SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES

By
Dr Khairul Azlan Mustapha
 SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES

• Primary structures are created by erosion and deposition of

sediments (especially clastic) that reflects the depositional
conditions under which they were laid down eg. bedding,
cross-bedding, ripple marks, flute casts.
• Sedimentary structures can be found within, on top or on
the bottom of a bed.
• Sedimentary structures are useful for helping us to
determine normal and overturned beds, paleocurrent
directions and interpret paleoenvironments.
• Syn-depositional sedimentary structures are created during
deposition while post-depositional sedimentary structures
are created shortly after deposition but before diagenesis.
 Type of sedimentary structure
1. Syn-depositional 2. Post-depositional
• On the bed surface I. Pillow & ball
1. Ripple mark II. Load cast & Flame
2. Mud crack III. Folded slump beds
• Within beds IV. Disc structure
1. Graded bedding
2. Bouma sequence
3. Cross-bedding
• Bottom bed
1. Grooves marks
2. Chevron marks
3. Prod
4. Bounce
5. Flute
6. Sole
 Beds and Bedding
• package of sediment
arranged by the
processes of
sedimentation
• Represents a single
event of deposition
• Distinguished by
changes in texture of
sediment within them
THICKNESS OF BEDS
TYPES OF BEDS
Structure within beds:
Graded Bedding
• Characterized by a systematic change
in grain or clast size from the base of
the bed to the top.
• Normal grading
• Inverse grading
Structure within beds:
Turbidite beds

Bouma sequence
(Overlying sand bed)
Te= Shale
Td=Parallel laminated
Tc=Convolute laminated
Tb=Parallel laminated

Ta=Massive bedded
(Underlying shale bed)
Structure within beds:
Cross bedding
Structure within beds:
Cross bedding
Structure on bed surface:
Ripple Marks
Structure on bed surface:
Ripple Marks
 Traction currents-Unidirectional
Current
• Bedforms developed in
sediment of a given grain
size depends on the flow
velocity Ripples
• After reaching a certain
critical velocity, sand will
start to move and form
ripples
• The ripples transform into
larger dunes as flow velocity
increases Flat beds

• The sediment flattens with

continued velocity increase
• Antidunes form at higher
velocity
Ripples on sand dune
Structure on bed surface:
Mud crack & tracks
Structure on bed surface:
Raindrops imprint

On mud surface (mold) Below sand bed (cast)

Structure bottom beds:
Sole marks
Structure bottom beds:
Flute marks
Post depositional structure:

Load cast & flame Pillow & Ball

Post depositional structure:
Slump beds
Application of sedimentary structure:
1) Determine Younging direction of beds
2) Determine Paleodepositional environment
3) Determine Paleocurrent
Determine younging direction

• Sedimentary bedding can be

deformed by tectonics
• How do we determine which
beds were originally on top or
originally at bottom?
• This question is important: in
order to unravel Earth History,
we need to know which bed is
oldest and which bed is
youngest
 Determine younging direction

• Younging direction: direction

in which beds become
younger (towards the top)
• Can be determined using
certain sedimentary
structures
Top
• Ripples: crest always
towards top
 Younging

• Crossbeds: Dip
direction

angle of crossbed
foreset (internal
layers) becomes
gentler toward
base of bed
 Bed is upside down

• Sole marks: at the

(overturned)

base (bottom) of
the bed
• Load Structures:
Top
Sandstone bulges
downwards