Sea-Level Processes and Effects of Sea-Level Change

Abstract

When studying sedimentary rocks on land, the first question a geologist will ask is whether the sediment was laid down above or below sea level, that is, whether or not it is of marine origin. For marine sediments, the next question usually is about the depth of deposition, that is, about the position of sea level relative to the sedimentary environment. On the present, seafloor depth of deposition is one of the most important factors determining the major facies patterns of the material accumulating on it. Quite generally, sea-level fluctuations on scales between millennia and millions of years dominate the calendar of geologic history (Fig. 6.1).