Abstract:

The hierarchical structure of clastic deposits is an intrinsic feature of a complex geologic body. As such, the clastic
deposits are studied in a hierarchical style and divided into different architectural units. A comprehensive architectural unit
hierarchical scheme in inverse order for clastic deposits is proposed through integration of the existing lithosome architecture
hierarchy scheme and the sequential architecture hierarchy scheme based on the join point of maximum autocyclicity and
minimum allocyclicity according to architectural scale and its relation. This scheme is compared with the present sedimentary
facies classification system in China. In the proposed scheme, a continental basin is divided into twelve architectural units
according to their different orders. Among them, the first to sixth units correspond to sequential architectures, the seventh to
ninth units are facies architectures, and tenth to twelfth units are in an order of bedding architecture. The proposed division
scheme will remove the hinder coursed by variety division schemes that exist in exploration and development research area. It
will benefit to promote an integration of subsurface geological study. In the proposed scheme, the architecture units in exploration
stage belong to first to fourth order, while the architecture units are grouped as fifth to ninth order in the development stage. The
present sedimentary facies hierarchical system used in China is not an architectural hierarchy system. Thus, the facies hierarchy
is not uniformed among variety sedimentary environment. The microfacies in present facies hierarchical system have significance
hierarchical meaning and could be used as an architecture unit, but the subfacies has no meaning of architecture units.

Key words: depositional architecture, sequence architecture, sedimentary facies, hierarchy system, petroleum exploration
geology, petroleum production geology