COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Model-Assisted Comparative Sequence Stratigraphy

全球变化的地质记录中最耐人寻味的方面之一是轨道强迫在冰量波动中的作用。虽然地球轨道摄动引起的太阳辐射变化相对较小，并且全年平均，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。早中新世大洋深水温度比今天高得多。中新世中期到中新世晚期是一个向更像今天的情况转变的重大时期。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。合作研究应就中新世的轨道强迫和由此产生的巴尔的摩峡谷海槽和墨西哥湾西北部的层序地层学达成内部一致的综合解释。这项工作的核心是各种地层的计算机程序，该程序是专门开发的，用于在高频冰川稳定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。巴尔的摩峡谷海槽和墨西哥湾盆地西北部的中新世层序提供了不同和互补的挑战和机遇。前者较薄，在高频地震资料中分辨率较高，而后者较厚、较完整，测井信息密度较高。这两个层序肯定受到了相同的中新世冰川作用的影响。地层学能被分解到轨道强迫预测的10000年事件水平吗？对地层学问题的更精确和更定量的解决方案将创造一个框架，在此框架内记录全球变化的地质记录。

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.