New software for plotting and analyzing stratigraphic data

Abstract

Stratigraphy, the study of layering in rock, ice, and sediment records, lies at the heart of the geological sciences. The lithology, grain size, and texture of layered successions, along with a host of measurable geochemical and geophysical parameters, record information about past environmental and geographic conditions. Despite the importance of stratigraphic records to Earth history, there is a dearth of accessible, user-friendly open-source software for generating stratigraphic plots and analyzing stratigraphic data. Often, stratigraphic logs and associated geochemical and geophysical data are assembled and plotted manually using multiple software packages. The integrated stratigraphic data can then be cumbersome to analyze quantitatively.