dunas eólicas, sem a ocorrência de depósitos de interdunas úmidas ou encharcadas, definindo um sistema eólico seco. A mudança abrupta de sistemas deposicionais, marcada por uma superfície plana, por vezes com concentração de clastos, indica a existência de uma discordância entre os membros Batoví e Rivera. Aliado a isto, a mudança no modelo deposicional sugere uma alteração climática, passando de um clima arido a semi-árido du-rante a deposição do Membro Batoví, para um clima hiperárido ao longo da deposição do Membro Rivera. / The Tacuarembó Formation (Upper Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous), subdivided into Batoví Member and Rivera Member, crops in the northern region of Uruguay, in the Rivera and Tacuarembó departments. The main objective of the present work is the sedimentological and estratigraphic analysis of the Tacuarembó Formation, through the faciological charac-terization, reconstruction of the depositional models and definition of contact relations be-tween the Batoví and Rivera members. To reach such objective, a well-log and forty-one columnar sections were surveyed in a scale 1:50, and later the columnar sections were di-vided into seven transects, based on their spatial position. As a result, lithofacies were de-tailed and later grouped in different facies associations.The Batoví Member consists of associations of facies of (1) eolian dunes, (2) eolian sand sheets, (3) ephemeral fluvial channels, (4) perennial braided fluvial channels and (5) deltaic. On the other hand, the Ri-vera Member, is essentially constituted by facies associations eolian dunes. The intercala-tion between fluvial, eolian and deltaic deposits, with predominance of fluvial associations, suggests that the Batoví Member represents the depositional model of the distal portion of a distributary fluvial system. Contrastingly, the Rivera Member is characterized by the suc-cessive eolian dunes climbing, without the occurrence of wet or damp interdunes deposits, defining a dry eolian system. The abrupt change of depositional systems, marked by a flat surface, sometimes with clasts concentration, indicates the existence of an unconformity between the members Batoví and Rivera. Allied to this, the change in the depositional model suggests a climatic change, going from arid to semi-arid climate during the deposi-tion of the Batoví Member, to a hyperarid climate during the deposition of the Rivera Mem-ber.

Os sistemas eólicos foram abundantes e muito comuns no início da Era Proterozoica Era, depois de 2.2 Ga. No entanto, a maioria das sucessões eólicas dessa idade são intensamente deformadas e fragmentadas, o que implica que até o momento, poucas tentativas foram feitas para aplicar uma abordagem de estratigrafia de sequências, para determinar os mecanismos de construção, acumulação e preservação das sequências eólicas, da mesma forma, não existem trabalhos realizados até o presente momento que utilizem os registros de acumulação eólica e reconstruções paleogeográficas para modelar a circulação atmosférica do Pré- Cambriano. A Formação Mangabeira é uma sucessão eólica de idade Mesoproterozóica bem preservada no Cráton do São Francisco, nordeste do Brasil. Duas unidades principais foram identificadas com base na arquitetura deposicional e na análise dos paleoventos. A unidade inferior da Formação Mangabeira (~ 500 m de espessura) compreende depósitos eólicos de duna, interdunas, lençóis de areia eólicos, assim como depósitos fluviais. Estes depósitos são organizados em ciclos sedimentares que se sucedem verticalmente, cada ciclo com 6 a 20 m de espessura, caracterizados por lençóis de areia eólicos e depósitos fluviais que são substituídos por dunas eólicas e depósitos interdunas indicando uma tendência de ressecamento para o topo. Os dados de paleoventos indicam um transporte atual dominantemente à norte. Estes ciclos surgem em resposta a oscilações climáticas de um clima relativamente úmido para condições climáticas áridas possivelmente relacionadas com forças orbitais. O limite entre a Unidade Inferior e a Unidade Superior sobrejacente é marcado por uma mudança na arquitetura deposicional e uma mudança brusca no padrão de paleoventos. A Unidade Superior (200 m de espessura) é caracterizada por sucessivos sets de estratos cruzados simples, cada set com ~ 3 a 10 m de espessura, que indicam a migração e acumulação de grandes dunas eólicas sem regiões de interdunas, e que se acumulou como um sistema eólico seco. Os dados de paleoventos indicam transporte atual predominantemente ao sul. Esta sucessão se acumulou durante um episódio de longa duração de hiperaridez. Localmente, a Unidade Superior inclui depósitos fluviais menores que registram um evento úmido de curta duração, ou uma inundação rara por sistemas fluviais provenientes das margens da bacia. A combinação dos dados de paleoventos com mapas paleogeográficos demonstra uma boa correlação entre a circulação atmosférica e distribuição das massas de terras. Entre 1,6-1,54 Ga o Cráton São Francisco estava localizado entre as latitudes médias e o equador. Os registros do regime de vento a partir dos estratos cruzados da Unidade Inferior são consistentes com as posições paleogeográficas do Cráton do São Francisco entre 25º a 35º S, prevalecendo um padrão de vento zonal. Entre 1,54-1,5 Ga a grande massa de terra (cratons do São-Francisco, Congo e Sibéria) derivou mais ao norte atingindo paleolatitudes entre 30º S e 30ºN. Nessa altura, o Cráton do São Francisco estava posicionado na zona equatorial. Esta paleogeografia é consistente com os paleoventos registrados na Unidade Superior, dominando um padrão de vento de monções. / Aeolian systems were abundant and widespread in the early Proterozoic Era, after 2.2 Ga. However, the majority of aeolian successions of such great age are intensely deformed and are preserved only in a fragmentary state meaning that, hitherto, few attempts have been made to apply a sequence stratigraphic approach to determine mechanisms of aeolian construction, accumulation and preservation in such systems, as the same way, no attempts to use the records of aeolian accumulation and palaeogeographic reconstructions of the land mass distribution to model Precambrian atmospheric circulation have been undertaken so far. The Mangabeira Formation is a well preserved Mesoproterozoic erg succession covering part of the São Francisco Craton, northeastern Brazil. Two main units are identified based on stratigraphic architecture and analysis of regional palaeo-sand transport directions. The lower unit of the Mangabeira Formation (~500 m thick) comprises aeolian deposits of dune, interdune, and sand-sheet origin, as well as some of water-lain origin. These deposits are organized into vertically stacked depositional cycles, each 6 to 20 m thick and characterized by aeolian sandsheet and water-lain deposits succeeded by aeolian dune and interdune deposits indicative of a drying-upward trend. Palaeocurrent data indicate aeolian sand transport dominantly to the presentday north. These cycles likely arose in response to climatic oscillations from relatively humid to arid conditions, possibly related to orbital forcing. The boundary between this lower unit and an overlying upper unit is an unconformity of regional extent marked by a change in the depositional architecture and an abrupt shift in palaeocurrent pattern. The Upper Unit (200 m thick) is characterized by stacked sets of simple cross strata, each ~3 to 10 m thick, which are indicative of the migration and accumulation of large aeolian dunes that lacked interdune flats of appreciable size, and which accumulated as a dry aeolian system. Palaeocurrent data indicates aeolian sand transport dominantly to the present-day south. This succession is interpreted to have accumulated during a long-lived episode of hyper-aridity. Locally, the upper unit includes minor fluvial deposits that may record a short-lived event of heightened humidity, or a rare flood event by fluvial systems sourced from the basin margin. The combination of the palaeowinds data with 1.6 - 1.5 Ga palaeogeographic maps demonstrate a good correlation between atmospheric circulation and land mass distribution. At 1.6 to 1.54 Ga São Francisco Craton has been located between mid-latitudes and equatorial zone. The wind regime records from the cross-strata of the Lower Unit are consistent with the palaeogeographic positions of São Francisco between 25º to 35º S, prevail a zonal wind pattern. At 1.54 to 1.5 Ga the large land mass (São-Francisco-Congo and Siberian cratons) drifted farther north reaching palaeolatitudes between 30º S and 30ºN. At that time the São Francisco Craton has been located in the equatorial zone. This palaeogeography is consistent with the northwestern palaeowinds directions recorded in the Upper Unit which dominates a monsoonal wind pattern.

Este trabalho compreende uma abordagem teórico-metodológica para o estudo dos processos de formação (culturais e naturais) da camada preta que recobre o sítio Jabuticabeira II (Santa Catarina). A partir da adaptação da análise de fácies sedimentares foi desenvolvido um método para a descrição, classificação, caracterização e interpretação de sedimentos arqueológicos em sítios estratificados. Tal método foi desenhado para envolver numa mesma abordagem analítica os processos culturais e naturais como agentes ativos na configuração de corpos arqueossedimentares. Na camada preta do sítio Jabuticabeira II, a análise de arqueofácies proposta permitiu aproximar aos comportamentos deposicionais e processos naturais responsáveis pela conformação deste complexo fenômeno de deposição cultural. / This work represents a theoretical and methodological approach for the study of formation processes (both cultural and natural) of the black layer that covers the Jabuticabeira II site (Santa Catarina). From adaptation of sedimentary facies analyses a method for classification, characterization and interpretation of archaeological sediments in stratified sites was developed. Such method aims to embrace in the same analytical approach both cultural and natural processes as active agents in the configuration of archaeosedimentary bodies. In the black layer of Jabuticabeira II, the proposed archaeofacies analyses allowed the approximation of depositional behaviours and natural processes responsible for the conformation of this complex phenomenon of cultural deposition.