Classification of Sedimentary Basins

• Tectonic subsidence of basins is caused by rifting, flexure, or cooling of the

lithosphere.
• A classification of basins based upon both the mechanism of subsidence
and the plate-tectonic setting.
• That’s fairly easy to do for modern basins, but it’s rather difficult to do for
ancient basins.
• Modern basins mean those still within their original tectonic setting
• Ancient basins mean those now separated from their original tectonic
setting.
• The nature of the sediments that accumulate in a sedimentary basin is
related to the environments of the physiographic basin from which the
sediments were derived and in which they were deposited.