GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Concepts

Definitions
• What Is A Facies?
– "The sum aspect, appearance and characteristics of a sedimentary
rock which are used to distinguish it from adjacent units and from
which the origin and the environment of deposition may be
understood.”
Facies Description - medium grained,
buff-colored, cross stratified sandstone
overlying mudstones containing fossil
plants.
Facies Interpretation - Sandstone formed
as dunes by unidirectional flow. Plant
material suggests sand deposited in a
terrestrial river channel.

Facies Description - Grey,

Crawling Burrows - Cretaceous Austin Chalk
bioturbated muddy limestone

Facies Interpretation - Quiet

water deposition in a shallow
marine sea.

Skolithos - Ordovician Bliss Formation

Facies Description -
Skolithos burrowed, tan-
colored, cross bedded
sandstone. Cross bedding
dips in two directions.

Facies Interpretation -
Deposition in a shallow marine
sea characterized by strong
tidal currents.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Concepts

• Facies can
descriptive
– Laminated, to
burrowed
mudstones and
very fine-grained
sandstones
• Facies can be
interpretive
– Process:
suspension
deposits and
turbidites.
– Place: prodelta
mudstones.
– Deltaic Facies

How are sedimentary rocks organized in 3D space?

Facies Associations

• A group of facies which occur together, which are interpreted to be

genetically linked and which may have environmental significance.
– e.g. Channels sands from a river usually have floodplain mud next to them.

Dry
Season

Brahmaputra River, India

Wet
Season

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Facies and Depositional Systems

Facies Associations

• A group of facies which occur together and which usually have gradational
contacts.
• Inferred to be genetically linked and which may have environmental
significance.
• Lateral Facies Associations called facies tracts.
• Vertical Facies associations called a Facies Succession or Facies
Sequence.
• The term “Sequence” has been adopted by Sequence Stratigrapher’s so
use may be confusing to some.
• Usually conforms to Walther’s law.

Facies Associations in the Jurassic Morrison Formation, Utah

INTERPRETATION
Red mudstones indicate
an arid floodplain.
Sandstone suggests a
fluvial channel eroded
into floodplain.
Red
Cross Mudstones
stratified
sandstones

Erosional channel cutbank

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How are sedimentary rocks organized in 3D space?

Walther’s Law
“Only those facies and facies areas can be
superimposed primarily that can be observed
beside each other at the present time. “

How are sedimentary rocks organized in 3D space?

Walther’
Walther’s Law

Delta front clinoforms in Turonian Ferron sandstone, Utah

“Only those facies and facies areas can be superimposed

primarily that can be observed beside each other at the present
time. “

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Walther’s Law Sandstones

• Facies occurring with thin
in a conformable mudstone
vertical interbeds
succession were
formed in
environments
that were next to
each other.

Upward Coarsening
• Sandstones get
thicker and coarser
upwards, mudstone Interbedded
are less. mudstones
• Reflects seaward and
building delta sandstones
deposits.

Facies and Depositional Systems

Walther’s Law

• “Only those facies and facies areas can be superimposed primarily that
can be observed beside each other at the present time. “

• As a result, facies occurring in a conformable vertical succession were

formed in laterally adjacent environments.

• Highly useful in well log and core studies where vertical profiles are
dominant type of data.

• Unfortunately, fluvial deposits are full of erosional breaks.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies and Depositional Systems

Facies Successions

• Vertical association of
facies characterized by a
progressive change in one
or more parameters.

• Examples:
– 1. Fining-upward channel
fill succession

– 2. Coarsening-upward
prograding shoreface
succession

• Roughly corresponds to
“Parasequence”

Facies and Depositional Systems

Architectural Elements

• A morphological subdivision of a particular depositional system

characterized by a distinctive assemblage of facies, facies
geometries, and depositional processes.
• Widely applied to fluvial systems.
• Hierarchical approach has been taken.
• Can be cumbersome.
• Fine grained facies elements are under-represented.
• Can be hard to distinguish bar-types in practice.
• Very hard to determine hierarchy in subsurface.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Fluvial Architecture

• Applied to continuous outcrops

(Bedding Diagrams).
• Hierarchy of architectural elements
(Miall, 1985).
– Channels
– Gravelly Bars (Unit Bars) and
Bedforms
– Sandy Bedforms
– Macroforms (Composite Bars)
• Downstream accreting
• Laterally accreting
– Sediment Gravity Flow
– Laminated Sand Sheet
– Overbank Fines (Levees and
Floodplains)
• These build channel belts and
ultimately depositional systems and
systems tracts.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Example of Facies Architecture Study in Fluvial strata (Adams, 2001)

Bedding diagram of Blackhawk channels - Flow out of screen

“Classic” lensing and bidirectional downlap =

Braid Bars

Results

Reconstruction
• Downstream migrating braid
bars form overlapping
lensoid bar deposits.
• Multi-directional dip of
accretion surfaces.
– Downstream accretion at
bar fronts.
– Lateral accretion along
sides of bar.

Bristow,
1993

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Deep Water Channel Elements

Hierarchy of Channels

Gardner and Borer, 2000

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Deep water Channels in Outcrops

Permian Brushy Canyon (Gardner and Borer, 2000)

Channel
architecture:
updip downdip

Gardner and Borer, 2000

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Channel
architecture:
updip downdip

Gardner and Borer, 2000

Facies and Depositional Systems

Depositional Systems

• A three-dimensional assemblage of lithofacies genetically linked

by active or inferred processes and environments.
• May contain several Facies Successions (Fisher & McGowen,
1967).

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies and Depositional Systems

Depositional Systems

• Delta system may include distributary

channels, mouth bars and bays, each of
which can form a specific facies
association.

Facies and Depositional Systems

Depositional Systems

• Reef system may include lagoon, beach, fore-reef

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies and Depositional Systems

Depositional Systems
• Fluvial
depositional
system may
include
channels, bars,
floodplains,
and levees.

Facies and Depositional Systems

Depositional Systems

Channel
Channel belt
belt sandstones
sandstones and
and floodplain
floodplain mudstones,
mudstones, Jurassic
Jurassic Morrison
Morrison Fm.,
Fm., Utah
Utah

• Fluvial depositional system may include channels, bars,

floodplains, and levees.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies and Depositional Systems

Systems Tracts
Highstand Systems Tract

• Linkage of contemporaneous depositional systems.

– May be genetically related to a specific portion of a relative sea level curve (e.g.
HST, LST, TST).

Facies and Depositional Systems

Systems Tracts
Lowstand Systems Tract

• Linkage of contemporaneous depositional systems.

– May be genetically related to a specific portion of a relative sea level curve (e.g.
HST, LST, TST).

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies and Depositional Systems

Systems Tracts

• Linkage of contemporaneous depositional systems.

– May be genetically related to a specific portion of a relative
sea level curve (e.g. HST, LST, TST).

• Examples:
– 1. Reef + Slope + Basin
– 2. River + Delta + submarine fan

Facies Concepts

How Are Different Facies Recognized?

• Composition (Lithology)
• Color
• Texture/Sorting
• Grain Size and shape
• Physical Sedimentary
Structures
• Fossils
Willow sandstone, WY

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Concepts

What is Interpreted?

• Process (i.e.
hydrodynamically),
– e.g. storm, flowing water
in a river channel.

• Place (i.e. environment),

– e.g. desert (aeolian),
floodplain, reef, cold or Brahmaputra River, India
hot climate.

Facies Concepts

How are facies interpreted?

Mudcracks = subaerial exposure
• Observational:
– Diagnostic features
or components.

Triassic Mudcracks - Moenkopi Fm., Utah

Burrows in chalk = shallow marine

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Concepts

How are facies interpreted?

• Observational: Sandstones
with thin
– Stratigraphic context mudstone
(what kind of layers interbeds
are above and
below).
– Trend (fining-
upward/coarsening
upward). Interbedded
mudstones
and
sandstones

Facies Concepts

How are facies interpreted?

• Inferential:
1. Modern studies ----------------------------

|----- process observed
2. Flume studies (experimental) ------------

3. Theoretical considerations (modeling) ----

|-- process inferred
4. Inferences from other ancient examples --

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Concepts

The Big Question

• How do we identify or understand big things, that represent large

areas of the earth’s surface , when confronted with sparse or
indirect data, such as when those things are buried?

Answer
• We are guided by models (another word for a theory).

• A model is a representation of what you think reality is.

• Good models have predictive value.

Facies Models

What is a Model?

• An extraction of the essential features that define a category

– depositional system, environment, process, or feature.

• Framework for interpreting origin of particular rock type.

• Tool for comparing and predicting to other examples.
• Guide for future observations and research work.
• There are many different types of models.
• There is nothing wrong about being model-driven.
• You just have to pick the right models or several working models.
• Multiple working hypotheses.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Models

Examples of facies models

• Standardized Vertical
Facies Successions
– 1-D representation.

Facies Models

Examples of facies models

• Summary Maps

– 2-D representation

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Models

Examples of facies models

• Block Diagrams

– 3-D representations.

• Computer models
- dynamic
- static

Facies Models

Examples of facies models

• Computer models
- dynamic
- static

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Reservoir Distribution
• We know there’s a structure, but is
there any reservoir??
• Why not just drill the bloody bumps!

Anticlines may trap

oil or gas

Reservoir Distribution
• The presence, absence and distribution of reservoirs
are fundamentally controlled by the depositional
environment and by the stratigraphic context.
• This requires two main interpretation skills:
– Facies Analysis and Modelling
– Seismic and Sequence Stratigraphy
• These skills are primarily used to correlate and map
stratigraphic units in the subsurface.

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Core Facies
• Cores give key
information about Offshore
facies and shelf
depositional mudstones
Delta front
environments
sandstones
– Useful in estimating
orientation and
shape of reservoir
bodies.
Flooding
Surface

Facies Interpretation of
Cores and Well Logs
• Fining upward pattern in
gamma log matches
core in a channel from
the Dunvegan Delta
sandstone, Alberta

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GEOL 6380 Sequence Stratigraphy Part 4 - Facies Concepts

Facies Interpretation of
Well Logs and Cores
• Well log patterns can be diagnostic of
specific depositional features.
– Bells = fining upward
– Funnels = coarsening upward

Log Patterns
• How would you interpret
this log?
• Are contacts sharp or
gradational?
• What is the gross sand
thickness for this well?
• What is the net (i.e.
porous) sandstone
thickness?

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Facies Interpretation of
Well Logs and Cores
• Upward coarsening well log profiles
match prograding deltas in Prudhoe
Bay Field, Alaska.
• Overlying bell-shaped profiles
correlate with fluvial channel deposits
in overlying units.

Depositional Environments

• Various components of a
given depositional
environment may represent
sandy versus muddy facies
elements
• Delta
– Channels
– Bars
– Lagoons
– Prodelta Plumes
– Beaches

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