Editing Sedimentary basin (section)

== Study of sedimentary basins ==
The study of sedimentary basins as entities unto themselves is often referred to as [[sedimentary basin analysis]].<ref name="AllenandAllen" /><ref name="Miall_textbook">{{cite book |last1=Miall |first1=Andrew D. |title=Principles of Sedimentary Basin Analysis |date=2000 |location=Berlin |isbn=9783662039991 |pages=616 |edition=Third, updated and enlarged}}</ref> Study involving quantitative modeling of the dynamic geologic processes by which they evolved is called [[basin modelling]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Angevine |first1=C.L. |last2=Heller |first2=P.L |last3=Paola |first3=C |title=Quantitative Sedimentary Basin Modeling |publisher=American Association of Petroleum Geologists Shortcourse Note Series #32 |pages=247}}</ref>

The sedimentary rocks comprising the fill of sedimentary basins hold the most complete historical record of the evolution of the earth's surface over time. Regional study of these rocks can be used as the primary record for different kinds of scientific investigation aimed at understanding and reconstructing the earth's past plate tectonics (paleotectonics), geography ([[paleogeography]], climate ([[paleoclimatology]]), oceans ([[paleoceanography]]), habitats ([[paleoecology]] and [[Biogeography|paleobiogeography]]). Sedimentary basin analysis is thus an important area of study for purely scientific and academic reasons. There are however important economic incentives as well for understanding the processes of sedimentary basin formation and evolution because almost all of the world's [[fossil fuel]] reserves were formed in sedimentary basins.

[[File:Basin analysis and stratigraphy in outcrop with major sequence boundary and fossil submarine canyon.png|thumb|right|Example of surface geologic study of a sedimentary basin fill through field geologic mapping and interpretation of aerial photography. This example includes major erosional surface (sequence boundary) resulting from erosion and fill of a large submarine canyon.]]
All of these perspectives on the history of a particular region are based on the study of a large three-dimensional body of sedimentary rocks that resulted from the fill of one or more sedimentary basins over time. The scientific studies of [[stratigraphy]] and in recent decades [[sequence stratigraphy]] are focused on understanding the three-dimensional architecture, packaging and layering of this body of sedimentary rocks as a record resulting from sedimentary processes acting over time, influenced by global sea level change and regional plate tectonics.

===Surface geologic study===
Where the sedimentary rocks comprising a sedimentary basin's fill are exposed at the earth's surface, traditional field geology and [[aerial photography]] techniques as well as satellite imagery can be used in the study of sedimentary basins.

===Subsurface geologic study===
Much of a sedimentary basin's fill often remains buried below the surface, often submerged in the ocean, and thus cannot be studied directly. Acoustic imaging using [[seismic reflection]] acquired through [[seismic data acquisition]] and studied through the specific sub-discipline of [[seismic stratigraphy]] is the primary means of understanding the three-dimensional architecture of the basin's fill through [[remote sensing]].

Direct sampling of the rocks themselves is accomplished via the drilling of boreholes and the retrieval of rock samples in the form of both [[core sample]]s and [[drill cuttings]]. These allow geologists to study small samples of the rocks directly and also very importantly allow paleontologists to study the [[microfossil]]s they contain ([[micropaleontology]]).

At the time they are being drilled, boreholes are also surveyed by pulling electronic instruments along the length of the borehole in a process known as [[well logging]]. Well logging, which is sometimes appropriately called borehole [[geophysics]], uses electromagnetic and radioactive properties of the rocks surrounding the borehole, as well as their interaction with the fluids used in the process of drilling the borehole, to create a continuous record of the rocks along the length of the borehole, displayed as of a family of curves. Comparison of well log curves between multiple boreholes can be used to understand the stratigraphy of a sedimentary basin, particularly if used in conjunction with seismic stratigraphy.