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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
Houston Geological Society Bulletin
Abstract
Abstract: The Evolution of the Earth's Crust and Sedimentary Basin Development
By
The earth's crust is a thin, dynamic shell that changes in
both thickness and composition through time. It is postulated
that the changes that alter the crust are primarily the result of
subcrustal processes and lateral interactions of crustal
plates. The type of crust that underlies a sedimentary basin
determines the physical framework, stability, manner of
structuring, and conditions of sedimentation and environment
throughout the evolution of the basin. Thus, as
sediments are deposited, they record the tectonic history of
the basin. These stratigraphic data can be used to develop conceptual, genetic models that put the evolution of oceanic,
continental, and transitional types of crust into perspective.
An orderly cycle of crustal evolution is proposed which
suggests that oceanic crust is thickened and continental
crust is thickened and thinned by a number of natural
processes. The resulting transitional crustal types, which
represent intermediate steps in the continuum, occupy a
realm between thin, basic oceanic crust and thick, acidic
continental crust. These transitional, somewhat unstable
crustal types host most of the world's sedimentary basins. An
attempt is made to step back from the detail of the complex
interplay involved in the process of crustal genesis and
sedimentary basin development and look at the overall natural system. A set of
hypothetical, genetic models
depicting the proposed origin of various crustal types is
presented so that geophysical data can be compared and
tested against them. End_of_Record - Last_Page 3---------------