Abstract

When examining outcrop belts that will ultimately be used as paralic/deltaic reservoir analogs it is critical to accurately identify 1) the type of ancient deposition system, and 2) spatio-temporal changes in position within the system evidenced by stratal heterogeneities. Carefully tracking variations in both the stratigraphy and ichnology helps identify sub-environments within these complex coastal depositional systems. Identifying fluctuating sub-environments is significant because it allows us to better predict areas prone to sand vs. mud deposition and probable sandbody-shale geometries, resulting in better reservoir models. By integrating sedimentology, ichnology, and high-resolution imagery (GigaPan photopanoramas, drone photogrammetry) in laterally extensive outcrop belts we can reveal typical architectural elements and in some cases quantify their geometries. This integrated technique helps us determine the relative effects of forcings such as fluvial floods, waves, and tides that controlled sandbody-shale geometries, and variations in salinity that help us refine paleoenvironmental models. Key surfaces can…