Sequence stratigraphy of Middle to Upper Pennsylvanian fill of the Central Appalachian Basin

Abstract

The sedimentary fill of Middle to Upper Pennsylvanian strata in the central Appalachian Basin reveals complex sequence stratigraphy in predominantly fluvial strata. Sequence stratigraphy is commonly used to interpret deposits containing marine strata, but these marine units are largely absent in the rocks of the Upper Breathitt Group and Conemaugh Group within the study area. The effects of eustasy weaken up-dip as fluvial-dominant sequences see increasing influence from climate and tectonics. A more applicable fluvial sequence stratigraphic model that places focus on accommodation state rather than relative sea level is adopted in this study in order to determine the stratigraphy of Upper Breathitt Group and Lower Conemaugh Group rocks in the area of the Kentucky/West Virginia state line and use this information to understand the relationship between facies of the floodplain and the channel belts that filled the Appalachian Basin in the context of the basin fluvial sequence stratigraphy.