Chapter Six

Sediments & Sedimentary Rocks

 Sediment
Sediment - loose, solid particles originating from:
Weathering and erosion of pre-existing rocks
Chemical precipitation from solution, including
secretion by organisms in water
Classified by particle size
Boulder - >256 mm
Cobble - 64 to 256 mm
Pebble - 2 to 64 mm
Sand - 1/16 to 2 mm
Silt - 1/256 to 1/16 mm
Clay - <1/256 mm
 SEDIMENTATION AND SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

I. INTRODUCTION

IMPORTANCE OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:

i) 75% OF ROCKS EXPOSED AT THE EARTHS SURFACE

ii) SOURCE OF FOSSIL FUELS, IRON AND ALUMINUM

ORES, ALUMINUM ORES, AND GROUNDWATER

iii) RECORD OF EARTHS HISTORY

TYPES OF SEDIMENT
 II ORIGIN OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:
A. INTRODUCTION
1. REVIEW OF WEATHERING PROCESSES:

2. CLASSIFICATION OF SEDIMENTS
a) DETRITAL SEDIMENT: PREEXISTING FRAGMENTS OF PREEXISTING
IGNEOUS, SEDIMENTARY AND METAMORPHIC ROCKS
b) CHEMICAL SEDIMENT: PRECIPITATED FROM WATER OR EXTRACTED
BY ORGANISMS AND DEPOSITED LATER

B. SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND TEXTURE

1. INTRODUCTION

i) TRANSPORTATION AND DEPOSITION OF CHEMICAL

SEDIMENTS

ii) TRANSPORTATION AND DEPOSITION OF DETRITAL

SEDIMENTS
2. GRAIN SIZE CONTROLLED BY:

a) NATURE OF PARENT ROCKS

b) NATURE AND ENERGY LEVEL OF TRANSPORT MEDIUM

1) SORTING
WELL-SORTED: WIND MOST SELECTIVE

POORLY-SORTED: GLACIERS AND FLOODING

RIVERS SORT
POORLY

2) CURRENT VELOCITY
 Grain size
3) GRAIN SHAPE - DEPENDS ON:

a) TRANSPORT MEDIA: SWIFTLY FLOWING RIVERS

BOUNCE PEBBLES

AND SAND GRAINS AROUND VIGOROUSLY

b) DISTANCE FROM PARENT ROCK (AT THE BASE IF A

GLACIER MAY

BE GROUND TO A ROCKY POWDER)

c)MINERAL HARDNESS:
Sediment in a Stream
 C. SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES:
1. BEDDING (STRATIFICATION): ARRANGMENT OF SEDIMENT

PARTICLES INTO DISTINCT LAYERS

a) CHANGES IN SEDIMENT:

b) CHANGES IN TRANSPORT ENERGY

2. GRADED BEDDINGS: SEDIMENT LAYER (FORMED BY A SINGLE

DEPOSITONAL EVENT) IN WHICH PARTICLE SIZE VARIES

GRADUALLY WITH THE COARSEST PARTICLES ON THE BOTTOM

Development of a bedding plane
Develop. Bedding plane-contd.
Develop. Bedding plane contd.
Graded bedding of sediment
Development of cross-bedding
 Cementation & Recrystallization
4. CEMENTATION: PRECIPITATION OF DISSOLVED IONS IN THE PORE

SPACE
a) CALCIUM CARBONATE

b) SILICA

c) IRON COMPOUNDS

5.CLASTIC TEXTURE: FORMED BY COMPACTION AND CEMENTATION

OF

SEDIMENT PARTICLES HAS CLASTIC TEXTURE

6.RECRYSTALLIZATION: RECRYSTALLIZATION OF CERTAIN UNSTABLE

MINERALS INTO NEW, MORE STABLE MINERALS

 III. CLASSICATION OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:

DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:

MUDSTONES
SANDSTONES
CONGLOMERATES
BRECCIAS

A. DETRITAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS:

1. INTRODUCTION: CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
PARTICLE SIZE

a) ALL DETRITAL ROCKS ARE CLASTIC

b) SAND AND SILT PREDOMINANTLY QUARTZ

c) FINER-SIZED PARTICLES OF CLAY MINERALS

2. MUDSTONES

a) MORE THAN HALF OF ALL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

b) CONTAIN THE SMALLEST PARTICLES (0.004 mm IN DIAMETER)

c) ENVIRONMENTS OF DEPOSITION: LAKES, LAGOONS, DEEP OCEAN

BASINS, RIVER FLOODPLAINS

d) COLOR VARIETY OF SHALE REPRESENTS MINERAL COMPOSITION

e) PRACTICAL USES OF SHALE: BRICKS, CERAMICS, CEMENT, AND OIL

SHALE
3.SANDSTONES:

a) 25% OF ALL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

b) SANDSTONE PARTICLES (1/16-2 MM IN DIAMETER)

c) PRACTICAL USES OF SANDSTONES: BUILDINGS AND RESERVOIR

FOR FOSSIL FUELS AND GROUNDWATER

4.CONGLOMERATES AND BRECCIAS

a) GRAINS LARGER THAN 2 MM

b) CONGLOMERATES HAVE ROUNDED GRAINS

c) BRECCIAS HAVE ANGULAR GRAINS

 B. CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

1. INORGANIC CHEMICAL SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

a) LIMESTONE (INORGANIC)

i) FORMATION

ii) OOLITIC LIMESTONE

iii) TUFA

iv) TRAVERTINE
 Cross-bedding & mudcracks
3. CROSS-BEDDING: SEDIMENTARY LAYERS DEPOSITED AT AN

ANGLE TO THE UNDERLYING SET OF BEDS

4. SURFACE SEDIMENTARY FEATURES

a) RIPPLE MARKS: SMALL SURFACE RIDGES PRODUCED WHEN

WATER OR WIND FLOWS OVER SEDIMENT AFTER IT IS

DEPOSITED

b) MUDCRACKS: OCCUR ON THE TOP OF A SEDIMENT LAYER

WHEN MUDDY SEDIMENT DRIES AND CONTRACTS

Origin of mud cracks
Asymmetric and symmetric ripples
 D. LITHIFICATION: TURNING SEDIMENT INTO

SEDIMENTARY ROCK
1. DEFINITION OF DIAGENESIS: CHANGES IN THE
SEDIMENT DUE TO INCRESED HEAT, PRESSURE, AND
CIRCULATING GROUNDWATER

2. DEFINITION OF LITHIFICATION: END RESULT OF

DIAGENESIS

3. COMPACTION: DIAGENETIC PROCESS BY WHICH

THE WEIGHT OF OVERLYING MATERIALS REDUCES
THE VOLUME OF SEDIMENTARY BODY
Lithification of sediment
Initial deposits of flat/tabular clay
Formation of ooliths
Locations of subsurface evaporite
Formation of coal from swamp deposits
Formation of coal contd.
Common geological environment
Geology at a glance
Marine sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies formation
Sedi. Facies formation contd.
Landword Migration
 Chapter Summary
% of sedimentary rocks in outer 10 miles
Basic classification of sedimentary rocks
Most sedi. Rocks Chemical or detrital
Definition of sedimentary rocks
Sorting by wind, glaciers (well sorted vs poor sorting)
Degree of sedimentary particle rounding
Bedding plane, sedimentary structure, occurrence
Diagenesis, Lithification, Cementation
Composition of detrital sedimentary rocks
Environment deposition of shale
Breccia and Conglomerate
Oolitic Limestone
Definition of Sedimentary Facies Characteristics that
distinguish one from another