Introduction to Carbonate Facies, Depositional Environments, and Depositional Systems: Definition of Depositional Enviromnment

Introduction to Carbonate Environments, Facies, and Facies Tracts

Robert G. Loucks, Charles Kerans, and Xavier Janson
Bureau of Economic Geology

GENERALIZED CARBONATE DEPOSITIONAL MODEL A generalized carbonate platform model displays the relative position of the major carbonate depositional systems and associated depositional environments.
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Click on each process type below to see detailed information on process parameters

Depositional environments are not randomly distributed, but form in response to well-organized physical, biological, and chemical processes. Therefore, predictable patterns of depositional environments develop. The generalized platform model is simplified as to the control of relative sea-level changes on the placement of the different depositional environments. The reader can refer to Handford and Loucks (1993) for a basic discussion on relative sea-level changes on carbonate system tracts.



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