Sedimentary ANalogs Database

Great strides have been made in the past decade in the understanding of the processes and deposits of clastic systems. One of the greatest challenges scientists face is to effectively communicate the results of their research to academia, industry, government, and the public. To be of practical use, research results must be widely disseminated in a manner that is easy to access and understand.

To address this problem, the QCL has created SAND: A Sedimentary ANalogs Database. The SAND is intended to be a living catalogue that will be updated with editions issued each year to consortium members. The SAND is intended to be the most comprehensive collection of clastic system images, animations, and data ever assembled. It is useful both as an introduction for novices and as a unique and comprehensive source of analogs for experienced users.

The SAND is a web-based, interactive, comprehensive atlas of clastic systems. The multimodule atlas contains hundreds of images of clastic systems around the world. These include field exposures (outcrop views, geologic maps, aerial photographs, satellite images), seismic sections, attribute images, quantitative morphologic data, geologic cross sections, conceptual sketches, and animations. In addition, the atlas showcases previous research from the QCL outcrop studies catalogue compiled from work on the outcrops of the U.S. Western Interior, as well as best case examples of clastic systems seismic geomorphologies from ongoing work in the UT Quantitative Clastics Laboratory Industrial Associate program.