f Analysing and Simulating Stratigraphic Patterns Using Extended Markov Chain Analysis

Markov Chain Analysis is a standard tool to detect and characterise vertical ordering in stratigraphic sequences. To obtain the full predictive power of the transition information in a sequence, we have generalised the standard Markov Chain Analysis to account for the full pattern for any order m. In this way, the analysis yields a probability structure for how the occurrence of a stratigraphic element is related to patterns of immediately preceding elements. If significant relations are found, this information can be used for interpretation of depositional processes and environment as well as for quantitative stratigraphic simulations and subsequent interpretation.