Mass-Balanced Reconstruction of Paleogeology

Mass-balanced paleogeographic reconstruction can be extended into reconstruction of the paleogeology, using information inherent in the mass/age distribution of the sediments. The reconstruction method removes sediments from their site of deposition and replaces them as overburden onto the sites from which they were eroded. The mass/age and spatial distribution of the sediments contain the information required to determine the age and lithology of the rocks that made up the overburden. Replacing the overburden onto the source areas in terms of age and lithology defines the geologic history of a region in much greater detail than previously thought possible