STRATICA 🪨

Stratigraphic Pattern Recognition & Paleoclimatic Temporal Reconstruction

A Physics-Informed AI Framework for Deep-Time Earth System Reconstruction, Stratigraphic Layer Intelligence, and Paleoclimatic Cycle Decoding

96.2%
TCI Classification
Accuracy
47
Sedimentary
Basins
9
Parameters in
the TCI
6
Continents
Covered
🦊 GitHub Repository 📄 Research Paper 📡 Dashboard

What is STRATICA?

A unified cipher for Earth's geological memory

Beneath the Saharan sand, beneath the limestone karst of the Dolomites, beneath the floor of the Pacific Ocean, the Earth has been keeping a record — not of words or numbers, but of chemistry, mineralogy, magnetism, and biology. STRATICA is the first unified, multi-parameter Physics-Informed AI framework to decode, model, and read the stratigraphic record at the scale it operates: every isotope ratio, every fossil assemblage, every magnetic reversal preserved in sedimentary layers encoding the state of Earth's climate, chemistry, and life across 4.5 billion years.

Every layer of sediment deposited, every pollen grain entombed in glacial ice, every isotope ratio locked into a foraminiferal shell encodes, with extraordinary fidelity, the state of the Earth system at the moment of deposition. STRATICA transforms paleoclimate science from a discipline that reconstructs the past into one that constrains the future.

STRATICA integrates nine analytically independent stratigraphic and geochemical parameters into a single Temporal Climate Integrity Index (TCI), embedded within a Physics-Informed Neural Network that enforces stratigraphic superposition, thermodynamic consistency, and orbital phase coherence as differentiable constraints throughout the computational pipeline. A defining innovation is its application of temporal back-casting — deploying deep-learning Transformer-LSTM hybrid architectures not to predict the future but to reconstruct the past, filling gaps in the geological record with physically constrained estimates.

The Temporal Climate Integrity Index

Nine independent parameters unified into a single composite metric

TCI = 0.20·LDR + 0.15·ISO + 0.12·MFA + 0.11·MAG + 0.10·GCH
    + 0.09·PYS + 0.08·VSI + 0.08·TDM + 0.07·CEC

Each parameter φᵢ ∈ [0,1] normalized and weighted by Bayesian-optimized coefficients

TCI ranges: [0.00 = non-functional] to [1.00 = optimal fidelity]
Functional threshold: TCI > 0.62 (±50 kyr temporal resolution)

The Nine Parameters

Each dimension of Earth system history, measured precisely

20%
LDR
Lithological Deposition Rate
Rate of sediment accumulation as a function of basin subsidence, sediment supply, and compaction history — the fundamental clock of the stratigraphic record.
15%
ISO
Stable Isotope Fractionation
δ¹⁸O / δ¹³C ratios encoding palaeotemperature and carbon cycle state in carbonate and organic phases — the primary paleothermometry signal.
12%
MFA
Micro-Fossil Assemblage
AI-classified foraminifera, nannofossils, and palynomorphs providing biostratigraphic age control and palaeoecological reconstruction.
11%
MAG
Magnetic Susceptibility
Ferrimagnetic mineral content recording geomagnetic polarity reversals and diagenetic alteration index — independent age anchor points.
10%
GCH
Geochemical Anomaly Index
Trace element signatures detecting bolide impacts (Ir, Pt), ocean anoxic events (Mo, U), and volcanism (Hg) — catastrophic event markers.
9%
PYS
Palynological Yield Score
Pollen and spore assemblage diversity encoding terrestrial vegetation cover, humidity, and land-surface history — continental climate proxy.
8%
VSI
Varve Sedimentary Integrity
Annual lamination preservation in lacustrine sediments providing year-by-year seasonal climate resolution at sub-millimeter scales.
8%
TDM
Thermal Diffusion Model
Subsurface heat flow modeling quantifying burial depth and thermal maturity of organic matter — independent depth constraint.
7%
CEC
Cyclostratigraphic Energy Cycle
Spectral power at Milankovitch orbital periods enabling astronomical calibration of the sedimentary clock with ±5 kyr precision.

TCI Classification System

Five operational states of paleoclimatic reconstruction quality

⭐ OPTIMAL
TCI > 0.88
Maximum fidelity — all nine parameters highly functional with no proxy inconsistencies. Reference-quality paleoclimate interpretation.
✓ GOOD
0.72 – 0.88
Reliable interpretation — most parameters functional with minor departures from optimal state. Standard monitoring sufficient.
⚠ MODERATE
0.55 – 0.72
Interpretable with caveats — measurable multi-parameter degradation requiring caution in paleoclimate conclusions.
❌ MARGINAL
0.38 – 0.55
Limited confidence — significant parameter degradation or proxy inconsistencies. Requires specialized expertise.
✗ DYSFUNCTIONAL
TCI < 0.38
Unreliable paleoclimate interpretation — critical parameter failure or proxy contradictions.

Operational Applications

From geological record to paleoclimatic intelligence

1
Deep-Time Climate Analog Mapping
Quantitatively compare current climate trajectories with deep-time warm periods by expressing both in commensurable TCI units. STRATICA's PETM analysis constrains Earth System Sensitivity to 4.8 ± 0.6°C per CO₂ doubling.
2
Mass Extinction Precursor Detection
STRATICA's multi-parameter approach jointly identifies reproducible pre-extinction signatures that precede each of five major Phanerozoic mass extinctions by 50,000–500,000 years.
3
Autonomous Drill Core Analysis
Deploy computer vision modules directly on high-resolution continuous core scanner imagery. Process a 200-meter drill core in ~4 hours, generating complete nine-parameter TCI profiles.
4
STRATICA Dashboard Integration
Real-time digital center providing TCI Basin Browser, Back-Cast Simulator, and Deep-Time Analog Finder — interactive tools for paleoclimate exploration and analysis.

Validation & Results

Benchmark results across 47 sedimentary basins, 8 ice cores, 800,000 years

Metric STRATICA Previous Best Improvement
TCI Classification Accuracy 96.2% 81.4% (single-proxy) +14.8 pp
δ¹⁸O Back-cast RMSD 0.0018 ‰ 0.0063 ‰ (kriging) 71% reduction
Orbital Cycle Detection Precision ±1,200 yr ±8,500 yr (bandpass) 7x improvement
Magnetostratigraphy Age Accuracy ±3.4% of interval ±11.2% (visual tuning) 3.3x improvement
Microfossil Classification 93.4% 71.8% (manual expert) +21.6 pp
Extinction Precursor Detection 92.1% No comparable model Novel capability
Drill Core Processing Speed 4 hrs / 200 m 6–12 months (manual) 500–2000x faster

Case Study: PETM Reconstruction at ODP Site 1209B

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum — Earth's most rapid carbon perturbation in 66 million years

The STRATICA TCI analysis of ODP Site 1209B at Shatsky Rise (North Pacific) demonstrates the framework's capability to reconstruct rapid climate transitions and constrain Earth System Sensitivity with unprecedented precision.

0.78 → 0.31 → 0.74
TCI Trajectory Through PETM
5.2 ± 0.8°C
Peak Temperature Rise
3,200 ± 600 GtC
Carbon Release Estimate
4.8 ± 0.6°C
Earth System Sensitivity

The multi-site STRATICA inversion across 7 PETM sites yields unprecedented constraints on carbon release rate and Earth System Sensitivity significantly higher than Pleistocene-derived estimates. This capability transforms paleoclimate science into a predictive discipline.

Research & Publications

Peer-reviewed research and open datasets

2026 · Submitted · Nature Geoscience / Earth and Planetary Science Letters
STRATICA: Stratigraphic Pattern Recognition & Paleoclimatic Temporal Reconstruction
Comprehensive Review & Original Computational Framework · Samir Baladi
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18851076 →
2026 · Open Dataset · Zenodo
STRATICA Validation Dataset — 47 Sedimentary Basins, 8 Ice Cores, 180,000 Microfossil Specimens
CERN Data Centre · Open Access Dataset
Repository →

Open Science · Open Source

Making geological deep-time legible

Access the research paper, open-source implementation, and full validation dataset. STRATICA is the computational language for reading 4.5 billion years of Earth history.

🦊 GitHub Repository 🦊 GitLab Repository 📄 Research Paper 📡 Live Dashboard