COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Model-Assisted Comparative Sequence Stratigraphy

关于全球变化的地质记录中最有趣的一个方面是轨道强迫在冰体积波动中的作用。虽然地球轨道扰动导致的太阳日照变化相对较小，平均每年变化一次，但它们对全球冰量的影响相当大。中新世是全球变化的一个特别有趣的时期。中新世早期的海洋深水温度比今天高得多。中新世中期到晚期包含了一个向更像今天的环境转变的重大转变。最近的研究表明，中新世深水温度与全球冰量的联系机制与晚更新世有很大不同。合作研究将对中新世海洋运动的轨道强迫以及由此产生的巴尔的摩峡谷槽和墨西哥西北海湾盆地的层序地层学进行综合的、内部一致的解释。这项工作的核心是strata -各种计算机程序，该程序是专门为在高频率冰川上升海平面波动的背景下对碎屑沉积进行二维和三维正演模拟而开发的。巴尔的摩峡谷槽和西北墨西哥湾盆地中新世层序提供了不同但互补的挑战和机遇。前者是一个较薄的截面，在高频地震数据中提供更好的分辨率，而后者更厚、更完整，并且具有更高的测井信息密度。这两个层序一定受到同一中新世冰川沉积的影响。地层学能否精确到轨道强迫预测的10000年事件水平？对地层问题更为精确和定量的解决办法将为记录全球变化的地质记录创造框架。

One of the most intriguing aspects of the geologic record of global change is the role of orbital forcing in ice volume fluctuations. While the variation in solar insolation resulting from perturbations in the Earth's orbit are relatively small and average out over the year, their effect on global ice volume is quite large. The Miocene is an especially interesting period of global change. Early Miocene oceanic deep water temperatures were much warmer than today. The middle to late Miocene encompasses a major transition toward conditions more like today. Recent studies indicate the mechanism linking Miocene deep water temperatures and global ice volume were quite different from the late Pleistocene. Collaborative research shall achieve an integrated, internally consistent interpretation regarding orbital forcing of Miocene eustasy and resulting sequence stratigraphy of the Baltimore Canyon Trough and the Northwest Gulf of Mexico Basin. Central to this undertaking is the STRATA-various computer program, which has been developed specifically to perform two- and three-dimensional forward modeling of clastic sedimentation within the context of high-frequency glacioeustatic sea level fluctuations. The Miocene sequences of the Baltimore Canyon Trough and the Northwest Gulf of Mexico Basin offer differing and complementary challenges and opportunities. The former is a thinner section, offering better resolution in higher frequency seismic data whereas the latter is thicker, more complete, and has a higher density of well log information available. Both sequences must be affected by the same Miocene glacioeustasy. Can stratigraphy be resolved down to the 10,000 year event level predicted by orbital forcing? More precise and quantitative solutions to stratigraphic problems shall create the framework within which to document the geologic record of global change.