implications for these nations and the whole of Europe. The safety of structures and people working in this difficult offshore setting requires knowledge of the nature and risk inherent along the margin. 

One way of providing a measure of risk assessment is to develop a timescale, or stratigraphy, for geological events that have affected the margin, especially those involving slope stability which provides a real potential threat to the exploitation and sustainable management of the continental margin. The problem of developing a mid-to late Cenozoic stratigraphy has been only partly addressed by the oil industry, and to date it has largely been a case of problem solving and risk assessment only in restricted areas. 

The project is very much demand-led and will help to answer real problems faced by oil companies working in this North-East Atlantic frontier region, and who have particular concerns regarding health and safety issues. On this basis STRATAGEM will provide 1) a unified mid-to late Cenozoic stratigraphic framework for the glaciated European margin on a range of timescales 2) definition of the architecture and spatial variability of the strata which comprise the margin, and 
account for its present morphology 3) an  improved understanding of the sedimentary processes responsible for the development of the margin, and an assessment of the relationship of these processes to the forces that have controlled them: climate and glaication, ocean circulation, sea level and both regional and local tectonics 4) a margin evolution model that will involve addressing a wide range of  scientific questions related to Cenozoic glacial and pre-glacial geology and can be anticipated to lead to the development of new concepts in margin development and advancement of the state of the art. 

For further information please contact::
Dan Evans (STRATAGEM Co-ordinator), British Geological Survey, United Kingdom.  devans@bgs.ac.uk
STRATAGEM Website: 
http://www.stratagem-europe.org
Comments or queries on the forum page welcome.
STRATAGEM will address the entire European glaciated margin south of Lofoten, providing a context for all present and future studies in the region.The margin has been subdivided into 3 regional study areas (WP1-3) which will be integrated as the project  progresses.

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