Since the beginning of this century, there have been several attempts to link the physical stratigraphy of different regions with a unifying concept. One such concept, first proposed by Edward Sousse, was that physical stratigraphy was linked to synchronous transgressions and regressions of the shoreline, caused by global changes of sea level. He called this eustacy. Despite the attractiveness of this concept, it and other concepts failed the test of detailed analysis. Without a unifying concept of global stratigraphy, each basin has to be considered individually in terms of the lithofacies distribution. This lack of a global stratigraphy concept lead to the general belief that stratigraphy was controlled by local factors, thus many universities stopped teaching physical stratigraphy, and concentrated on sedimentation and paleontology. We now believe that seismic stratigraphy provides a method for developing a unifying concept of global stratigraphy that we call sequence stratigraphy - the new stratigraphy.

Sequence stratigraphy has revolutionized the way sedimentary rocks are subdivided, correlated and mapped. It is a new way to group rocks into chronostratigraphically constrained genetic intervals. These intervals, called depositional sequences and systems tracts, have predictable stratal patterns and lithofacies. They can be recognized in outcrop, on well logs and, if thick enough, on seismic sections. Thus, provide a new way to establish a stratigraphic framework ahead of the drill. They correlate throughout basins and probably globally. Reservoir, source, and seal rocks are associated with particular types of systems tracts. Sequence boundaries are major hydrocarbon migration pathways. A knowledge of sequence stratigraphy concepts and procedures has the potential to significantly improve the ability to locate reservoirs within structural traps, predict stratigraphic traps, and identify source rocks ahead of the drill.

Seismic, well, and outcrop data from the Permian Delaware Basin and the Guadalupe Mountains in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico are used to document and demonstrate the application of this concept.

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