In geology, a facies is a body of rock with distinctive characteristics. The characteristics can be any observable attribute of rocks and the changes that may occur in those attributes over a geographic area. A facies encompasses all the characteristics of a rock including its chemical, physical, and biological features that distinguish it from adjacent rock.
Eolianite carbonate facies (Holocene) on Long Island, Bahamas
Stratigraphic column on the north shore of Isfjord in Svalbard Norway. The vertical succession of rock types (representing sedimentary facies) reflects lateral changes in paleoenvironment.
Middle Triassic marginal marine siltstone and sandstone facies exposed in southern Utah
Geology is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth sciences, including hydrology. It is integrated with Earth system science and planetary science.
Solidified lava flow in Hawaii
Sedimentary layers in Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Metamorphic rock, Nunavut, Canada
Native gold from Venezuela