BECKER, RICHARD C., Mobil Oil, Dallas, TX, DAVID K. GOODMAN, ARCO Oil & Gas Company, Midland, TX, and JOHN VAN COUVERING, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY

ABSTRACT: The Impact of Computers on Biostratigraphy: A Key Element in Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretations

Advances in personal computers have provided the power to perform complex analytical procedures in a cost effective manner. Three newly developed PC-based MS DOS-compatible software systems provide biostratigraphers with the computing flexibility to meet the ever changing needs of today's business environment.

PALEX is a paleoecologic expert system that uses rules to produce both raw and summarized paleoecologic interpretations based on a species code. These codes contain information such as fossil type, geologic age, geographic area, paleoecologic rule, and confidence level. Annotated modifications to the PALEX interpretation are allowed, providing an audit trail for both geoscientists and other biostratigraphers. PALEX, designed to bring consistency to paleoecologic interpretation, can also be used to interpret palynofacies.

RAGWARE is a complete data capture and composite log plotting system. Data is captured using a species template on a digitizing pad and entered directly into the RAGWARE system. Plots are produced integrating abundance and diversity curves with paleoecology, electric logs, synthetic seismogram, dipmeter data, geochemistry data, well bore tests, petrographic analysis, or other data. The results can be converted from depth to two-way time and plotted on him to overlay a seismic section.

MICROBASE (MlCROpaleontology dataBASE) is an integrated database and image retrieval system. MICROBASE implements the latest developments in both analog (video) and digital technology. Microfossil data are stored as relational tables in a DBMS (PALeontological CATalog, or PALCAT). MICROBASE provides rapid access to paleontological data, resulting in standardized taxonomy, reduced learning curves, and more effective retention of cumulative expertise.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90988©1993 AAPG/SVG International Congress and Exhibition, Caracas, Venezuela, March 14-17, 1993.