Parasequences Research Conference
"Are Siliciclastic Parasequences still relevant?"
9-12 October 2023, Green River, Utah, USA
Conveners: Howard Feldman, Bruce Ainsworth, Luca Colombera & Rebecca Caldwell. Field Trip Leader: Janok Battacharya

The parasequence, being commonly bounded by flooding surfaces, is important as a reservoir flow unit in subsurface successions of coastal depositional settings, and has hence been regarded as an integral building block for subsurface characterization studies for petroleum, carbon capture and storage, and for the definition of hydrogeological resources. Since the term parasequence was first defined nearly 40 years ago, the concept of parasequences has become deeply embedded in the clastic sedimentological lexicon. But at the same time there has been a lack of consistency in how the concept is applied, particularly with respect to scale: at what scale do parasequences exist? Additionally, new definitions have been proposed that broaden the concept by applying it to deposits other than the original coastal progradational systems.
Join us for a four-day interactive workshop combining field sessions (classic Panther Tongue, Ferron and Blackhawk locations), core inspections, talks, digital posters and data set discussions.
Program ---- Save the date!
Themes for the conference are the following. Some themes might be merged depending on the number of abstract submissions
Theme 1: Are parasequences still relevant?
Theme 2: Complexity, hierarchy and facies organization within parasequences
Theme 3: Autogenic and allogenic mechanisms of parasequence generation and stacking
Theme 3: Coastal depositional systems lacking parasequence organization
Theme 4: Should the term be applied to systems unrelated to coastal progradation?
Theme 5: Parasequences applied to subsurface characterization: Is there a scale inconsistency between outcrop and subsurface?
Theme 6: Insights from numerical models
Theme 7: Direct observation of double clinoform parasequences in the ancient
Abstracts Open Now - Click to Submit
About the conference:
This is a small, focused meeting on the parasequence concept. Maximum number of participants is 45 and the minimum is 30. The meeting will last four days and will consist of a blend of field trips (2 days) and meeting presentations (2 days). There will also be time set aside for discussion, and ample time in the evenings for discussion and networking.
Early Bird Registration Now Open - until July 30
The Early Bird registration fee is $1,750 and $1,950 USD with SEPM members receiving the conference discount. This fee includes registration for the meeting, transportation from Salt Lake City (departing at 8:30 am on Monday 9 October) to Green River, Utah. Accommodation in Green River hotels is included (Monday through Thursday nights). Hotel breakfast and lunch each day (from lunch on 9th to lunch on 12th), and one informal meeting dinner are also included. The bus will depart Green River on Friday morning (13 October) and return to the SLC airport.
Critical Dates
- June 30 - Deadline for abstracts
- July 30 - Early Bird registration closes
- August 30 - All registration closes