Deltaic and Shallow Marine Deposits

This book should be of interest to geologists; biologists; environmentalists; ecologists; engineers; lecturers and students in related subjects; libraries.

Most of the thirty-four papers contained in this Special Publication arise from the Fourth International Conference on Fluvial Sedimentology held in Spain in 1989. Sections deal with various aspects of sediment transport and hydraulics in flume experiments and modern rivers, the analysis of alluvial facies, geomorphic and structural controls on alluvial sedimentation, alluvial stratigraphy and basin analysis, and finally the exploration and exploitation of ores. A professional reference to the most recent research in fluvial sedimentology. An international expert authorship.

The zone where land and sea meet is composed of a variety of complex environments. The coastal areas of the world contain a large percentage of its population and are therefore of extreme economic importance. Industrial, residential, and recreational developments, as well as large urban complexes, occupy much of the coastal margin of most highly developed countries. Undoubtedly future expansion in many undeveloped maritime countries will also be concentrated on coastal areas. Accompanying our occupation of coasts in this age of technology is a dependence on coastal environments for transportation, food, water, defense, and recreation. In order to utilize the coastal zone to its capacity, and yet not plunder its resources, we must have extensive knowledge of the complex environments contained along the coasts. The many environments within the coastal zone include bays, estuaries, deltas, marshes, dunes, and beaches. A tremendously broad range of conditions is represented by these environments. Salinity may range from essentially fresh water in estuaries, such as along the east coast of the United States, to extreme hypersaline lagoons, such as Laguna Madre in Texas. Coastal environments may be in excess of a hundred meters deep (fjords) or may extend several meters above sea level in the form of dunes. Some coastal environments are well protected and are not subjected to high physical energy except for occasional storms, whereas beaches and tidal inlets are continuously modified by waves and currents.

Paralic reservoirs reflect a range of depositional environments including deltas, shoreline–shelf systems and estuaries. They provide the backbone of production in many mature basins, and contribute significantly to global conventional hydrocarbon production. However, the range of environments, together with relative sea-level and sediment supply changes, result in significant variability in their stratigraphic architecture and sedimentological heterogeneity, which translates into complex patterns of reservoir distribution and production that are challenging to predict, optimize and manage. This volume presents new research and developments in established approaches to the exploration and production of paralic reservoirs. The 13 papers in the volume are grouped into three thematic sections, which address: the sedimentological characterization of paralic reservoirs using subsurface data; lithological heterogeneity in paralic depositional systems arising from the influence of tidal currents; and paralic reservoir analogue studies of modern sediments and ancient outcrops. The volume demonstrates that heterogeneity in paralic reservoirs is increasingly well understood at all scales, but highlights gaps in our knowledge and areas of current research.

This book contains 21 contributions, each written by an expert in the area of sedimentary basins. The first part of the book is devoted to the methodology used for these studies, in particular physical measurements (well-logging and seismic) and synthesis of subsurface data. The second part presents specific cases, each corresponding to a particular type of basin.