Ancient sediments like these in Brittany, France, help reconstruct Paleozoic sea-level history. Click on image for full size (228 Kb) Image Courtesy of Bil Haq, NSF

As the world looks for more energy, the oil industry will need more refined tools for discoveries in places where searches have never before taken place, geologists say.

One such tool is a new sediment curve (which shows where sediment-on-the-move is deposited), derived from sediments of the Paleozoic Era 542 to 251 million years ago, scientists report in this week's issue of the journal Science. The sediment curve covers the entire Paleozoic Era.

"The new Paleozoic sea-level sediment curve provides a way of deriving predictive models of sediment migration on continental margins and in interior seaways," said Bilal Haq, lead author of the Science paper and a marine geologist at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The paper's co-author is geologist Stephen Schutter of Murphy Oil International in Houston, Tx.

"The sediment curve is of interest to industry, and also to scientists in academia," said Haq, "as the rise and fall of sea-level form the basis for intepretations of Earth history based on stratigraphy."

Through stratigraphy, the study of rock layering (stratification), scientists can derive a sequence of time and events in a particular region. Recent advances in the field of stratigraphy, including better time-scales for when sediments were deposited, and availability of data on a worldwide basis, are allowing scientists to reconstruct sea level during the Paleozoic.

The rises and falls of sea level during this period form the basis of stratigraphic interpretations of geology not only in the sea, but on land. These sea level increases and decreases are used extensively, Haq said, in predictive models of sediment movements.

The current Science paper is a shorter version of the results of a global synthesis of Paleozoic stratigraphy on which the authors have worked for many years.

"We hope that the publication of a sediment curve for this entire era will enhance interest in Paleozoic geology," said Haq, "and help the exploration industry in its efforts to look at older and deeper sediments."

Text above is courtesy of the National Science Foundation

Ancient sediments like these in Brittany, France, help reconstruct Paleozoic sea-level history. Click on image for full size (228 Kb) Image Courtesy of Bil Haq, NSF

Geologists have developed a new sediment curve which shows where sediment-on-the-move is deposited during the development of sedimentary rocks. The sediment curve covers the entire Paleozoic Era.

Bilal Haq, a marine geologist and the main author of a report on this topic, explains that the new Paleozoic sea-level sediment curve provides a way for scientists to predict where sediments are deposited on the edges of continents and in interior seaways. Haq also explains that scientists and people in the oil industry will be interested in the sediment curve because it documents what happens when sea level rises and falls. This information helps scientists interpret Earth history and learn where deposition has happened.

Scientists can use stratigraphy, which is the study of rock layering (stratification), to understand a sequence of when events happened in a particular region. Because of recent developments, scientists are now able to reconstruct sea level during the Paleozoic Era. The rises and falls of sea level during this period determine the geology both in the sea and on land.

"We hope that the publication of a sediment curve for this entire era will enhance interest in Paleozoic geology," said Haq, "and help the exploration industry in its efforts to look at older and deeper sediments."

In addition to adding to scientific understanding, what scientists learn on this topic will help the oil industry to discover oil in places where searches have never taken place.

Ancient sediments like these in Brittany, France, help reconstruct Paleozoic sea-level history. Click on image for full size (228 Kb) Image Courtesy of Bil Haq, NSF

Geologists have been studying a new way to learn where sedimentary rocks formed during the Paleozoic Era.

Balil Haq, a marine biologist, explains that scientists are using something called a sediment curve shows where sediment-on-the-move is deposited during the development of sedimentary rocks. This information helps scientists understand what happens when sea level rises and falls. Scientists can also use this information to interpret Earth history and learn where sediments are deposited to form rocks.

"We hope that the publication of a sediment curve for this entire era will enhance interest in Paleozoic geology," said Haq, "and help the exploration industry in its efforts to look at older and deeper sediments."

In addition to adding to scientific understanding, what scientists learn on this topic will help the oil industry to discover oil in places where searches have never taken place.