Abstract
It is well-known that the present might not be a straight-forward key to the past, especially where biological evolution is involved, but also because of large-scale fluctuations in atmospheric CO2 levels, and other factors that can produce anactualistic conditions. Nevertheless, an understanding of modern analogs is crucial for an understanding of past sedimentary systems of the rock record. It is only the modern environment that allows for examination of both, the sedimentary processes and their products that can thus be tied together. General rules extracted from observations of modern analogues help reconstructing past depositional processes and understanding the facies arrangement preserved in sedimentary rocks.
