Allostratigraphy of the U.S. Middle Atlantic Continental Margin. Characteristics,Distribution, and Depositional History of Principal Unconformity-Bounded Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic Sedimentary Units

摘要

On the basis of available geological and geophysical data, both onshore andoffshore, a regional allostratigraphic framework for the US Middle Atantic margin is constructed. The authors formally propose, define, describe, and map the distribution and thickness of ten (10) Cenozoic alloformations and two (2) Upper Cretaceous alloformations. The authors conclude with discussions of: the allostratigraphic relations between seismostratigraphic sequences and borehole stratigraphy in the study area; the proximate causes of the unconformities that bound the proposed alloformations; depositional regimes and the provenance and dispersal of sediments in the study area; the implications of this study regarding sequence-stratigraphy models; and, the intrinsic advantages of applying an allostratigraphic framework.