Print this pageAbstract: Evolution of Continental-Margin Basins
A. R. Green
The earth's crust is a thin dynamic shell which is constantly changing in both thickness and composition as a result of subcrustal processes and the lateral interaction of crustal plates.
Continental-margin basins can be related to a cycle of construction and destruction of continental crust. Such processes form depressions of various types within the earth's crust which host continental-margin basins.
The type of crust which underlies a continental-margin basin determines the basin's physical framework, manner of structuring, and bottom configuration at the time of deposition. This, in turn, controls the condition of sedimentation throughout the life of the basin.
Schematic models depicting the various basin types demonstrate the basic tectonic and stratigraphic processes involved in their respective development.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90968©1977 AAPG-SEPM Annual Convention and Exhibition, Washington, DC