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EAS 210 > CHPTR 5/6 Sedimentary Rocks > Flashcards

CHPTR 5/6 Sedimentary Rocks Flashcards

1
Q

weathering

A

physical /chemical breakdown of rock at or near the surface of the Earth to produce sediment

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2
Q

mass wasting

A

transfer of material downhill under influence of gravity

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3
Q

Transport of sediment types

A

mass wasting
erosion

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4
Q

lithification

A

sediment turns into sedimentary rock

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5
Q

erosion

A

movement by water, ice or wind

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6
Q

deposition

A

sediment reaching a location where it accumulates

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7
Q

detrital sediment

A

final product of mechanical weather

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8
Q

3 types of mechanical weathering

A

frost wedging, sheeting, biological activity

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9
Q

how does mechanical weathering affect chemical weathering

A

mechanical weathering creates more surface area which makes chemical weathering more effective

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10
Q

frost wedging

A

water enters the cracks of rocks and expands by 9% when it freezes

  • this creates pressure and causes the rocks to break
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11
Q

talus

A

broken rock that has fallen from mountains because of frost wedging

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12
Q

sheeting

A

mechanical weathering where the rock breaks into sheets - granite at the surface

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13
Q

what causes sheeting

A

pressure releases
temp. cycle from day to night and winter to summer

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14
Q

biological activity

A

tree roots, geology students, etc

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15
Q

3 types of chemical weathering

A

dissolution, oxidation, hydrolosis

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16
Q

end result of chemical weathering

A

ions dissolved in water - chemical sediment

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17
Q

dissolution

A

chemical weathering where the water molecules are polar, electrostatic forces allow ions to be removed from solid
thus water dissolves rock

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18
Q

what acid is in acid rain and how is it relevant to chemical weathering

A

carbonic acid H2CO3 - acid increases the effects of dissolution

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19
Q

oxidation

A

rusting -
chemical weathering where rocks containing iron minerals breakdown when exposed to the atmosphere - the atoms dissociate

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20
Q

hydrolysis

A

hydrogen ions react with and replace positioive ions in potassium feldspare.

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21
Q

what does hydrolysis form

A

clay minerals and potassium and silica in a solution

3D framework > sheet silicate
feldspar > kaolinite

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22
Q

what is kaolinite used for

A

(mineral) used in China pots

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23
Q

spheroidal weathering

A

in chemical weathering, sharp corners have more surface area so weathering will occur faster there. This leads to rounded shapes

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24
Q

Bowen’s Reaction series

A

high to low melting temperature
(first to crystallize)

olivine
pyroxene/calcium feldspar
amphibole
biotite/sodium feldspar
potassium feldspar
muscovite
quartz

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25
Q

Order of mineral’s suseptibilitiy to chemical weathering

A

Bowen’s reaction series
least resistant to most

olivine
pyroxene/calcium feldspar
amphibole
biotite/sodium feldspar
potassium feldspar
muscovite
quartz

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26
Q

effects of climate on type of weathering

A

strong chemical - hot and wet
strong mechanical - cold and wet

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27
Q

boulder size range

A

> 256mm

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28
Q

cobble/gravel size range

A

64 - 256mm

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29
Q

pebble size range

A

4-64mm

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30
Q

granule

A

2-4mm

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31
Q

sand size range

A

1/16 - 2mm

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32
Q

silt/mud size range

A

1/16 - 1/256mm

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33
Q

clay size range

A

<1/256mm

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34
Q

what particle sizes form conglomerate and breccia

A

boulder
cobble
pebble
granule

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35
Q

what particles sizes form sandstone

A

sand

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36
Q

what particle sizes form mudrocks

A

silt/mud and clay

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37
Q

most common minerals for clasts

A

quartz, feldspar, clay minerals

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38
Q

sorting

A

poorly sorted - many sizes in one sample
very well sorted - all same sizes in one sample

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39
Q

how is sediment affected by transportation

A

sorting improves - heavies particles drop sooner

roundness increases - grains abrade each other

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40
Q

continental depositional environments

A

glacial deposits, streams - alluvial fans, wind - sand dunes, salt lakes

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41
Q

transitional depositional environments

A

tidal flats, beaches, spit, lagoons, deltas

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42
Q

marine depositional environments

A

continental shelf - shallow
continental slope - deep

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43
Q

colluvial sediments + features

A

transported by gravity
- poorly sorted
- angular

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44
Q

alluvial sediments + features

A

transported by water
- well sorted
- rounded

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45
Q

aeolian sediments + features

A

transported by wind
- well sorted
- heavier particles are distributed first

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46
Q

loess

A

a structure made up of wind-blown dust that’s mostly silt-sized particles

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47
Q

glacial sediments

A

transported by ice

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48
Q

glacial till

A

clay formed under glacier ice

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49
Q

morraine

A

mixture of boulders, gravel, sand, and clay carried on top of ice (poorly sorted)

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50
Q

soil formation depends on (5)

A
  1. parent material
  2. time
  3. climate
  4. plants and animals
  5. topography
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51
Q

unconfined compressive strength of bedrock

A

> 1 MPa

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52
Q

unconfined compressive strength of regolith

A

< 1 MPa

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53
Q

regolith

A

unconsolidated sediments (“engineering soil”), grains not connected, formed locally or transported from elsewhere through erosion

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54
Q

soil + ideal composition

A

combination of mineral and organic material

50% mineral/humus
25% air
25% water

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55
Q

where is regolith thickest

A

sedimentary basins and along major rivers

56
Q

where is regolith thinnest

A

the Arctic

57
Q

bedrock

A

residual soils

58
Q

unconsolidated material

A

transported soils

59
Q

how does parent material affect soil formation (from sediment)

A

parent rock is bedrock - slower formation of soil

parent rock is unconsolidated material - faster formation of soil

chemistry of the parent material controls chemistry of soil and fertility

60
Q

how does time affect soil formation (from sediment)

A

initially soil composition depends on parent material

as time progresses climate begins to control composition

61
Q

how does climate affect soil formation

A

determines temperature and amount of precipitation

62
Q

how could plants and animals affect soil formation

A

high organic content in forest or bog
low organic content in desert

fungi, bacteria, worms all increase the rate of formation of soil

63
Q

how does topography affect soil formation

A
  • low moisture content on a steep slope
  • soil gets moved downhill by erosion so area no longer has soil
  • lowlands have higher moisture and more time for soil to develop
64
Q

if i have 50% mineral, 25% air, 25% water, what is the porosity of my sample

A

50% - half of the gaps are just filled with water

65
Q

most important factor of soil formation

A

climate

66
Q

downward sequence of soil horizons

A

O, A, E, B, C

67
Q

o horizon

A

Organic. varies from dead leaves to decomposed material. full of microscopic life

68
Q

a horizon

A

mineral matter - up to 30% humus

69
Q

E horizon

A

lEached horizon. light coloured layer with little organic material. Percolation of water causes eluvation. Other chemicals transported through leaching

70
Q

B horizone

A

subsoil. material from E- horizon is deposited here

71
Q

C horizon

A

altered parent material

72
Q

which soil layers are the top soil

A

O and A

73
Q

pedalfer

A

soil type
precipitation greater than evaporation+transpiration (wet/humid)
(think of the Boreal forest)

enough vegetation to produce acid conditions for leaching

74
Q

pedocal

A

soil type
precipitation less than evaporation+transpiration (dry/grassland)

75
Q

what happens to calcium carbonate in pedocal

A

not leached downwards, can be drawn upwards and precipitated

76
Q

what happens to calcium carbonate in pedalfer

A

vegetation produces acid conditions that allow the calcium carbonate to be leached downwards

77
Q

laterite

A

soil type
develops in hot, wet tropical climates

78
Q

what happens to calcium carbonate in laterite

A

very intense leaching

79
Q

what colour is laterite and how is it agriculturally

A

red due to concentrated aluminum and iron.
bad for agriculture due to minimal humus

80
Q

chernozemic

A

grassland soil - pedocal

81
Q

luvisolic

A

boreal forest - pedalfer

82
Q

cryosolic

A

permafrost - mature soil does not develop - tundra

83
Q

diagenesis

A

change in rock temperature within 150 - 200 degrees C - one type is lithification

84
Q

lithification

A

compaction then cementation

85
Q

compaction

A

the volume of a deposit of sediment decreases as the weight of overlying sediment causes a reduction in pore space

86
Q

what rock can be formed purely by compaction

A

mud into shale

87
Q

cementation

A

new mineral between grains of sediment

88
Q

most common cementation elements

A

calcium, carbonate, silica, iron oxide

89
Q

most common type of sedimentary rock

A

shale/mudrocks

  • more than half of all sedimentary rocks
90
Q

shale/mudrocks features

A
  • fine grains that cannot be seen
  • brittle
  • low permeability
91
Q

second most abundant sedimentary rock

A

sandstone

92
Q

sandstone features

A

poorly sorted to very well sorted
sharp edges

made of quarts, feldspars, lithic fragments

93
Q

arenite

A

quartz sandstone

94
Q

arkose

A

> 25% feldspar sandstone - found near granite was weathered

95
Q

greywacke + sorting

A

quartz, feldspar, lithic fragments make up the sandstone - associated with turbidity currents

poorly sorted

96
Q

conglomerate

A

> 2mm rock fragments in cement - rounded

97
Q

breccia

A

> 2mm rock fragments in cement - angular

98
Q

3 inorganic mechanisms to convert chemical sediment into sedimentary rocks

A

evaporation, dripping, chemical processes

99
Q

organic mechanism to convert chemical sediment into sedimentary rocks (biochemical)

A

aquatic organisms

100
Q

what % of sedimentary rocks is limestone

A

10% + most abundant chemical sedimentary rock

101
Q

is limestone a chemical or mechanical sedimentary rock

A

chemical and organic

102
Q

types of organic limestone

A

fossiliferous, chalk

103
Q

types of inorganic limestone

A

travertine, oolitic

104
Q

what is the highest mineral percentage in limestone

A

Calcite

105
Q

what forms fossiliferous limestone

A

polyps (reefs) turn CaCO3 into shells.

106
Q

chalk is formed by + features + what does chalk form

A

formed as microorganisms shed small plates

porous and resistant to erosion
forms steep cliffs

107
Q

travertine

A

limestone formed along streams, when CaO3 is is deposited when the water is evaporated, leaving a supersaturated solution

108
Q

oolitic limestone

A

limestone made of spherical grains of CaO3

109
Q

dolostone formation

A

direct precipitation from seawater

110
Q

chert

A

silica + quartz dissolved in water
plankton convert into rocks

111
Q

evaporites

A

as concentration of salt increases, crystal precipitated in sequence
1. carbonates (calcite, dolomite)
2. sulphates (gypsum, anhydrite)
3. halite
4. potassium salts (sylvite)

(least to most bitter)

112
Q

when water is lost this mineral turns into anhydrite

A

gypsum

113
Q

successive stages in the formation of coal

A

peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite

114
Q

peat

A

partially altered plant material
caused by burial in swamp environment

115
Q

lignite

A

soft, brown coal
caused by compaction of peat

116
Q

bituminous

A

soft black coalant
caused by greater compaction of lignite

117
Q

anthracite

A

hard black coal
caused by metamorphism of bituminous

118
Q

strata

A

horzontal lines - formed as sediments are most commonly deposited flat in water

119
Q

bed

A

strata with a thickness > 1cm

120
Q

laminae

A

strata with a thickness < 1cm

121
Q

bedding plane

A

the separation of layers of strata

122
Q

crossbedding

A

characteristic of sand dunes, river deltas.

preserves layers deposited at an angle

123
Q

graded beds

A

continental shelf avalanche, largest particles settle first, smaller particles settle last. creates greywacke

124
Q

ripple marks shallow water - back and forth current

A

symmetrical ripples

125
Q

ripple marks deeps water - current

A

angled ripples

126
Q

rythmites

A

thin and thick strips - tidal cycle causes a different layer per day

127
Q

varves

A

rock stripes - coarse sediment in the summer, fine in the winter creates layers

128
Q

crystalline basement

A

igneous and metamorphic rocks that underlay a surface layer of sedimentary rocks

129
Q

mudcracks form only

A

above sea level

130
Q
A
131
Q

4 reasons sedimentary rocks are economically significant

A
  1. hydrocarbon resources
  2. hyrdologic resources
  3. uranium deposits
  4. iron
132
Q

3 reasons sedimentary rocks are scientifically significant

A
  1. record of evolution by preserving fossils
  2. record past climate
  3. record past earthquakes
133
Q

what percentage of the crust is sedimentary rocks by volume

A

5-10%

134
Q

what percentage of the crust is sedimentary rocks by surface area

A

75%

135
Q

order of mineral precipitation in evaporite formation

A
  1. Carbonates (dolomite, calcite)
  2. Sulphates (gypsum, anhydrite)
  3. Halites (rock salt)
  4. Potassium Salts (potash)

(gets more “salty”)

EAS 210 (20 decks)

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