SedimentaryRocks Sedimentary Rocks

Geology 200
Geologyfor Environmental Scientists Geology for Environmental Scientists
Major Concepts
Sedimentary rocks form by the processes of
weathering, erosion, transportation, and g, , p ,
deposition, or by chemical precipitation.
Twomaintypes Two main types
clastic: pieces of older rocks (clasts)
h i l i i d f di l chemical: precipitated or formed in place
Sedimentary structures are critical to
interpreting sedimentary rocks.
TheRockCycle The Rock Cycle
Major Concepts
Major sedimentaryenvironments: Major sedimentary environments:
fluvial and alluvial
li eolian
glacial
delta
shoreline
organic reefs
shallow marine
deep marine
Major Concepts
Sedimentary rock layers are
hierarchicallygroupedor subdivided hierarchically grouped or subdivided
into both:
k i hi i rock stratigraphic units
time stratigraphic units g p
Well cover this in the section on
t ti hi l ti stratigraphic correlation.
Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
Produced by weathering of rocks.
Breccia large angular grains Breccia- large, angular grains
Conglomerate - large, rounded grains
Sandstone - sand sized grains
Siltstone silt sizedgrains Siltstone - silt sized grains
Shale and Mudstone - silt and clay
sized grains
Grain Size
Grain size can be an indicator of the
energyof theenvironment energy of the environment.
Generally speaking, higher energy
i d i d water or wind currents are required to
move larger grain sizes.
GrainSize contd Grain Size, cont d
Size ranges: small to large S e a ges: s a o age
boulders, >256 mm (>1 ft.)
bbl >64 (>3i ) cobbles, >64mm (>3 in.)
pebbles, >4mm
granules, 2-4mm
sand 1/8-2mm sand, 1/8 2 mm
silt, >1/256 mm
l 1/2 6 clay, <1/256 mm
Fig. 5.4. Grain size ranges for classification of
common clastic sedimentary rocks
GrainSorting Grain Sorting
Grainsortingcanalsobeanindicator Grain sorting can also be an indicator
of the energy of the environment.
W ll d di d i di Well-sortedsediments are deposited in
high energy environments. Currents
sort the grains by size.
Poorly-sortedsedimentsmayindicate Poorly sortedsediments may indicate
weak currents, or transport by glaciers.
Well sorted sand grains and an outcrop of g p
well-sorted sandstone.
Poorly sorted glacial deposit ranging from
cobblestomud-sizedparticles cobbles to mud-sized particles.
Conglomerate Conglomerate
Conglomerate deposited as an alluvial
f C t f Ut h fan, Cretaceous of Utah
Sandstone Sandstone
Sh l Shale
Chemical SedimentaryRocks Chemical Sedimentary Rocks
Produced by chemical precipitation.
Evaporites- formed by evaporation of
seawater seawater
Salt, NaCl
Gypsum, CaSO
4
Carbonates Carbonates
Limestone, CaCO
3
Dolostone, CaMg(CO
3
)
2
Gypsum yp
Limestone
F ilif Fossiliferous
Limestone
Carbonates
Typically, carbonates form in warm,
clear water free of clastic sediment.
Carbonategrainstone composedof Carbonate grainstone - composed of
sand-sized grains from invertebrate
k l t lit skeletons or oolites.
Carbonate mudstone - clay and silt- y
sized grains from pellets and
calcareousalgae. calcareous algae.
Carbonate
Grainstone:
Oolitic Oolitic
Limestone
Oolite Shoals
Carbonate Mudstone:
Micritic Limestone
Carbonate Mud Banks in Florida Bay
Investigating Carbonate Mud Banks in
Fl id B Florida Bay
Investigating Carbonate Mud Banks in
Fl id B Florida Bay
Coal
Classified as a chemical rock by most
textbooks But it isnot achemical textbooks. But it is not a chemical
precipitate. Instead it forms from plant
debrisnot consumedbybacteriaand debris not consumed by bacteria and
other organisms. It is an organic rock.
Takes about 10 ft. of peat to form 1 ft.
of bituminous coal. o b u ousco .
Types of coal:
peat
lignite
bituminous
th it anthracite
Upper Freeport Coal, PrestonCounty, WV Upper Freeport Coal, Preston County, WV
Examplesof Sedimentary Examples of Sedimentary
Structures
Sedimentary Structures
Provide clues to depositional
environments Someexamples: environments. Some examples:
Cross bedding - rivers, dunes, tidal
h l channels
Graded bedding - storms and turbidites g
Ripple marks - lower energy
Mud cracks - subaerial exposure
Bedding planes are primary
sedimentarystructures sedimentary structures.
Modern Sedimentary Structures:
Mudcracksonafloodplain Mudcracks on a flood plain.
Ancient Sedimentary Structures:
mudcracks in rocks 1 billion years old. y
Modern Sedimentary Structures: Current
ripplesonamodernbeach ripples on a modern beach.
Beach in Ireland at low tide
Sedimentary Structures: Current ripples on
an ancient beach, 400 MY old. ,
The processes by which symmetrical p y y
and current ripples are formed.
Geometry of sand dunes, both eolian
and aquatic.
TOP
BOTTOM
Fig. 5.9. Large scale cross-bedding formed by eolian dune
migration. Flow direction and top of bed indicated.
Wind blown dune deposits. p
Mississippian cross beds near Altoona, PA
Mississippian pp
cross beds near
Altoona, PA
J urassic Navaho Sandstone, Zion National Park,
wind-blowncross-bedding wind-blown cross-bedding.
Marine Cross Beds in Ste. Genevieve Ls., Indiana
Tidal Cross Beds in Ste. Genevieve Ls., Indiana
Smaller crossbedsdepositedina Smaller cross beds deposited in a
river or stream.
A meandering stream with a sandy point bar
on the inside curve, and a cut bank on the
outside curve. The point bar dips toward the p p
stream channel.
St Ch l Stream Channel
U d dd Fl id K Underwater sand dunes, Florida Keys
Graded
Bedding
formed by formed by
storms or
turbidite
deposition deposition
Another example of a graded bed
Sedimentary Environments or
Environments of Deposition
Color of Sedimentary Rocks y
Color can be useful in the
interpretation of depositional
environments.
Black color - indicates deposition in
theabsenceof oxygenineither the the absence of oxygen in either the
ocean, lakes, or swamps.
Red color - indicates deposition in the
presence of abundant oxygen in a p yg
warm, humid terrestrial environment.
Black Shale, Anoxic Environment
Sideling Hill Outcrop, I-68. What is the
depositional environment of theblacklayer? depositional environment of the black layer?
Red Beds, Oxygenated Environment
Environments of Deposition
3 Major Environments
C i l T i l Continental or Terrestrial
Marine Marine
Transitional
Continental or Terrestrial Continental or Terrestrial
Environments
Glacial - both Alpine and Continental
Alluvial Fans at thebaseof mountains Alluvial Fans - at the base of mountains
Lakes
Rivers and Floodplains = Fluvial and
alluvial deposits alluvial deposits
Swamps
Deserts
M i E i Marine Environments
Continental Shelf - most common
marineenvironment intherockrecord marine environment in the rock record
Shelf Edge
Slope
OceanFloor Ocean Floor
Transitional Environments
Beaches
Barrier Islands Barrier Islands
Tidal Flats
Lagoons and Bays
Estuaries Estuaries
River Deltas
Fig. 5.13. Major sedimentary environments.
Alluvial Fandeposits Alluvial Fan deposits
Fluvial and floodplain deposits
What isthedepositional environment? What is the depositional environment?
What isthedepositional environment? What is the depositional environment?
Eoliandeposits Eolian deposits
A modern swamp in Louisiana
A strip coal mine in the western U.S. --
an ancient swamp environment
A strip coal mine in the western U.S. --
an ancient swamp environment
Beachdeposits Beach deposits
Barrier Islands,
bays, and y ,
continental shelf
ontheNew on the New
J ersey coast.
Barrier Islands, bays, and continental shelf on
the Gulf Coast: Mobile Bay
Seneca Rocks Paleozoic barrier island deposits
2004 G200 class on top of Seneca Rocks
2005 G200 class on top of Seneca Rocks
Transitional or Marginal Marine Environments,
Tid l I l M h dL Tidal Inlets, Marshes, and Lagoons
Marginal Marine Environments, Tidal g ,
Inlets between Barrier Islands
Marginal Marine Environments, a
Barrier Island
Marginal Marine Environments, a
progradingSpit onaBarrier Island prograding Spit on a Barrier Island
Transitional
Environment: The
Mississippi River Mississippi River
delta
Transitional
Environment:
The The
Mississippi
River delta
Fig. 12.32. Historic flow of the Mississippi
The Nile Delta.
Shaped like the p
Greek letter
delta delta.
SedimentaryFacies Sedimentary Facies
Facies general appearanceor aspect Facies- general appearance or aspect
of sedimentary rocks. Often
dt f ti correspond to formations.
A reflection of the depositional p
environment.
Lithofacies definedbylithologic Lithofacies- defined by lithologic
features
Biofacies- defined by organic features
Sedimentary Facies
Facies occur laterally adjacent to one
another just asdotheir depositional another just as do their depositional
environments.
diff f i h i il Two different facies can have similar
lithofacies but different biofacies, or
vice-versa.
Sedimentary Facies
Facies migrate laterally with changes
insealevel in sea level.
Rising sea level = transgression.
i f i li i Marine facies overlie nonmarine
facies.
Falling sea level = regression.
Nonmarinefaciesoverliemarine Nonmarine facies overlie marine
facies.
Facies changes produced by
Marine Transgression
Transgression, regression, and stratigraphic cycles.
Figure526 Figure 5.26
Causes of Changes in Sea Level
Changing ice volumes at the poles.
Thermal expansionor contractionof Thermal expansion or contraction of
the oceanic crust.
Continental tectonics or subsidence.
Shorelineprogradationfromriver and Shoreline progradation from river and
deltaic sedimentation.
PennsylvanianSedimentary Pennsylvanian Sedimentary
Rocks in the Appalachians
P l i i t b d it WV Pennsylvanian point bar deposits on WV
Rt. 19 near Oak Hill.
coal seam
point bar surfaces
A meandering stream with a sandy point bar
on the inside curve, and a cut bank on the
outside curve. The point bar dips toward the p p
stream channel.
Stream Deposits at Exit 7, I-68 p
by Glenmark Centre
Depositional Model for Coal formation
Upper Freeport Coal, PrestonCounty, WV Upper Freeport Coal, Preston County, WV
Upper Freeport Coal with overlying fluvial
d d i db d i i sandstones deposited by meandering river.
Coal outcropat theMorgantownMall Coal outcrop at the Morgantown Mall
An idealized
cyclothem cyclothem
sequence.
Rarelyfound Rarely found
in West
Vi i i Virginia
Pennsylvanian Cyclothems in Kentucky
6
4
5
3
4
2
1
A modern marine transgression is
exposing Holocene peat deposits on the
Louisianacoastline. Louisiana coastline.
Change of the Louisiana Coastline
Middle Pennsylvanian, Kanawha Fm.,
Rt 19 NicholasCo WV Rt. 19, Nicholas Co., WV