GeoMiner Free earth-science tools

Built by a geologist

Facies identification and geology

A body of rock with distinctive lithological, biological, or chemical characteristics that reflect specific depositional conditions. Different facies can exist laterally adjacent to one another representing different environments at the same time or succeed one another vertically representing changing environments over time . Walther's Law states that facies that occur in conformable vertical succession also occur in laterally adjacent environments. Field: stratigraphy. Example: A transgressive stratigraphic sequence might show a vertical succession from fluvial sandstone facies to tidal flat mudstone facies to shallow marine limestone facies, recording a progressive rise in sea level.. Related terms: Lithofacies, Biofacies, Walther's Law, Depositional environment.

  • Browse all geology and mining glossary terms — Compare this entry with the complete GeoMiner glossary collection.
  • Previous: Extrusive — Describing igneous rock that formed from magma erupted at the Earth's surface as lava or pyroclastic material , as opposed to intrusive rock that…
  • Next: Fault — A fracture or zone of fractures in the Earth's crust along which there has been measurable displacement of the rocks on either side.

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:41.999576+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

Read GeoMiner's editorial methodology or report a content issue.

Common questions

What does Facies mean in geology?
A body of rock with distinctive lithological, biological, or chemical characteristics that reflect specific depositional conditions. Different facies can exist laterally adjacent to one another representing different environments at the same time or succeed one another vertically representing changing environments over time . Walther's Law states that facies that occur in conformable vertical succession also occur in laterally adjacent environments.
What is an example of Facies?
A transgressive stratigraphic sequence might show a vertical succession from fluvial sandstone facies to tidal flat mudstone facies to shallow marine limestone facies, recording a progressive rise in sea level.
Which earth-science field uses the term Facies?
Facies is used in stratigraphy.
Which terms are related to Facies?
Related terms in this reference are Lithofacies, Biofacies, Walther's Law, Depositional environment.

JavaScript is loading the interactive GeoMiner experience. The identification tools provide educational candidates, not laboratory confirmation.