Where have all the lowstands gone? Evidence for attached lowstand systems tracts in the Western Interior of North America

Research Article| May 01, 1994 Where have all the lowstands gone? Evidence for attached lowstand systems tracts in the Western Interior of North America R. Bruce Ainsworth; R. Bruce Ainsworth 1Shell Research, KSEPL, P.O. Box 60, 2280 AB, Rijswijk, The Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Simon A. J. Pattison Simon A. J. Pattison 2Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB9 2UE, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1994) 22 (5): 415–418. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0415:WHATLG>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation R. Bruce Ainsworth, Simon A. J. Pattison; Where have all the lowstands gone? Evidence for attached lowstand systems tracts in the Western Interior of North America. Geology 1994;; 22 (5): 415–418. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1994)022<0415:WHATLG>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Studies of. outcrops of Upper Cretaceous strata from the Western Interior of Canada and the United States indicate that deposition during relative sea-level fall and lowstand can result in lowstand shorefaces that are attached to or in direct contact with the sand bodies of the immediately preceding sedimentary systems. This observation therefore represents an opposite end member from the Exxon sequence stratigraphic lowstand model, in which a detached lowstand shoreface develops during relative sea-level fall and lowstand. In this scenario, the lowstand shoreface is separated from the underlying shoreface by a zone that is bypassed by the net sediment load during sea-level fall and lowstand (sediment bypass zone). The sediments deposited during relative sea-level fall and lowstand (the lowstand systems tract; LST) can therefore be classified as detached (LSTd) or attached (LSTa). A major implication of this observation is that subsequent to a relative sea-level fall, it may not necessarily be correct to predict a detached lowstand shoreface lying basinward of the sand bodies of the underlying sedimentary system. Instead, the lowstand may have been deposited as a single depositional unit that is attached to or in contact with the sand bodies of the underlying deposits. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.