kertymäprofiilin

Kertymäprofiili is a geologic term used primarily in Finnish literature to describe a vertical or horizontal cross‑section that represents the spatial distribution of accumulated sedimentary deposits. The word combines *kertymä*, meaning accumulation or deposition, with *profiili*, meaning profile. It is employed to illustrate how sediment thickness varies across a basin or along a shoreline over time, and to infer past environmental conditions such as sea‑level changes, tectonic activity or sediment supply rates.

In practice, kertymäprofiilit are constructed from a combination of field measurements, core sampling, seismic reflection data and remote‑sensing images. The resulting diagrams allow geologists to identify distinct layers, quantify their thicknesses, and determine which periods were dominated by, for example, marine clays versus coastal sand. By comparing profiles from several sites, researchers can map paleogeographic reconstructions, study sedimentary facies, and assess resources such as hydrocarbons or aquifers.

The concept is closely related to other sedimentary profiling methods, such as stratigraphic column and core‑log. While the terminology is most common in Finnish geological literature, the underlying principles are applied worldwide in basin studies, coastal engineering and environmental assessments.