The developrnent of fluvial sedirnentology in sorne Devonian and Tertiary basins.

Abstract

Over tite last forty years geologists have lacen investigating tite sedimentary fills of fluvial basius xvitit a new leve) of detall, sufficient for them to cali Ceadúo,ns de Geología lhér¿ca, n'úm. 21, pp. R5-69. Scr-vici<> dc P ubl icaci<>ues. JAn iversid tú (Ávnj> ¡ utense, Riad rid, 1 996. 56 Petar F. Friená their work «sedimentology». Titis itas resulted in greatly improved understanding of river morphology, palaeoecology and palaeosols. Greater undcrstanding of titese local features itas put the lititostratigrapity on a firmer basis. Along witit advances in bio-stratigrapity, basin-seale studies itave led tu> advanees in knowledge of tite effects of tectonism, along xvitit clúnate and sealevel clianges. In future, exciting possibilities appear tu> exist of improved stratigraphic precision based on tite recognition of astronomical (Milankovich) cyclic cffects. Future work generally must be increasingly multidisciplinary, and maIte fulí use of electronie niethods of storing, itandling and presenting tite large aniounts of data that Mill increasingly itave tu> be collected and analysed.