Like other frontiers that change in location or nature, stratigraphy at beginning of the 1960s appropriately is subjected to reappraisal as an indispensable component of petroleum geology, not to say the most important single subscience applied to oil and gas exploration. Such recognition in no way belittles investigations in the fields of geophysics, geochemistry, sedimentation, petrology, paleontology, structural geology, and the like, because all of these are more or less closely linked with stratigraphical studies. The present paper is introduced by a brief analysis of the stratigraphic content of contributions published during the last two decades in two international journals devoted to petroleum geology and geophysics. This is followed by discussion of the current utlook relating to rock stratigraphy, timerock stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, Pleistocene stratigraphy, and Precambrian stratigraphy, only the last of which has little importance for the petroleum geologist. Finally, functions of the American Commission on Stratigraphy are stated and purposes of Stratigraphic Codes (a considerably revised North American Code now made ready for publication) are pointed out.

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