The Production of Sediment

Chapters 1, 3

Contents

Weathering

Physical, chemical, biogeochemical processes Rates Products Carbon cycle and global change

Erosion/Soils Sediment Texture

Weathering

General process by which rocks are broken down at the earths surface Produces clays, soils, dissolved substances in rivers Operates on igneous, sedimentary & metamorphic rocks 2 types: Chemical & Physical (usually work together)

Weathering

Physical weathering

Solid rock affected by physical processes that do not change its chemical composition

Weathering

Physical weathering

Frost wedging Thermal effects (fires, daily/annual temperature) Salt/mineral crystallization in fractures (arid regions) Wetting and drying Release of overburden pressure/unloading (uplift of crust) Organisms (incl. humans) Grinding and smashing action of river and ocean water Abrasive action of wind-blown sand Plucking by glaciers

Press and Siever, 2001

Press and Siever, 2001

Weathering

Chemical weathering

Changes that alter both chemical and mineralogical composition of rocks Water (and dissolved gasses) plays a key role

Chemical Weathering

Boggs

Hydrolysis

Press and Siever, 2001

Oxidation

Press and Siever, 2001

Hey! Its Bowens reaction series!

Boggs

What happens when granite is weathered?

http://www.gpc.peachnet.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/weathering.php

Unweathered granite contains these minerals: Na plagioclase feldspar (white) K feldspar (pink, but may be white in other granites) Quartz (gray) Small amounts of biotite and/or amphibole (black) and sometimes muscovite (not shown)

What happens when granite is weathered?

Here is what will happen to each of the mineral constituents in a granite under warm, humid weathering conditions:

The feldspars will undergo hydrolysis to form kaolinite (clay) and Na and K ions The sodium and potassium ions will be removed through leaching and will be carried in solution in running water The biotite and/or amphibole will undergo hydrolysis to form clay, and oxidation to form iron oxides. The quartz (and muscovite, if present) will remain as residual minerals because they are very resistant to weathering.

Weathering

Chemical and physical weathering work together

Press and Siever, 2001

Weathering

Biogeochemical weathering

Boggs doesnt really emphasize the role of (micro)organisms in promoting weathering New field

Barker and Bamfield 1998

Weathering Products

Weathering generates three products:

Source-rock residues: chemically resistant minerals and rock fragments Secondary minerals formed in situ Soluble constituents

Weathering Products

Grain size of particles governed by:

the original grain size of the parent rock and the completeness of the weathering process E.g., granites yield sand-sized quartz crystals whereas siltstones yield rock fragments

Weathering Products

Boggs 2001

Weathering

Rates depend on a variety of factors

Press and Siever, 2001

Carbon Cycle and Rock Cycle

Carbon Cycle and Rock Cycle

Press and Siever, 2001

Erosion

The set of processes that loosen and move soil and rock downhill or downwind

See next chapter for more detail

Moves weathered material from earths surface exposes fresh rock to weathering

Erosion

Agents of erosion (some):

gravity (mass-wasting) flowing water wind ice (glaciers) waves along coasts

Erosion is a natural process which can be accelerated by human activities Associated with, but different to weathering

Weathering vs Erosion
Weathering: General process by which rocks are broken down at the earths surface Erosion: The set of processes that loosen and move soil and rock downhill, downwind or downcurrent

Press and Siever, 2001

Press and Siever, 2001

Press and Siever, 2001

Press and Siever, 2001

Soil

Solid weathering products that are not removed by erosion can form soil above bedrock Eroded material may accumulate elsewhere to form soils

Soil

Unconsolidated deposits that support plant life (geologists definition) Composed of:

Fragments of bedrock (boulders -> silt in size) Clay minerals (from weathering) Dead organic material (roots, leaf litter, organisms)

In the absence of plant life, it is called regolith

E.g., Moon, Mars

Soil

Takes time to develop Factors:

climate topography parent material organisms time and geologic history surface water and groundwater

Press and Siever, 2001

Sediment Texture

Small-scale features that arise from the size, shape and orientation of individual sediment grains Sediment texture reflects nature of sediment transport and depositional processes

Useful for interpreting depositional environment

Sediment Texture

Primary interest:

Grain size (average, sorting, etc.) Particle shape (form, roundness, surface texture) Fabric (grain orientation, inter-particle contacts)

These variables help to determine bulk density, porosity and permeability

Udden-Wentworth scale

Sediment Texture
Phi scale = -log2d
Example 1: What is phi value of .125 mm? = -log20.125 = 3 Example 2: What is mm size of 1.5 ? 1.5 = -log2d 2-1.5 = d = 0.35mm

Sorting of consolidated deposits is typically evaluated visually (see above) Sorting of unconsolidated deposits is defined using statistical analyses of grainsize data

Sediment Texture
Other Factors Roundess (angular->well rounded) Sphericity/shape (disk, sphere, etc.) Surface texture (SEM images) Fabric (orientation, packing)

Grain Fabric

Imbrication

OR Rapid deposition

Summary

Weathering - General process by which rocks are broken down at the earths surface

Physical, chemical, biological aspects Products include solid particles and dissolved substances Rates variable Plays role in global carbon cycle

Summary

Erosion - The set of processes that loosen and move soil and rock downhill, downwind or downcurrent

Variety of processes Can accumulate in situ above weathered rocks or form from eroded/transported material

Soil unconsolidated materials

Summary

Sediment textural parameters are studied to help determine environment of deposition

Also influence properties such as porosity, permeability

Phi scale & Udden-Wentworth scale used to describe particle sizes