AGI DATA SHEET 10.

1
Criteria 'or Determining Top and Bottom O, Beds.
by Siemon W. Muller, Stanlord Unlversity
PHYSICAL
Traclng 01 beds or recognltion 01 a known normal sequence. The top and bottom 01 ver
tical or sleeply inclined beds may be delermined by Iracing to or correlating with the
known normal (upright) sequence (A) in the area where these strata are either only gent
Iy lolded (at B) or not at all delormed (at A).
Scouring or channeling. Scouring or chan
neling 01 strata with subsequent filling 01
the channels will truncate the underlying
strata. The concave sides 01 channels will
generally point upward. The edges 01 beds
truncated by erosion (unconlormity) are
toward the original topo
Conglomerates. Basal and intralormational
conglomerates may contain pebbles and
boulders which can be recognized as hav
ing been derived Irom the beds below.
Solution surfaces. Irregular solution sur
laces may lorm along the top 01 limestone
beds or other relatively soluble rocks.
Graded bedding. In sediments with graded
bedding, the texture will grade lrom coarse
below to line above. This olten does not
hold true in currentbedded deposits.
Graded bedding may be present under
various current, including turbidity current,
conditions. However, it should be borne in
mind that under these conditions a grada
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tion in texture may be Irom coarse to line as well as Irom line to coarse. As origlnally de-

rent bedding" which is produced by "resorting and redistribution 01 material. "
Crossbeddlng.ln crossbedding one set 01
layers or laminae are truncated by overly
ing layers, but away Irom this contact the
layers sweep along a concave curve to a
conlormable contact with the underlying
layers. The concave si de 01 crossbedding
generally points toward the original upper
side. Individual crossbedded laminae may
showa downward gradatlon in texture
Irom coarse to line.
_Geolibros_
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AGI DATA SHEET 10.2
Mud cracks. Mud cracks generally
decrease in width downward and may be
IlIled with material which composes the
overlying beds.
Rlpple marks. In symmetrical ripple marks
the crests (tops) are sharper than the
troughs. Occasionally minor crests may be
present in troughs.
Sole marks. Small, wave or tongue-like
penetrations 01 a coarse clastlc material
Irom aboye into a liner clastic material
below along minor surlace irregularities on
a bedding plane. Some 01 these marks are
explained by delormation or Ilow 01 uncon
solidated (and diluted or watersaturated)
sediments by gravity' sliding along a
primary incline 01 a bedding plane and
possibly triggered by earthquakes. These
shale), but are rarely (il ever?) lormed at the contact 01 clay overlying sand.
leatures tend to develop along a contact 01 sand (now sandstone) overlying a clay (now
Fracture cleavage. In the upright section 01
lolded rocks, the Iracture cleavage is
generally steeper than the beddlng (a), but
when the beds are overturned the reverse
is true (b) .
Curved fracture cleavage. Curved Iracture
cleavage may be observed in delormed
beds where individual beds have a percep
tibie gradation 01 texture Irom coarse
below to line aboye (graded bedding). On
the side with coarser texture (bottom) the
angle between the Iracture and the bed
ding will be larger or more obtuse than on
the side with the liner texture (top or lace
01 the bed). The convex side 01 the curo
vature 01 the Iracture cleavage will bow out
toward the original top 01 the bed.
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Pebble dents. When the matrix is bulged
around an imbedded pebble on one side
only, this side is the original bottom (a). Ap
parent denting 01 laminated sediments
aboye and below an embedded pebble may
result lrom the subsequent compaction or
compression 01 sediments (b).
b
Reference
Shroek, R.R. , 1948 Sequence in Layered Rocks. MeGraw-Hill Baak Ca, Ine ,
New Yark-Taranta-Landan, 507p ., 397 figs.
AGI DATA SHEET 10.3
PALEONTOLOGICAL
Bryozoa. Shells 01 invertebrate organisms
or other solid objects Iying with their
longer axes in the plana 01 stratilication
may be encrusted by bryozoans on the up
per slde.
Brachlopods. Crania-like brachiopods oc
cur cemented on other shells or on sub-
strate with their convexo conical val ves ' .
pointing
Pelecypods. a)Shellsol Schizothaerus(fer
tiary) and Pholadomya (Mesozoic) are not
uncommonly lound in their original buried
position, "standing on end" with their
posterior (siphonal) end pointlng upward.
b) Rudists and rudist-like aberrant pele
cypods are occasionally lound in their
original upright position with the Iree valve
at the topo
c) Disjointed or spread-out open val ves
01 convex pelecypods are generally
brought to rest by wave action or by cur
rents with their convex side up. Exceptions
to this rule are not uncommon. Observa
tions based on a single shell or only a lew
shells are not completely reliable.
d) Inequivalved pelecypods il buried
alive will have their more convex valve
pOint downward.
e) Shells 01 marine organisms or other
solid objects on the substrate may be en
crusted on their Iree, uppar surlace with
cemented lorms such as oysters, barna
cles, or other sessile organisms.
I I
Worm Iralls. Worm trails and trails 01 prob
lematical organisms generally leave
grooves on the face of the bed. Worms
grubbing near the surlace 01 the subslrale
will leave raised, flaltened ridges wilh a
barely perceplible groove in Ihe middle,
presumably due lo the "caving" 01 Ihe
grubblng "Iunnel" afler the organism
passed Ihrough Ihe lunnel.
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AGI DATA SHEET 10.4
PHYSICAL CRITERIA FOR IGNEOUS ROCKS
Laya flows. Tops 01 interbedded lava Ilows
generally are more vesicular. In lavas
which contaln branching tubules the direc
lhoe
n

original top 01 the lava Ilow.
A more or less perceptible contact meta
morphlsm (brickrOO burned soil) may be
present In the rocks below the bottom 01
Ihe lava flow, but no metamorphism and a
depositional contact will mark the top 01
the lava Ilow.
Crestsof wrinkles The crests or tops 01
wrinkles on the surfaces 01 lava are genero
ally smoother and more broadly curvOO
than the spaces between the wrinkles.

al Upper surfaces 01 pllows are moder
ately or gently convex and relatively
smooth.
b) Bottoms 01 pillows commonly have
cusps pointing down Into Ihe inlerspaces
between the underlying pillows.
cl Pillows are generally more vesicular
near the top than near the bottom.
d) Smallscale columnar joinling may be
more or less well deyeloped around the up
per periphery. Columnar jolnting Is poorly
developed or is altogether absent on the
bottom side 01 the pillow.
e) Pillows exlruded upon unconsoli
dated sediments are likely lo ruffle and
crumple these underlying sediments and
may have enough heat to bake these con
lorted sediments.
1) The top 01 the plllow lava Ilow general
Iy shows no heal ellect on the overlying
sOOlments. The "pillowy" surlace 01 the
flow is gradually ellaced or leveled by the


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Gastropods. In vermetids and similar
wormgaslropods Ihe linal leeding tube (as
well as scars 01 early stages) generally
points upward duri ng Ihe lile 01 the animal.
Corals. Solitary corals cemented to the
substrate are normally oriented with their
narrow end down, widening (and branch
may be preserved in Iheir
original position wlth their calyxes point

cling to Ihe side or even the bottom 01 a
protruding edge and haye Iheir calyxes
pOint downward.
Colonial corals (and calcareous algae) 01
biscuit or bun shape normally grow and
become buried wlth their convex side up.
Echlnolds. Sea urchins when lound in
large numbers are commonly oriented with
Ilat ventral (oral) side down and convex doro
sal side up.
overlylng sediments, which tend to 1111 the depressed area more rapidly.