Holocene sediments of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt estuaries as aids to interpret tidal and fluvial-tidal deposits in outcrop and core

Despite enormous technological and statistical advances in the last decade, the building of geologically-based 3D reservoir models will always
be demanding. Moreover, it is imperative that uncertainty is handled appropriately, especially as remaining resources are increasingly found in
smaller and/or more complicated reservoirs and undrained compartments. One way of reducing information loss is to incorporate
complementary data into the interpretation of subsurface core data sets. To achieve this, geologists must continue to study modern and ancient
analogues and archive their findings in a systematized ‘library’ (conceptual, qualitative and quantitative). Such a library should capture the
natural variability of environments and facies, and include methodologies and guidelines for estimating and reducing subsurface uncertainty.
This collective understanding and information can also be used for training purposes.
A library of observations and interpretations of modern and ancient outcrop analogues can help to reduce subsurface geological uncertainty
and, more generally, aids the development of conceptual depositional models, (sequence) stratigraphic correlation methods, and the
construction of quantitative subsurface 3D models suitable for reservoir simulation. As such, it can play a vital role in the reservoir
characterization work flow. Such a library will also be a means to mitigate the risks of the overuse of simple structures to try and interpret an
entire environment.