Linear dunes are the most common type of dune found on Earth and exist on several extra‐terrestrial bodies, but despite this abundance their internal stratigraphy has not been commonly agreed. A cellular automaton is deployed to simulate the development of linear dunes, starting from a flat bed, under bi‐modal oblique wind regimes of varying degrees of asymmetry. The internal stratigraphy of the linear

This study documents the detailed facies and sequence stratigraphic architecture of a multi‐cyclic patch‐reef and its associated ramp interior facies that formed during Oceanic Anoxic Event 1b in the Mural Limestone, Arizona, USA. Ramp interior facies are comprised of bedded wackestone/packstone, rudist build‐up and coral–algal patch‐reef facies located north of Bisbee, Arizona, at the Grassy Hill

Despite recent advances in wetland studies, ancient wetland deposits are still not well documented, and their facies characteristics are poorly registered. Sedimentary facies and sequence stratigraphic analysis of the Miocene Yecua Formation (Chaco foreland basin, Central Andes, Bolivia) and their comparison to Pantanal‐like modern wetlands provide an insight into their variability, suggesting a facies

Coastal barriers provide sheltered, low‐energy settings for fine‐grained sediment deposition and retention, although the process of back‐barrier infilling and how tidal‐channel connectivity impacts this process is not well‐understood. Understanding how back‐barrier environments infill and evolve is necessary to predict how they will respond to future changes in sea‐level and sediment supply. With this

Many published interpretations of ancient fluvial systems have relied on observations of extensive outcrops of thick successions. This paper, in contrast, demonstrates that a regional understanding of palaeoriver kinematics, depositional setting and sedimentation rates can be interpreted from local sedimentological measurements of bedform and barform strata. Dune and bar strata, channel planform geometry

Reported ancient bottom current deposits in deep marine settings are scarce and most of them remain contentious. This study describes sedimentological, ichnological and petrographical characteristics of a drill core that covers ca 10 Myr of Upper Cretaceous stratigraphy at Hold with Hope, north‐east Greenland. The core is divided into four facies associations, which are interpreted to reflect deposition

Palaeontological deposits on Rusinga Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya, provide a rich record of floral and faunal evolution in the early Neogene of East Africa. Yet, despite a wealth of available fossil material, previous palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from Rusinga have resulted in widely divergent results, ranging from closed forest to open woodland environments. Presented here is a detailed study

Sedimentary rocks are rarely preserved on reefless volcanic oceanic islands because they are mostly exported from coastal areas towards the abyssal plains and such islands typically undergo subsidence. In contrast, the exceptional geological record of the uplifted Santa Maria Island (Azores) provides a unique opportunity to gain insight on such coastal systems. This study focuses on a locality at Ponta

Carbonate rocks that have suffered early near‐surface dolomitization followed by extended meteoric exposure commonly undergo partial delithification, a process that results in the formation of dolomitic silts and sands, herein termed dologrus. Dologrus is interpreted to form as a result of diffuse dissolution in porous and permeable dolostones prior to burial and compaction. Such dissolution occurs

Lakes are particularly sensitive to environmental fluctuations, which are recorded in their facies and stratigraphy. Ephemeral lakes reveal their sensitivity to palaeoenvironmental changes in the overprinting of the sedimentary features in every single bed. Tetrapod‐track taphonomic‐modes and ichnological taphonomic‐pathways can be used as sensitive indicators of environmental conditions of the track‐bearing

The volcanic origin, primarily basaltic, of most of the surface material in Iceland influences its physical properties and appearance. Size distributions, shape analyses and melting experiments were made for surface material collected in high‐erosion dust source areas and fresh volcanic ash deposits to determine whether they differ from one another and from dust from other major dust sources. The major

Barforms of mesotidal to macrotidal fluvial–tidal transitions, regardless of fluvial‐discharge, are currently thought to display a sedimentary architecture dominated by tidal signatures. Due to the scarcity of observations from modern mesotidal fluvial–tidal transitions, especially those of multi‐channelled large‐rivers (mean annual discharge ≥7000 m3 s‐1 and peak discharges ≥15,000 m3 s‐1) with mid‐channel

Variability in accommodation and sedimentation rates within a basin generates significant deviations in the along‐strike stratal stacking patterns of systems tracts. This variability can lead to coeval depositional units that record the juxtaposition of transgressive (retrogradational) and regressive (progradational) stratal stacking patterns. In scenarios where transgressive and regressive units are

The Black River (Upper Ordovician – Sandbian) and Trenton (Upper Ordovician – Katian) groups are traditionally interpreted as a deepening‐upward succession deposited in a progressively subsiding Appalachian Basin margin that contained warm‐water, marine, photozoan deposits that pass upward into cool‐water, marine, heterozoan carbonates. This succession is customarily interpreted to reflect an incursion

Stable supercritical‐flow bedform phases under two‐dimensional steady flow are geometrically simple and include long‐wavelength cyclic steps at high Froude numbers and antidunes characterized by in‐phase flow that is near critical. Less well understood are the transitional bedform phases at the boundaries of the stable bedform fields and bedforms developing in complex flow geometries like the channel–lobe

Submarine lobes have been identified within various deep‐water settings, including the basin‐floor, the base of slope and the continental slope. Their dimensions and geometries are postulated to be controlled by the topographic configuration of the seabed, sediment supply system and slope gradient. Ten experiments were conducted in a three‐dimensional‐flume to study the depositional characteristics

The dimensions and organization of deltaic islands and channels dictate delta morphology. This study presents experimental results modelling deposition at a river mouth and flow bifurcation around delta islands. Mouth bar formation and channel bifurcation is achieved in a laboratory setting by alternating input of suspended load transport and bedload transport. These two modes of transport produce

A comparative analysis of bedform fields along the submarine flanks of insular volcanoes, characterized by different morpho‐structural settings, volcanic and meteo‐marine regimes (Vanuatu, Kermadec, Bismark, Madeira and Aeolian archipelagos), is presented here to provide insights on the size distribution, morpho‐dynamic and genesis of such bedforms. Two main types of bedforms are recognized according

Tsunami deposits are the primary source of information on (past) large tsunami events and thereby are crucial for accurate hazard assessments. Tsunami deposits studies have developed over the last three decades, but this is still a young geoscience discipline. Following the 5th International Tsunami Field Symposium in 2017 an opportunity arose to publish a Special Issue focusing on present knowledge

Dislocated boulders are one sign of high‐energy wave impacts on coasts. These high‐energy impacts, caused by severe storms or tsunamis, can trigger initial cracking and transport of boulders. Monitoring of these boulders, as well as the associated coastal sites is important in distinguishing between gradual coastal processes and high‐energy events. Western Greece is a seismically active area, where

The properties of carbonate rocks are often the result of multiple, diagenetic events that involve phases of cementation (porosity occlusion) and dissolution (porosity enhancement). This study tests the hypothesis that the order of these events is a major control on final porosity and permeability. A three‐dimensional synthetic model of grainstone is used to quantify trends that show the effect of

A comprehensive sedimentological study was undertaken in the Miocene of the subalpine massifs and southern Jura (France) with the aim to constrain the evolution of process changes in third‐order sequences of peripheral foreland basins during the overfilled phase (i.e. sediment supply higher than accommodation space). Fieldwork analyses based on 35 sedimentological sections allowed the identification

A regional sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic analysis is presented in this paper to provide new insights into the morphological complexity and sedimentary mechanisms of unconformities giving shape to basin margins. Although the development of unconformities entails significant sediment delivery to be considered when analysing ‘source to sink’ systems, as well as large palaeogeographical changes

In terminal fluvial‐fan systems, characteristic proximal to distal variations in sedimentary architectures are recognized to arise from progressive downstream loss of water discharge related to both infiltration and evaporation. This work aims to elucidate downstream trends in facies and architecture across the medial and distal zones of terminal‐fan systems, which record transitions from deposits

Discharge event frequency, magnitude and duration all control river channel morphology and sedimentary architecture. Uncertainty persists as to whether alluvial deposits in the rock record are a time‐averaged amalgam from all discharge events, or a biased record of larger events. This paper investigates the controls on channel deposit character and subsurface stratigraphic architecture in a river with

Recent studies of continental carbonates revealed that carbonates with similar fabrics can be formed either by biotic, biologically‐induced, biologically‐influenced or purely abiotic processes, or a combination of all. The aim of this research is to advance knowledge on the formation of carbonates precipitated (or diagenetically altered) in extreme, continental environments by studying biotic versus

Upper Cambrian to Middle Ordovician radiolarian chert successions from Kazakhstan were studied to clarify the history of the emergence of benthic animals in ocean floor sediments. Radiolarian tests and clay were deposited for a period of 30 Myr without experiencing an influx of continent‐derived coarse clastic materials. Red, grey and black cherts of the Upper Cambrian to the upper mid‐Darriwilian

The Lower Cretaceous Botucatu Formation records the development of widespread dry–aeolian desert sedimentation throughout the Paraná Basin in south‐west Gondwana. To reconstruct the provenance of the aeolian sediment, petrography, granulometric analysis, U‐Pb detrital zircon ages have been determined from along the southern basin margin in Rio Grande do Sul state (southern Brazil) and Uruguay (Tacuarembó

The fringe of fine‐grained deep‐marine systems often exhibits complex sedimentary facies and facies associations, because the presence of clay promotes the development of transient turbulent flows with complex depositional properties. Relatively little is known about the variation of current‐induced sedimentary structures found within these facies. This study provides the first comprehensive description

This study documents the processes involved in forming flaser and wavy bedding governed by microbial activity in sediments. It focuses on a modern marginal‐tidal system providing evidence of the role that biofilms play in the stabilization of ripples and their potential preservation. A combination of detailed field work, analysis of water level records and microscopic petrographic inspection were used

Aggradation and fluvial incision controlled by downstream base‐level changes at timescales of 10 to 500 kyr is incorporated in classic sequence stratigraphic models. However, upstream climate control on sediment supply and discharge variability causes fluvial incision and aggradation as well. Orbital forcing often regulates climate change at 10 to 500 kyr timescales while tectonic processes such as

The partitioning of different grain‐size classes in gravity flow deposits is one of the key characteristics used to infer depositional processes. Turbidites have relatively clean sandstones with most of their clay deposited as part of a mudstone cap or as a distal mudstone layer, whereas sand‐bearing debrites commonly comprise mixtures of sand grains and interstitial clay; hybrid event beds develop

Observations from ground‐penetrating radar, sediment cores, elevation surveys and aerial imagery are used to understand the development of the Elwha River delta in north‐western Washington, USA, which prograded as a result of two dam removals in late 2011. Swash‐bar, foreshore and swale depositional elements are recognized within ground‐penetrating radar profiles and sediment cores. A model for the

Tectonic processes are widely considered as a mechanism causing carbonate platform margin instabilities leading to the emplacement of mass transport deposits and calciturbidites. However, only few examples establishing a clear link between tectonics and re‐sedimentation processes are known from the literature. The two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional wire‐cut walls of hundreds of quarries extracting

During the Cretaceous, high global sea‐level and low latitudinal temperature variations led to the growth of epeiric carbonate platforms. Platform‐scale dolomitization of these platforms is not common, reflecting the low Mg/Ca ratio of seawater and a humid climate. This study describes the processes governing pervasive dolomitization of a land‐attached carbonate platform within the Iberian Basin. Dolomite

The Gulf of Papua inner mid‐shelf clinothem and lowstand deposits in Pandora Trough record sediment source and routing through the last sea‐level cycle on 20 kyr cycles. Clay mineralogy tracked dispersal of sediment from the two types of rivers (wide versus narrow floodplains) to constrain the contributions of river systems to the Gulf of Papua clinothem and Pandora Trough deposits. Fly River sediment

During the late Miocene the Mediterranean experienced a dramatic intensification of opaline accumulation, recorded by the deposition of diatomaceous sediments. The fine lamination of these deposits potentially records annual to sub‐annual palaeoceanographic processes that occurred during a critical phase of the geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean basin, which eventually led to the Messinian salinity

Micro‐organisms producing microbially induced sedimentary structures, particularly epibenthic cyanobacteria, are not facies‐dependent and could flourish in any environment if appropriate ecological conditions were provided. Hence, the changes in environmental parameters are the controlling factors on ecological tolerance of the producers. This study on the lower Cambrian successions of the Lalun Formation

Chalks originate as Cretaceous to Recent pelagic or hemipelagic calcareous ooze, which indurate via burial diagenesis to chalk and limestone. Because they accumulate in pelagic settings with high environmental continuity, chalks may form thick formations and even groups. For this reason, and because chalks have a simple mineralogy (low magnesium calcite, silica and clays), they are ideal for the study

Submarine slope channel systems have complicated three‐dimensional geometries and facies distributions, which are challenging to resolve using subsurface data. Outcrop analogues can provide sub‐seismic‐scale detail, although most exhumed systems only afford two‐dimensional constraints on the depositional architecture. A rare example of an accessible fine‐grained slope channel complex set situated in

Mixed carbonate–siliciclastic deposits of the Tamengo Formation (terminal Ediacaran), record the rise of calcifying metazoans and the origin of exoskeletons in animals. To explore the relationships between environmental setting and the first appearance of calcified metazoans and their ecology, this study presents detailed sedimentological and stratigraphic data of eight sections that capture the final

Exploration and production from formations deposited in low‐gradient fluvial systems is typically associated with a high degree of uncertainty; a reflection of the inherent characteristics of these environments, notably the dominance of non‐reservoir floodplain fines, rapid lateral facies variations and associated heterogeneities at different scales. However, for a field development to be successful

In past decades, the formation of dolomite at low temperature has been widely studied in both natural systems and cultured experiments, yet the mechanism(s) involved in the nucleation and precipitation of dolomite remains unresolved. Late Eocene dolomitic deposits from core in the upper Niubao Formation (Lunpola Basin, central Tibetan Plateau, China) are selected as a case study to understand the dolomitization

Downstream migration of point bars is an important process in meander belts. Inherent to downstream migration is sediment accumulation in concave channel banks, immediately adjacent to and downstream of convex point bars. Despite this, associated concave bank processes are often overlooked, with depositional products sparsely identified in the stratigraphic record. Counter‐point‐bar deposits are a

Sedimentary successions provide direct evidence of climate and tectonics, and these give clues about the causes of the mass extinction around the Permian–Triassic boundary. Terrestrial Permian–Triassic boundary strata in the eastern Ordos Basin, North China, include the Late Permian Sunjiagou, Early Triassic Liujiagou and late Early Triassic Heshanggou formations in ascending order. The Sunjiagou Formation

The three‐dimensional facies and architecture variability of shelf‐edge deltaic units cropping out at the transition between the Lower–Middle Jurassic Lajas and Los Molles formations of southern Neuquén Basin, Argentina, is presented here, as well as their stratigraphic relationship to uppermost deep‐water slope channel systems. Deep‐water, slope mudstones with thin turbidite beds merge upward with

Carbonate platforms spanning intervals of global change provide an opportunity to identify causal links between the evolution of marine environment and depositional architecture. This study investigates controls on platform geometry across the Palaeozoic to Mesozoic transition and yields new stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental constraints on the Great Bank of Guizhou, a latest Permian to earliest

Sector‐collapse structures ranging up to 27 km wide with up to 7.7 km bankward erosion (scalloped margins) and linear escarpments occur along the east‐north‐east‐trending, south‐facing margins of the Yangtze Platform and Great Bank of Guizhou. Exposure of one of the structures on the rotated limb of a syncline displays the geometry in profile view. Declivities range from 65° to 90° in the upper wall

The upper Palaeocene–lower Eocene Umm er Radhuma Formation in the subsurface of Qatar is dominated by subtidal carbonate depositional packages overlain by bedded evaporites. In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, peritidal carbonate depositional sequences with intercalated evaporites and carbonates in Umm er Radhuma have been previously interpreted to have been dolomitized via downward reflux of hypersaline brines

This study investigates the geometries of fault‐controlled dolostone geobodies and their structural and sequence stratigraphic controls, which provide new insights for the prediction and production of fault‐controlled dolomitized hydrocarbon reservoirs. A very thick succession (>1600 m) of Aptian–Albian shallow‐marine carbonates of the Benassal Formation that crop out in the Benicàssim area (Maestrat

Hybrid event beds form when turbidity currents that transport or locally acquire significant quantities of mud decelerate. The mud dampens turbulence driving flow transformations, allowing both mud and sand to settle into dense, near‐bed fluid layers and debris flows. Quantifying details of the mud distribution vertically in what are often complex tiered deposits is critical to reconstructing flow

The Pleistocene limestones on the island of Aldabra in the western Indian Ocean preserve a detailed record of the Last Interglacial interval. Sedimentological analysis has revealed that this interval, formerly regarded as reflecting rapid sea‐level rise, during global warming, followed by a more gradual fall towards the low sea level of the Last Glacial Maximum, in fact shows much greater variation

Tectonics and climate are the major extrinsic upstream controls on both the external and internal architectures of fluvial channels. While the role of tectonics has been well‐documented, the role of climate has received less attention. Because both tectonics and climate can produce similar stratigraphic architectures the ability to recognize and differentiate these has major ramifications for the interpretation

Prolonged droughts can cause environmental stress, even in ecosystems that are already adapted to dry conditions. In these areas life greatly depends on rare, sporadic rainfall events that can produce flash floods. Today, urban expansion, population growth and development are occurring worldwide, including along hyperarid coastlines, an ecological zone on the extreme of habitability. In such places

Fault‐controlled hydrothermal dolomitization in tectonically complex basins can occur at any depth and from different fluid compositions, including ‘deep‐seated’, ‘crustal’ or ‘basinal’ brines. Nevertheless, many studies have failed to identify the actual source of these fluids, resulting in a gap in our knowledge on the likely source of magnesium of hydrothermal dolomitization. With development of

The Permian Phosphoria Rock Complex of the western USA contains an enigmatic assemblage of bioelemental rocks (i.e. phosphorites and cherts) that accumulated in a depositional system with no modern analogue. This study utilizes detailed sedimentological, stratigraphic and petrographic examination to evaluate the genetic relations of phosphorites, spiculitic chert and carbonates of the Ervay cycle (depositional

This study combines data from many published case studies to undertake a quantitative characterization of clastic parasequences, with the aim to determine how accommodation, sediment supply and autogenic sediment‐storage dynamics are recorded in their sedimentary architecture and stacking patterns. Results of this study are used to critically evaluate the validity of paradigms and models that are routinely

Flutes and tool marks are commonly observed sedimentary structures on the bases of sandstones in deep‐water successions. These sole structures are universally used as palaeocurrent indicators but, in sharp contrast to most sedimentary structures, they are not used in palaeohydraulic reconstructions or to aid prediction of the spatial distribution of sediments. Since Kuenen's famous 1953 paper, flutes

Modern cemented intervals (beachrock, firmgrounds to hardgrounds and concretionary layers) form in the lagoon and intertidal sabkha of Abu Dhabi. Seafloor lithification actively occurs in open, current‐swept channels in low‐lying areas between ooid shoals, in the intertidal zone of the middle lagoon, some centimetres beneath the inner lagoonal seafloor (i.e. within the sediment column) and at the sediment

Ephemeral fluvial systems are commonly associated with arid to semi‐arid climates. Although their complex sedimentology and depositional settings have been described in much detail, depositional models depicting detailed lateral and vertical relationships, and interactions with coeval depositional environments, are lacking compared to well‐recognized meandering and braided fluvial systems. This study