A stochastic model of sedimentation

A mathematical model is presented which describes the origin of the earth's geological record in terms of a stochastic process involving random events of sedimentation and erosion. The model yields quantitative predictions of the percentages of the earth's land area in which sediments of one geological period directly overlie those of any given earlier period. It also predicts the total amount of sediment dating from each geological period, and the percentage of the earth's surface marked by outcrops of this sediment. These computed quantities are shown to correlate well with corresponding quantities derived from empirical investigation.