Figure 4. Short-term (blue) and long-term (red) variations in eustatic and regional sea level compiled for South America (Haq et al., 1987; Ardill et al., 1998). Changes in sea level are measured relative to modern sea level, which is represented at 0 meters. Rising sea levels are indicated by an inflection of the curves toward the left, (a negative slope) whereas a lowering of sea level is indicated by inflections in the curves to the right (a positive slope). Gray fields indicate the time segments for which facies/lithologies are depicted in Figures 5, 6, and 7.