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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
West Texas Geological Society
Abstract
Computer Simulation of the Yates Formation (Permian, Delaware Basin) - Sequence Stratigraphy and Shelf-to-Basin Correlation Implications
Abstract
High-resolution stratigraphic analyses shows that at least three orders of cyclicity produced the stratigraphy of the Yates Formation on the shelf as well as the time-equivalent basinal deposits of the Bell Canyon Formation. Evidence suggests that orbitally-forced, 400- and 100-k.y. (4th- and 5th-order, respectively) duration sea
-
level
cycles
(Milankovitch, long and short eccentricity
cycles
) were predominant events.
Stratigraphic computer modeling illustrates how a distinct Yates accommodation profile, hierarchical sea
level
history, and the interaction of
carbonate
and siliciclastic systems were fundamental controls on Yates stratigraphy. Simulations show how the Yates topography (flat platform with a steep margin), low subsidence, and “keep up”
carbonate
factory provided a distinct accommodation profile that resulted in rapid fluctuations between highstand- and lowstand-shoreline settings with only minor fluctuations in relative
sea
-
level
. Modeling suggests strong reciprocation between shelfal deposition during (decreasing rates of) relative
sea
-
level
rise and basinal deposition during (increasing and then decreasing rates of) relative
sea
-
level
fall occurred on a much shorter time scale (5th-order, 100-k.y.) than appreciated by previous workers.
Modeling and outcrop stratal geometries show how increased accommodation near the shelf edge resulted in a zone of greatest potential for cyclostratigraphic analysis and suggests that “fall-in” beds were the byproduct of a hierarchical sea
-
level
operating across an outer shelf accommodation gradient. Periods of “fall in” occurred during 4th-order,
sea
-
level
lowstands when accommodation space shifted seaward and off a previously deposited
carbonate
bank. Modeling results also point out the fundamental importance of evaluating high-frequency
cycles
to understand shelf evolution and siliciclastic bypass. In the Yates model, sediment bypass to the basin is a high frequency phenomena that is varied by longer term
cycles
. Furthermore, 4th-order cycle (sequence) boundaries are defined by zones of closely spaced 5th-order bypass surfaces and 3rd-order sequence boundaries are, in turn, defined by zones of low-accommodation, 4th-order
cycles
.
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