Abstract

Can sequence stratigraphic computer modeling accurately depict cratonic stratigraphy? Sequence stratigraphy is usually applied to passive-shelf margins. In contrast, this paper presents the results of modeling the cratonic Late Cambrian Dotsero Formation of central Colorado using the SEDPAK computer program. Colorado’s basin configuration in Late Cambrian time was much flatter, and the apparent rates of subsidence and sediment deposition were much slower than that seen in typical passive-shelf margins. The principal control on Dotsero Formation deposition appears to be the creation of accommodation space through sea-level changes; these too, were at a significantly smaller scale. Overall, sequence stratigraphy concepts appear to apply to cratonic rocks such as the Dotsero Formation, albeit with the proviso that parameters such as scale, sedimentation rate and time have to be significantly reduced, often by more than an order of magnitude.