Stratigraphy: A Comprehensive Reference - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0443265364 ISBN 13: 9780443265365

Publisher: Elsevier, 2026

Synopsis

Stratigraphy provides a comprehensive review of various stratigraphy types in a consistent, systematic manner. Each chapter includes definitions, concepts, practical applications, and case studies. The book begins with an overview of the discipline's historical principles. Subsequent chapters delve into specific types of stratigraphy: lithostratigraphy (lithology), biostratigraphy (fossil content), chemostratigraphy (geochemical properties), magnetostratigraphy (magnetic polarity), chronostratigraphy (absolute age), cyclostratigraphy (relationship to astronomical forcing), allostratigraphy (lithological discontinuities), and sequence stratigraphy (stratal stacking patterns). This structured approach makes the book a convenient reference for quickly reviewing and comparing different stratigraphy types.

Each chapter follows a consistent outline, making the text accessible and easy to navigate. This invaluable reference links theory with practice, and provides critical insights into the practical workflow that enables stratigraphic correlation in diverse geological contexts. The systematic presentation ensures that readers can efficiently compare and contrast the different stratigraphy types, enhancing their ability to integrate different stratigraphic methods in order to unravel the full array of physical and temporal complexities of the 3D stratigraphic framework.

• Provides a comprehensive resource for university instructors and students, as well as a guide to the workflow and practical applications of stratigraphy
• Reviews the development of stratigraphy over the last 550 years, from the formulation of ‘first principles’ in the Renaissance through to the modern state-of-the-art
• Presents all main types of stratigraphy as defined by the specific stratal attributes employed to delineate and correlate stratigraphic units and bounding surfaces
• Discusses key topics at the forefront of current stratigraphic research that describe the full array of physical and temporal complexities of the 3D stratigraphic framework
• Illustrates all concepts and case studies with high-quality, full-color diagrams, outcrop photographs, and subsurface well data and seismic images

About this title

About the Author

Octavian Catuneanu is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, with PhD degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Bucharest. He is the recipient of several distinctions in the field of Geology, including the W.W. Hutchison Medal of the Geological Association of Canada for exceptional advances in earth science research, and best paper awards from the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, the Geological Society of America, and the Romanian Academy of Sciences. Octavian Catuneanu served as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, Chair of the Task Group on Sequence Stratigraphy of the International Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification, Chair of the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature, and member of the editorial board of several journals in North America, Europe, and Africa. He is the editor of several books and special issues, author of numerous publications in the fields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, and basin analysis, and instructor of sequence stratigraphy and related disciplines for universities, conferences, and companies worldwide. The first edition of his “Principles of Sequence Stratigraphy” textbook (Elsevier, 2006) received the 2007 “Outstanding Academic Title” Choice Award from the American Library Association and remains a best-selling title.

From the Back Cover

Stratigraphy is a complete review of each type of stratigraphy in a consistent and systematic manner, including definitions, concepts, practical applications, and case studies in every chapter. The book opens with an overview of stratigraphy along with the historical principles of the discipline. Each of the following chapters defines and explains a specific type of stratigraphy in depth. These types include lithostratigraphy (lithology), biostratigraphy (fossil content), chemostratigraphy (geochemical properties), magnetostratigraphy (magnetic polarity), chronostratigraphy (absolute age), cyclostratigraphy (relationship to astronomical forcing), allostratigraphy (lithological discontinuities), and sequence stratigraphy (stratal stacking patterns). Each chapter follows the same outline and includes the same elements, creating a convenient and accessible reference to quickly review and compare the different types of stratigraphy. This invaluable text provides a key reference for stratigraphic correlation in a wide range of applications.

Edition details

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0443265364
• ISBN 13: 9780443265365
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 484
• Editor: Catuneanu Octavian