Summary Model

1. Topography Building and Drape during Sea-Level Rise

2. Topography Filling During Sea-Level Fall

3. Topography Filled Resulting in Nearly Equal-Thickness Sequences

4. Erosion (Lowstand) Re-initiates Variable Paleotopography Prior to Deposition of Next Sequence

5. Initiation of Next Build-and-Fill Sequence

Factors that Could Prevent Build-and-Fill Sequences

• Long-lived structural highs
• Siliciclastic depocenters that are long-lived
• Highstand or lowstand position
• Slow rates of sea-level change
• Carbonate productivity optimized

Some Subsurface Examples with Build-and-Fill Characteristics

Building Relief

• Boundstone facies: Pennsylvanian, Paradox basin (Weber et al., 1995)
• Grainy carbonate facies: Pennsylvanian, Kansas (Watney et al., 2000), Pennsylvanian,
  Paradox basin (Weber et al., 1995)

Filling Relief

• Coarse-grained siliciciclastics (incised valleys): many examples (e.g. Dalrymple, 1994)
• Fine-grained siliciclastics - Pennsylvanian, Nebraska (Dubois, 1985)
• Carbonate grainstone: Pennsylvanian, Paradox basin (Weber et al., 1995)
• Quiet-water boundstone/wackestone/packstone: Pennsylvanian, Paradox basin
  (Matheny and Longman, 1996); Pennsylvanian, Kansas (Watney, 1980)

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Last updated May 2004
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/PRS/publication/2004/AAPG/Build-and-Fill/P3-01.html