Print this pageAbstract: Sample Ordering--New Statistical Technique for Paleoecologic Analysis
Sidewall cores from wells are a good source of data for paleoecologic analyses because they are free from the downhole contamination common in cutting samples. Samples from any one faunal zone are usually available from a wide variety of depositional environments and different wells. "Sample ordering" is ideal for analyses of such a data set.
The sample-ordering program uses an algorithm to place each sample in order along an ecologic gradient. Data supplied are the relative abundance of each species and designation of one species which will have its maximum abundance at one of the ecologic extremes.
The result is a compact display which shows the relative abundance of each species with respect to each other species along the ecologic gradient. This enables a quick comparison of the ecologic range of extinct species with those believed to have occupied similar environments during much of the Tertiary.
Analysis of a set of Pleistocene core samples has been used to establish the environment of the extinct Trimosina sp. and to construct a detailed water-depth interpretation for the interval cored.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90965©1978 GCAGS and GC Section SEPM, New Orleans, Louisiana