Introduction:

In geology, sedimentary depositional environment describes the combination of

physical, chemical and biological process associated with the deposition of a
particular type of sediment and the rock type that will be formed after
lithification, if the sediment is preserved in the rock records.
The knowledge regarding depositional environment is important for reconstructing
earths history understanding earth processes and helping humans survive and
prosper on earth.
The characteristics of a sedimentary rock that are affected by its depositional
environment are:
1. Sedimentary lithology
2. Sedimentary structures
3. Fossils
Crossby, Krumbein & Sloss, Kukal, Blanc and Pettigohn have made a number of
attempts to evaluate the various environmental classification, but the most
dominant type of environment are primarily grouped into 3 important categories and
again these 3 are sub-divided into a number of sub-divisions or sub-environment.

Classification:
The 3classes of sedimentary environment along with their sub-divisions are as
follows:
1. Continental/terrestrial environment:
A. Terrestrial environment:
Dessert environment
Glacial environment
Piedmont environment
B. Aqueous environment:
River/fluvial environment
Lake/lacustrine environment
Swamp environment
2.Transitional/mixed environment:
Water dominated environment
Tide dominated environment
Delta environment
Organic reef environment
3. Marine environment:
Neritic environment
Bathyal environment
Abyssal environment

Discussion:
1. Continental environment:-
a) Terrestrial environment:
I. Dessert environment: It is also known as acolian environment. This usually
contains vast areas where sand is deposited in dunes. Dune sands are cross-bedded,
well sorted and well rounded without associated gravel or clay. In sand dunes
ripple marks are also seen.

II. Glacial environment: Glaciers originate above and terminate at the

snowline( level at which snow melts in summer). Deposition of glaciers involve
sludding of the load of rock materials carried by the glaciers. The direct deposits
of these glaciers are clastic and unsorted. The melt water of the glaciers form

III. Piedmont environment: At the base of a mountain where there is a sudden

transition from steep slope to gentle slope fan shaped deposits are formed known as
alluvial fans. These are common in arried and semi-arried region where rainfall is
in frequent but torrential and erosion is rapid. Alluvial fans typically consist of
coarse and poorly sorted gravels and sand.
b) Aqueous environment:
I. Fluvial/river environment: Fluvial environment includes braided and
meandering rivers and stream system.The various sub-environment includes:-
a.River channel it consist of coarse rounded gravel and clay.
b.Levee Natural levees commonly form around lowland rivers and creeks without
human intervention. Deposition of levees is a natural consequence of the flooding
of meandering rivers which carry high proportions of suspended sediment in the form
of fine sands, silts, and muds.
c.Bars- It consist of sands and gravels.
d.Flood plains- It is covered with silt and clays.

II. Lake/lacustrine environment: They are of diverse type, they may be large or
small, shallow or deep and filled with carbonates and evaporitic sediments.
III. Swamp environment: It refers to bodies of low standing water occupied by
abundant plant life. Swamp water may be either fresh or brackish. Swamp deposit
includes silt and mud and dissolved salts. Here gases may develop under anaerobic
condition in water.
2.Transition/mixed environment: near the transition between land and sea are known
as transitional or mixed environment. This region is a part of the seashore lying
between high and low tide marks which is known as littoral zone because of the
prevelant tidal cycles. These areas alternatively experience terrestrial and
aqueous environment. This type of environment is characterised by deposits of
shale, sandstone, etc., containing shallow water gastropods, worms and terrestrial
animals.
I. Beach and barrier islands: The beaches are shore line deposits exposed to
wave energy and dominated by sands with marine fauna. Barrier islands are separated
from the mainland by lagoons.
II. Tidal flat environment: They are coastal wetlands that formed when sand or
mud is deposited by tides. These areas are devoid of any vegetation. They develop
in the coastal areas where wave action is not strong. They are periodically chained
by times. Laminated or ripple clay, silt and fine sands may be deposited in tidal
flats.
III. Deltaic environment: Fan shaped deposits formed where a river flows into a
standing body of water such as sea. The coarser sediments get deposited near the
mouth of the river and finer sediments are carried seaward and deposited in deep
water. Some wellknown deltas include: Mississippi river delta and Nile river delta.
deposits containing gravel, silt and sand.
IV. Oganic reef environment:These are wave resistant, mount like
structure made up of the calcareous skeletons of organisms such as corals and
certain type of algae. Although reefs vary widely in size, form, structure and
location most reefs rise upto the sea level and appear like an island. Most organic
reef are important carbonate environment giving rise to the formation of organic
lime stones. Eg : The great barrier reef on the Queensland coast of Australia.
3.Marine environment: Environment within the sea and oceans is referred to as the
marine environment. Sedimentation in marine environment is more important and
extensive than in terrestrial and continental environment. A great bulk of
sedimentary rocks available for observation on the continent today are marine
deposits. Marine environment is classified on the basis of depth of water,
closeness to the shore, type of marine life and kind of sediments.
a. Neritic environment: It correspond to the continental shelf zone which is the
flooded edge of the continent. Continental shelf is relatively flat slope is less
than 0.1, shallow and hundred miles wide. Continental shelf are exposed to waves
and currents and are covered by sand, silt and mud.
b. Bathyal environment: It corresponds to continental slope of the ocean bottom
it occurs at depth between 600-12000ft. Fine clastic sands, silt, mud and
calcareous and silaceous sediment are typical of the bathyal environment.
c. Abyssal environment: It occurs at depth below 12000ft, sunlight doesnot
penetrate here, temperature is less than 5 degrees. Sediments laid down in this
environment include dissolved salts and very fine clastic particles and silaceous
and calcareous shells of floating organisms. Red clay is characteristics deposit at
depth below 16000ft. Certain silaceous shells, light grey limestone and diatoms are
found in this environment.

RECONSTRUCTION SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENT:

Sedimentary rocks exposed in many areas gives clues that help determine the
sedimentary environment in which they were deposited millions of years ago.
Each sedimentary rocks has its own unique contribution of physical , chemical and
biological features which help to identify the sedimentary environment in which a
rock was deposited.
Sedimentary rocks gives us important information about what the world would was a
millions of year ago such as
? Location of the source area from which the sediments originated.
? The kind of source rock
? A paleocurrent that helps one determine the direction of flowing water in the
geologic past. This is an invaluable tool in the reconstruction of ancient
depositional environments.
? The rock types and structure help geologist to determine if the sediments
were deposited by glaciers, river, lakes, deltas, wind, lagoons, continental
shelf currents or deeper ocean water.
? High energy environment such as steep river channels usually deposit coarse
arkose sandstone (sandstone rich in feldspar) and conglomerates.
? Low energy environment like lake beds, deltas ,lagoons, deep oceans etc. are
identified bye fine grains rocks like shale and silts.
? In some areas far from the shore only shelves of platonic microorganism
contribute to the sediment. These microscopic shells accumulates to form rocks like
chalk, And integration of all these information over a large region leads to the
reconstruction of depositional environment, i.e. what the region was like in the
geological past.
? This 3d reconstruction over almost thousands of sq.km can be detailed enough
to identify such events as flooding and fluctuations in the sea level that happened
thousands of millions years ago