Discover More Information from Sedimentary Records:Views Based on Contemporary Earth Surface Dynamic Processes

Key words: 
• sedimentary record /
• modern depositional environments /
• process-product relationship /
• correlation-based proxies /
• process-mechanism information /
• prospective modeling

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to discuss and review the methodology of sedimentary record studies adopted in stratigraphy and sedimentology and to propose new research directions. Sedimentary records are the major data source for the study on earth's history, which are dealt with by stratigraphy and sedimentology, using macro-temporal scale and high resolution analyses, respectively. However, the information thus obtained is associated mainly with the characteristics of the deposits or the environment in which the deposits were formulated, with little information on the processes and mechanisms for the formation of the records. Here I propose a method of "prospective modeling" to extract the process and mechanism information from the sedimentary record. Classical numerical modeling is a system containing governing equations with the same number of unknowns, with the model output being calibrated against observations. In contrast, prospective modeling depends on a combination of governing equations and working hypotheses. The working hypotheses are evaluated against sedimentary records. As such, once established, the model output reveals the process-mechanism information in the sedimentary records. Prospective modeling may also serve as a potential tool for analyzing the stratigraphic records formed in the geological past.