Working Groups / Stratigraphy and sedimentology

The characteristics of subsurface sediments, their geometry, volume, age and depositional environment may influence their mechanical behavior and the processes that generate subsidence. This working group focuses on the stratigraphic and sedimentological characterization of areas affected by subsidence and on the potential relationships between depositional architecture and subsidence. The knowledge provided by this working group constitutes a solid basis for all subsequent in-depth studies.
The study of the subsurface, conducted using innovative methods and high spatial and temporal resolution, relies upon the concept of depositional facies, which encompasses all the characteristics (lithology, grain size, grain size trends, volume, geometry, and thickness of sedimentary bodies, content of fossils and other accessory materials) that contribute to defining the environment in which the sediments accumulated and the related sedimentary processes. The stratigraphic-sedimentological study is based on the direct analysis of sediments from continuous core drilling and on the interpretation of penetration tests. Absolute dating methods (radiocarbon, OSL, ESR, other radioisotopes) and relative dating methods (cyclostratigraphy, isotopic stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, palynostratigraphy) are used to reconstruct a reliable chronological framework and quantify sediment accumulation rates.

Stratigraphy and sedimentology

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