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The Geology of Fluvial Deposits represents the first published synthesis of research on the sedimentary geology of fluvial deposits. It sets out in detail the methods for the field and subsurface study of these sediments, and provides geologists with detailed descriptions of the building blocks of fluvial stratigraphic units, from lithofacies through architectural elements and depositional systems to large-scale stratigraphic sequences and basin-fill complexes. The book contains a new classification of oil and gas fields in fluvial reservoirs, with descriptions of selected case examples. Profusely illustrated and with an extensive reference to the recent literature this textbook will be welcomed by the student and professional alike.
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Andrew D. Miall The Geology of F illwial Deposits Sedimentary Facies, Basin Analysis, and Petroleum Geology 41h corrected printing ..
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Andrew D. Miall
The eology of Fluvial Deposits Sedimentary Facies, Basin Analysis, and Petroleum Geology 4th corrected printing With 504 Figures and 30 Tables
Professor Dr. Andrew D. Miall University of Toronto Department of Geology 22 Russell Street 5S 3B1 Toronto Canada
ISBN-10 ISBN-13 th 4 printing 2006
3-540-59186-9 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York 978-3-540-59186-3 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York
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For Charlene, Christopher, and Sarah
Fluvial deposits represent the preserved record of one of the major nonmarine environ ments. They accumulate in large and small intermontane valleys1 in the broad valleys of trunk rivers, ia the wedges of alluvial fans flanking areas of uplift, in the outwash plains fronting melting glaciers, and in coastal plains. The nature of alluvial assemblages their lithofacies composition, vertical stratigraphic record, and architecture -reflect an inter play of many processes, from the wandering of individual channels across a floodplain, to the long-term effects of uplift and subsidence. Fluvial deposits are a sensitive indicator of tectonic processes, and also carry subtle signatures of the climate at the time of deposition. They are the hosts for many petroleum and mineral deposits. This book is about all these subjects. The first part of the book, following a historical introduction, constructs the strati graphic framework of fluvial deposits, step by step, starting with lithofacies, combining these into architectural elements and other facies associations, and then showing how these, in turn, combine to represent di