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CHRISTOPHER G. ST.C. KENDALL
Though retired from the Department of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina, I have a University of South Carolina office and am still conducting research. To this end I work with research scientists and students but no longer officially teach department courses and no longer accept graduate students to supervise their research. In the past my students and I (the StratMod Group) worked with geological data related to sedimentary stratigraphy from all over the world. I still conduct research into seismic stratigraphic interpretations, sequence stratigraphy, development of graphical simulations and their application to basin modeling in terms of stratigraphy, sediment geometry responding to eustasy, tectonic history and rates of sedimentation and thermal maturation. I work with Middle East stratigraphy and hydrocarbons; carbonate facies, geometry and cementation. On the map below you can see where the StratMod Group has worked and by clicking on the different boxes you cab view this Select Region of Interest
Regions of the world where the StratMod Group has current projects
Simulation Development and Distance LearningWith Dr.
Phil Moore, of the College of Arts and
Science building interactive empirical graphical simulations to run on microcomputer
work stations to model basin fill in terms of eustasy, tectonic movement and
rates of sedimentation.
Dr.
Phil Moore, my students and I are working on an extension of the use of
simulations to teach sequence stratigraphy on the web with a series of exercises
(see the USC Sequence Stratigraphy Web)
and annotated movies ( Our rational is that the advantages of accessing sedimentary simulations interactively for teaching sequence stratigraphy are that they provide a globally accessible platform for understanding the complexities of sediment stratigraphy. They enable identification, testing, and modeling of sedimentary systems and sharing this data with others. They enhance the understanding of biostratigraphic studies and provide age constraints for stratal geometries and sequence stratigraphic interpretations. They provide a means of quantifying models that explain and predict stratal geometries produced between sequence stratigraphic boundaries and enables complex sediment geometries and architectures to be unraveled. They reduce the time required to understanding interpretations of seismic and well data by identifying and constraining the key factors that control sequence stratigraphic geometries and architectures, including rates of sedimentation, slope angles, distance of sediment transport into a basin, eustatic sea level, and tectonics. It is our premise that sedimentary simulations are at their most effective during the presentation of complex interpretations sedimentary sequences and/or the training of the novitiate interpreter. You can view this at the USC Sequence Stratigraphy Web site.
Sequence Stratigraphic Analysis and Sedimentary Simulation Working with Dr. Phil Moore, College of Arts and Science we combine the principles of seismic sequence stratigraphy & computer simulation techniques, computer simulation techniques, to age date sedimentary sections. Major second order sequence boundaries are identified on seismic sections and used to bracket the third order events, which are then correlated with the Haq eustatic curve using chronostratigraphic charts. The interpreted seismic cross section and chronostratigraphic chart are reproduced by a computer simulation, to determine the eustatic control of the events on the Haq chart with respect to the Mesozoic and Tertiary. Confirmation of the size and frequency of eustatic events from the Haq curve provides a means to determine rates of tectonic movement and sedimentation. Investigating the use of simulation to make accurate predictions of lithofacies and sedimentary geometries, as well as the components of the petroleum system Regional studies include:One of the rational behind these study is that if these events are eustatic they should have a global signal, whereas if they are tectonic then they will be found locally. If the cycles are eustatic, then the cycles can be used to better define the local stratigraphy and make better predictions for their depositional systems and so their reservoir characteristics etc. (Link to the StratMod Group).
3-D Sequence Stratigraphic AnalysisWorking
with Dr. Phil Moore,
of the College of Arts and Science
we investigate sedimentary rules that control deposition, erosion
and so the geometry of sediment. We have collected, analyzed,
and modeled high resolution sequence stratigraphic facies with 3-D
data from the Gulf of Mexico and the West Texas Midland Basin.
We are studying the Cenozoic sands of the nearshore and in the deep-water
offshore of Louisiana focusing on basinal turbidite lobes in the
context of sequence stratigraphic models, modified by growth fault
movement and mini basin fill and spill. A catalogue of examples
of the 3-D clastic fill is being created to determine how these
deep water clastics have responded to varying sea level, climate,
and tectonic motion, and what their reservoir character and potential
might be. Sands with hydrocarbon potential have their reservoir
quality characterized using well logs and seismic. The results
of this study should aid ongoing exploration of other areas within
the Gulf, establishing the reservoir character of potential plays.
We are interpretating and mapping the details of the geometry
and lithofacies distribution within the various depositional systems of the
Pennsylvanian and Permian section in the Glassock/Sterling area of the Midland
Basin of West Texas. To do this we are using a 140 square mile 3D seismic survey
and its associated wells that have been provided by ChevronTexaco. The
3D survey is located on the Southern side of the Glasscock Nose and we are defining
the deepwater fans and related conglomerates and breccias in the area. We are
studying the slopes that feed these features and the up dip clastics and carbonates
of the shelf. Using our experience with the Gulf of Mexico Miocene clastics
we are flattening the seismic to shale markers (mfs?) correlated with the adjacent
wells. We are building paleo-morphologic maps from seismic amplitude anomalies
we see on the shelf, its margin, slope and adjacent basin. Pushing the
envelope we know, but nothing ventured nothing gained.
Middle East Oil Field StratigraphyWith Dr. Al Sharhan
of the United Arab Emirates, we are describing the regional stratigraphy of
hydrocarbon occurrence, investigating the relationship of the Mesozoic shelf
carbonate reservoirs in the Arabian Gulf to the underlying Infra-Cambrian Salt
Basin, the local Hercynian structural fabric, Late Cretaceous overthrusting
in the Oman Mountains and if their stratigraphy is punctuated by eustasy.
CarbonatesInvestigating the controls on carbonate facies and their cementation of the Holocene of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) with Dr. Abdulrahman Alsharhan of the U.A.E.Recent PublicationsIn Press Christopher G. St. C. Kendall & Abdulrahman Al-Sharhan, “Carbonate/Evaporite Stratigraphic Signals of Base Level Change in the Geologic Record” in Evaporite Conference memorial volume commemorating Douglas Shearman to be published by International Association of Sedimentologists. In Press Christopher G. St. C. Kendall & Abdulrahman Al-Sharhan, “Cyano-Bacterial Mats in Strandline Evaporite/Carbonate Deposits along the cost of Abu Dhabi, UAE” at the Evaporite Conference memorial volume commemorated Douglas Shearman to be published by International Association of Sedimentologists 2008 Luis Pomar & Christopher Kendall, Carbonate platform architecture; a response to hydrodynamics and evolving ecology; SEPM Special Publication 89 - Controls on Carbonate Platform and Reef Development” Edited by J. Lukasik and T. Simo;p 187-216 2007 Csato, Istvan, Christopher G.
St C. Kendall and Phil D. Moore "The Messinian problem in the
Pannonian Basin, Eastern Hungary - Insights from stratigraphic simulations"
Sedimentary Geology 201, 111–140 2005 Yuval Ben-Gai,
Zvi Ben-Avraham, Binyamin Buchbinder and Christopher G.St.C. Kendall "Post-Messinian
evolution of the Levant basin based on two-dimensional stratigraphic modeling":
Marine Geology V 221, Is 1-4, P 359-379 2003 Kendall, Christopher
G.St.C.; Lake, Paul; Weathers III, Dallon H.; Lakshmi, Venkat; Althausen, John;
and Alsharhan, Abdulrahman S.;" Evidence of rain shadow in the geologic
record: repeated evaporite accumulation at extensional and compressional plate
margins. In: A.S. Sharhan, W.W. Wood, A.S. Goudie, A. Fowler and E.M. Abdellatif
(eds), The Desertification in the Third Millennium. Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers
(Balkema), Lisse, The Netherlands, ISBN: 90 5809 5711, p.45-52. 2002 Kendall, C.G.St.C.., A.S. Alsharhan, and A Cohen, The Holocene Tidal flat Complex of the Arabian Gulf Coast of Abu Dhabi in Benno Boer & Hans-Joerg Barth eds. The Sabkhas of the Arabian Peninsula Region - Distribution and Ecology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Page 21-35 2001, Csato, I., C. G. St. C. Kendall, Modeling of stratigraphic architectural patterns in extensional settings – Toward a conceptual model, Computers and Geosciences. 2001 Muatasam H. Al-Raisi and Christopher G. St. C. Kendall, Structural And Depositional Controls Of The Sedimentary Fill Of The Algoa Basin-South Africa, and It's Hydrocarbon potential. Proceedings SPE-PAPG Annual Technical Conference on 7-8 November 2001, Islamabad, Pakistan. Page 87-100. 2001 - Schreiber, B. C., R. P. Philip, S. Benali, M. L. Helman, J. A. de la Peña, R. Marfil, P. Landais, A.D. Cohen, and C. G. St. C. Kendall; “Characterization of Organic matter Formed in Hypersaline carbonate/Evaporite Environments: Hydrocarbon Potential and Biomarkers Obtained through Artificial Maturation Studies”, Journal of Petroleum Geology, v. 24 (3), p309-338. 2000 - Kendall, Christopher G. St. C., Abdulrahman. S. Alsharhan, Kurt Johnston and Sean R. Ryan; “Can The Sedimentary Record Be Dated From A Sea-Level Chart? Examples from the Aptian of the UAE and Alaska”. In A. S. Alsharhan and R. W. Scott, Eds, Society of Economic Petrologists and Mineralogists (SEPM) Special Publication 69 on the Jurassic/Cretaceous Platform-Basin Systems; Middle East Models; p 65-76 2000 - Cantrell, David L., Peter K. Swart, Robertson C. Handford, Christopher G. Kendall, and Hildegard Westphal, “Geology, and Production Significance of Dolomite, Arab-D Reservoir, Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia”, GeoArabia, v. 6, p45-60. 1999 - Sen, A., Kendall, C.G.S.C., and Levine, P., 1999, Combining a computer simulation and eustatic events to date seismic sequence boundaries: a case study of the Neogene of the Bahamas: Sedimentary Geology, v. 125, p. 47-59.. 1999 - D. Cheong, G. Whittle, and C. Kendall, Graphical simulation of clastic margin progradation: Ulleung Basin, offshore Korea, Geoscience Journal, v.3 (no.1), p.63-73. 1998 - Liu, Keyu., Trent C.K Liang, Lincoln Paterson and Christopher.G.St.C. Kendall, Computer simulation of the influence of basin physiography on condensed section deposition and maximum flooding. Sedimentary Geology, 122 pp.181-191. 1998 - Liu, K., C.J. Pigram, L. Paterson and C.G.St.C. Kendall, Computer simulation of a Cainozoic carbonate platform, Marion Plateau, north-east Australia. In G. F. Camoin and P. J. Davies (Eds) Reef and Carbonate Platforms in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. International Association of Sedimentologists Special Publication No. 25, pp.145-161. 1998 - Perlmutter M. A., B.J. Radovich, M. D. Matthews and C,.G.St.C. Kendall, The impact of high-frequency sedimentation cycles on stratigraphic interpretation, In F.M. Gradstein, K.O. Sandvick and N.J. Milton,. (Eds.), Sequence Stratigraphy – Concepts and Applications, Norwegian Petroleum Society Special Publication No 8, pp 141-170, Elsevier Science B.V. Amsterdam 1998 - Alsharhan A. S, K.W. Glennie, G.L.Whittle and C.G.St.C.Kendal (Eds.), Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change, Proceedings of the International Conference on Quaternary Deserts and Climatic change/ Al Ain/ United Arab Emirates/ 9-11 December 1995, A.A. Balkema Publishers, pp 621. 1998 - Kendall, Christopher.G.St.C. and Animikh Sen, Use of Sedimentary simulations for dating sequence boundaries and measuring the size of eustatic sea level changes: an example from the Neogene of the Bahamas: In Harff, J., Lemke, W., Stattegger, K. (Eds.), Computerized Modeling of Sedimentary Systems: Springer Verlag : Berlin, ISBN 3-540-64109-2, p 291-306. 1998- Kendall, C.G.St.C. A.S. Alsharhan and G.L.Whittle, The flood re-charge sabkha model supported by recent inversions of anhydrite to gypsum in the UAE Sabkhas, In A. S. Alsharhan, K.W. Glennie, G.L.Whittle and C.G.St.C.Kendall eds, Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change, Proceedings of the International Conference on Quaternary Deserts and Climatic change/ Al Ain/ United Arab Emirates/ 9-11 December 1995, A.A. Balkema Publishers, p 29-43. 1998 Kendall, C.G.St.C. A.S. Alsharhan and G.L.Whittle, Petrography of Holocene beachrock and hardgrounds, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, In A. S. Alsharhan, K.W. Glennie, G.L.Whittle and C.G.St.C.Kendall eds, Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change, Proceedings of the International Conference on Quaternary Deserts and Climatic change/ Al Ain/ United Arab Emirates/ 9-11 December 1995, A.A. Balkema Publishers, p 57-70. 1997 Csato Istvan, Christopher G. St. C. Kendall, Alan E. M. Nairn and Gerald R. Baum, Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretations in the Southern Dead Sea Basin, Israel, Geol Soc Am.Bulletin,v 108, 1485-1501. 1996 Kendall Christopher G St C, William E. Full, and Gregory Whittle: Seismic Expression of Carbonate Reservoir Systems, In G.V.Chilingarian, H.H. Rieke and S.J.Mazzulloeds., Carbonate Rervoir Characterization, part II, Chapter 2: p59-103. 1996 Hellmann,Douglas R. , Mitchell L. Patterson, Robert L. Cannon Philip D. Moore, and Christopher G. St. C. Kendall; Tools for Visual and Numerical Data Entry, Software - Practice and Experience.v.26, n5, p.531-544. 1995 Kendall, Christopher G. St. C., Gregory L. Whittle, Craig Fulthorpe, Phil Moore, T.Don Hickey, Robert Cannon and Douglas Hellmann, Geometric Responses in Neogene Sediments of Offshore New Zealand: Simulated as Products of Changes in Depositional Base Level Driven by Eustasy and/or Tectonics, In B. U. Haq, ed., Sequence Stratigraphy and Depositional Response to Eustatic, Tectonic and Climatic forcing; Kluwer Academic Publishers, p.113-136. 1995 Kendall, Christopher G. St. C., Robert Ehrlich, and Phillip A. Levine, The Enigma of Third Order Sea Level Cycles: a Cosmic Connection? In B. U. Haq, ed., Sequence Stratigraphy and Depositional Response to Eustatic, Tectonic and Climatic forcing; Kluwer Academic Publishers, p.367-376. 1994 Gregor P. Eberli, Christopher G. St. C. Kendall, Phil Moore, Gregory L. Whittle, and Robert Cannon, Testing a Seismic Interpretation of Great Bahama Bank with a Computer Simulation, AAPG Bulletin, V. 78, No. 6, p. 981-1004. 1994 Saidi A. Hassani, and Christopher G. St. C. Kendall, Sedimentology and Alkaline Geochemistry of Rift Lake Manyara, Northern Tanzania, East Africa: An Analogue to Lacustrine Fill in Some Early Mesozoic Lakes of South East USA, Southeastern Geology, V. 34, No. 3, p. 129-137. 1994 Christopher G. St. C. Kendall, James L. Sadd, and Abdulrahman Alsharhan, Holocene Marine Cement on Beachrocks of the Abu Dhabi Coastline (UAE); Analogs for Cement Fabrics in Ancient Limestones, Carbonates and Evaporites, V. 9, No. 2, p. 119-131. 1994 Abdulrahman. S. Alsharhan and Christopher G.St.C. Kendall, Depositional setting of the Upper Jurassic Hith Anhydrite of the Arabian Gulf: an analogue to Holocene evaporites of the United Arab Emirates and Lake MacLeod of Western Australia: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 78, p. 1075-1096. Abstracts
and Unreferred Publications
SpecialtiesComputer
modeler of sedimentary fill
Seismic and sequence stratigraphy Petroleum geology Middle East geology Carbonate sedimentology and petrography
Courses taught at USCGeol 101 - Introduction to the Earth (4) Origin and nature of the earth with emphasis on internal processes and phenomenon such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building; surfaces processes, including landform evolution. Three lectures and three laboratory hours each week. Geol 325 - Stratigraphy & Sedimentary Basins (4) (Prereq: Geol 202 or consent of instructor). Overview of sedimentary basins, sediment transport, sedimentation, depositional environments, stratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, eustacy, and sedimentary petrology. Includes laboratory and recitation. Required field trips. Taught alternate years. Geol/MSCI 550 - Sedimentary Simulations and Sequence Stratigraphy (4) (Prereq: Geol 301 or consent of instructor). Problems of sequence stratigraphy resolved with graphic computer simulations. Sedimentary fill of basins by carbonates and/or clastics tracked as a function of rate of sediment accumulation, tectonic behavior and sea level. Includes laboratory. Geol/MSCI 553 - Marine Sediments (3) (Prereq: Geol 516 or consent of instructor) Marine sedimentary environments; physical/biological factors which control the formation and distribution of modern marine sediments. Geol/MSCI 716 - Eustasy and Global Variations in Sequence Stratigraphy (3) Relationship of sequence stratigraphy to sea level variations, tectonics and sedimentation. Construction and analyses of paleogeographic maps, regional cross-sections, and chronostratigraphic charts. Geol 745 - Petroleum Geology (3) An introduction to exploring for oil and natural gas; concentration on specific regions with energy resources. Geol 751 - Carbonate Petrology (3) Detailed analysis of the processes and products of carbonate sedimentation, diagenesis, and lithification, with special emphasis upon the role of organisms in forming carbonate sediments and sedimentary rocks. Three lecture hours per week with occasional field trips. Geol 764 - Seismic Reflection Interpretation (3) the interpretation of regional stratigraphy and structure using seismic sections. Recognition of stratigraphic sequences, sedimentary facies, and extensional and compressional structures. Application to hydrocarbon exploration. Geol 790 - Dir Individual Studies Geol 799 - Thesis Preparation Geol 818 - Seminar In Geophysics (3) - Seminar in 3-D Seismic Reflection Interpretation: the interpretation of regional stratigraphy and structure using 3-D seismic sections. Recognition of stratigraphic sequences, sedimentary facies, and extensional and compressional structures. Application to hydrocarbon exploration. Geol 899 - Dissertation Preparation
Miscellaneous InformationCitizenship
Date and Place of Birth Employment History Fencing Club Advisor Maritial Status and Family Military Service Professional Activities Societies University Committees etc. Index to Curriculum Vitae
Return to Page Top Return to Department of Geological Sciences Maintained by C. G. St.C. Kendall (kendall@sc.edu , Tel 803 978-7523). Last updated 7th June, 2008
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