Making a correlation or inferring a depositional history or lithofacies distribution from geologic data is a complicated and often empirical activity. The results are often based on many assumptions (concieved and forged in the "school" that comprises the interpreters background). The interpretation also contains many implications that can be compared with data and validated.
PHIL is designed as a general depositional model that responds to accommodation and attempts to minimize the prejudices of any one "school". The effects of tectonism, water level changes, sediment supply can be adjusted to test the response of each control. All of the processes are independant and means of controlling them are equally flexible. However, all processes are governed by physical rules and connected by a continuous time frame. The physical rules keep the processes within natural bounds. The time frame allows you to quantify the rates which are required by the geologic constraints. Where the rates are anomalous, you may question the age dates or horizon correlation. Where the processes fail to reconstruct the observations, you may question the horizon correlation.
The input data required are observations in the form of digitized and age-dated horizons constructed from seismic data, well logs or outcrops. You also need to have an estimate of paleowater depths. This can be derived from paleontologic data or seismic profiles. PHIL v5.x can compare the model results with data that corresponds to any variable in the program. So porosity might be compared with the neutron log, etc.
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