Applications of Ichnology to Petroleum Exploration: A Core Workshop

The field of ichnology (the study of animal-sediment relationships) is undergoing rapid expansion. Increased significance is being attached to trace fossils in environmental and diagenetic interpretations of rock units and in establishing basic stratigraphic frameworks. The subject, therefore, is of importance not only for ichnologists but also for invertebrate and vertebrate paleontologists, paleoecologists, sedimentologists, stratigraphers, and resource geologists. The main purpose of this workshop is: a) to introduce the basic concepts of ichnology; b) to learn how to recognize basic types of trace fossils in core; c) to place these structures in their appropriate paleontologic, sedimentologic, and stratigraphic content; and d) to integrate this data with other lines of evidence to aid in petroleum exploration.
Ichnological Characteristics of Brackish Water Deposits Available to Purchase
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Published:January 01, 1992
Abstract
Four coarsening upward parasequences, ranging in thickness from 4 to 17m are present in an Upper Mannville (Aptian to early Albian) core from east central Alberta. These parasequences are composed of three main facies; mudstone, mudstone/sandstone, and bioturbated rippled sandstone. Based on sedimentological, ichnological, palynological, and geochemical data these parasequences are interpreted as crevasse splay deposits. A low diversity suite of trace fossils (Arenicolites, Chondrites, Gyrolithes, Monocraterion, Palaeophycus, Planolites, Skolithos, and Teichichnus) characterize these units. The ichnological character of these deposits is unique and represents a powerful tool in the delineation and interpretation of marginal marine environments.