general terms Flashcards
Allochems
These include ooids, pisoids, peloids, oncoids, and intrachlasts. It includes any carbonate clasts with D>fine sand (63microns)
2 Types of carbonate grains
Allochems: These are chemically precipitated CO3 minerals that have undergone transport.
Lithoclasts: These are carbonate rocks that have been weathered and redeposited. These are “carbonate clasts”
Further intra vs extra clasts designation for if the carbonates are from within the same basin as the resultant rock.
3D QFL diagram
%mud: <5%= arenites, 5>%mud<50%=wackes, %mud>50%=mudstones QFL: %qtz: %qtz>90%=qtz arenite, 75-90%=sublithic, sub-arkosic, <75%-arkosic or lithic
4 “minerals” of carbonates
low-Mg calcite: <4% Mg
High-Mg Calcite: >4% Mg
Stoichiometric dolomite: Calcite with (Mg/Ca)>1
Aragonite: CaCO3 with alternative crystal form. This is an unstable form of calcite that eventually reverts back to calcite. Rocks older than the Cretaceous have ~0% aragonite.
4 types of erosional bedding plane markings
- ) Sole markings: These are extruding features on the base of sandstones into shales (non-exclusive) and derived from erosional tools scraping the bed bottom.
- ) groove casts: “scraping” of tools along the floor, creates chevron or v shape dipping down-current.
- ) Saltation: bouncing…
- ) flute casts: These are shaped like yardangs and form in a similar way. The fat tail indicates flow direction.
A-Horizon
Zone of oxidation, leaching, organic reactions, humus, solutes, fine clay percolating. Approximately 5% rocks.
Actualism
The present processes approximate the past but it must be interpreted with a grain of salt.
Alfisols
Soils that are developped in moist, temperate climates. There is alot of insoluble cations (Fe + Al) in the alfisols. Chelation because of the high plant life increases the solubility of other cations. They are more temperate than oxisols.
Allochthonous carbonates
This is all carbonates with coarse grains (10% has D>2mm) that are not organically bound at deposition indicating that grains were transported.
If it is grain supported it is a packstone.
If it is matrix supported grainstone.
If there are more than 10% grains then it is a wackestone.
If there are less than 10% grains than it is a mudstone.
Are physical, biological, and chemical weathering discrete things?
They are not. Salt crystallization is an example of both chemical and physical weathering. Root wedging and fungal breakdown are biophysical and biophysiochemical.
Arenites NEED PIC
Sandstones that are composed of distinct grains and cement with a maximum of 5% mud.
Aridsols
Soils that form in deserts. They are poorly developed, solutes are relatively static because evaporation offsets any percolation. Many evaporites and dust.
Authegenic minerals
Minerals produced at the surface. Minerals precipitated through biologic, supersaturation, oxidation, or other processes.
Autochthonous carbonates
These describe carbonates that are bound together during deposition.
This includes framestones, bindstones (stromalites), and bafflestones
B-Horizon
Zone of accumulation (illuvial). Clay and solutes. Dark colors. ~80% mineral
Ball and Pillow Structures
Seemingly abnormal ball or kidney shaped bulbous structures protruding the base of a bed and likely derived from the liquification of surrounding sediment.
Bed Shear Stress
tau0=SW*h*S
SW=specific weight
h=flow depth
S=slope (gradient)
This represents the shear stress a flow exerts onto a bed it is flowing over.
Bedding Structure Matrix
Beds are either Parallel or Nonparallel and either Continuous or discontinuous. The three kinds of lineations apparent are Even, Wavy, and curved.
Bedforms
Mounds or troughs of loose sediment on a mobile bed forming @ sediment and fluid interface. They describe the relation of strata and are often similar in size/shape, perhaps show a pattern.
Turbulence produces bedforms.
Beds
Tabular or lenticular layers of sediment that share lithological, textural, or structural unity and have a heterogeneous nature when compared to other beds.
These include Sediment units, subdivisions, and amalgamation surfaces.
laminae<1cm thick
Structures are used to describe how layers are configured and aid identification of environments/depositional processes.
Bernoulli’s Principle
Derived from the conservation of energy and the principle of continuity where:
KE+PE+P(aka work)=Constant
If the path is obstructed by a grain and therefore V(flow) increases (see principle of continuity) and over a dx the PE is constant/~0 then the KE increases when traversing over the grain and therefore P (pressure) decreases. This forms hydraulic lift.
Biogenic Structures
These are the trace fossils of burrowing, boring, feeding, locomotion, cut-and-fill caving, and arise from bioturbation, biostratification (stromalites), bioersion, and excrement.
Vertical trace fossils indicate harsher environments that are more likely to be eroded.
Biological Weathering
The influence of plant life of the weathering process. Examples include root wedging and bioturbation. It creates a significant part of the weathering scheme.
Biological Weathering Examples
Chelation: The Bonding of metals with organic compounds with the effect of increasing their solubility.
C-Horizon
Chunky Bedrock, regolith. 100% rock
Calcium carbonate compensation depth
This is the depth in the ocean where supply=dissolution. It decreases towards the cold poles that can have more carbon dioxide in solution.
Dissolution is preferred in environments with low T, low pH (basic), and low CaCO3
Carbonate Rocks
Rocks that are primarily composed of CO3 minerals/sediments. These include calcite, aragonite, and dolomite that are precipitated our of solution.
These are the most abundant chemical/biochemical rock and accounts for ~20-25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Cataclastic Breccia
Refers to breccias formed due to land movement.
Landslide/Slump breccias form due to the tension of sliding material
Tectonic Breccias form from gouge
Collapse breccias are from cave-ins and other forms of ground failure
chalk
An earthy LS derived from ooze
Chelation
Biogenic weathering through organic compounds. It forms a metal compound that increases the solubility of the metal. It occurs with most cations except iron and aluminium.
Chemical Weathering
Break down of rock due to being at disequilibrium on Earth’s surface. Characterized by shifts in the chemical and/or mineralogic components of a rock.
7 Chemical Weathering Mechanisms
Carbonation because of rain being slightly acidic
Simple Solution: dissolution without precipitation
Hydrolysis: dissolution and precipitation of new minerals. Incurs a permanent composition/mineralogic shift.
REDOX: The oxidation of Mn and Fe to form hydro/oxides.
Hydration/dehydration: clays, hematite->goethite, and gypsum->anhydrite. Characterized by reversibility and impermanence.
Ion Exchange: shifting ions within clays/zeolites and solution
Chelation
Clay series
Clays constitute a significant potion of all grains in sedimentary rocks that host large metallic cations, strong, and stable structures.
illite alters to smectite (montmorillonite: expandable upon hydration)
kaolinite is a T-Oct Al-rich clay with the potential for bauxite (Al(OH)3) . It is the ultimate Alumino-silicate weathering product.
Climbing Ripples
During the de-escalation of flow ripples will stop migrating and start “mounding” Therefore downward flow will be up-dip. They form non-tangential and tabular cross-bredding.
Competence ADD FBD
The maximum particle size that a flow can move.
Determines by if the flow can exert a force that is greater than tauc
Conglomerates/Breccias:
Rocks that are primarily composed of lithic fragments over 2mm (>30%). If they are angular then it is considered a breccia. If they are more mature and rounded then they are conglomerates. Clast supported refers to if the individual clasts are touching and create the structure. Matrix supported refers to the concept of the clasts being suspended in the fine grained matrix material.
Continental Block Provenance
Typical exhumed continental material. It has a wide variety but primarily consists of quartzose, K-spar, sometimes volcanics.
Convolute Bedding and Laminations
Folding and crumpling of beds with irregular mircro anti/synclines that are restricted to a finite subdivision of the bed (~.05-.25 m) and the upper/lower bounds are clearly not convolute. This is a form of soft sediment deformation but it is concurrent to deposition not post post-depositional like tectonics are.
Coquina
A mechanically sorted fossil hash
Debris flow deposits
Unsorted, chaotic (sorting requires turbulence), matrix supported, lacks cross-stratification and occasionally shows reverse grading
Debris flows
A type of subarial/subaqueous flow that is dominated by a high viscosity, like a bingham plastic, that forms an internal structure and develops matrix supported rocks. The base of the flow has a relatively low velocity and thus is non-erosive on the base. It is characterized by “freezing” when shear at the base is less than the critical shear.
This can commonly occur in arid regions and with volcaniclastic deposits and include mud flows (~50% mud), muddy debris flows, and debris flows (0% mud)
Density Flows
A fluid flow that is formed due to a non-homogenous density. This is a type of gravity flow and includes turbidity flows.
Often influenced by turbulent flows entering stagnate water, temperature of water, salinity.
Diagenesis
The final step of lithification of sedimentary rocks that alters the rock due to pressure.
Name two forms of deformation
Plastic and Ductile Deformation: Characterized by the expansion of clays into adjacent quartz
Flexible Grain Deformation: Characterized by minerals restructuring and reducing the volume of other grains. Ex: mica forming a planar surface where a quartz grain once existed.
Dimensionless numbers
Numbers that describe a state change for the participants of the system.
Dolomite Problem
This is the issue that dolomite does not readily precipitate in normal conditions and requires a “pump” to be precipitated yet there seems to be a abnormally massive amount of natural dolomite in the geo-history of earth.
Dolomite Textures
Fundamentally between either planar (idotopic) and nonplanar (xenotopic) crystals.
Planar is described by discrete crystal forms and can be floating, euhedral, subhedral, or void/pore filling.
Non-planar includes non-rhombic grains and can be described as anhedral, porphyritic, or void-filling.
Dolomitization
This is the diagenetic alteration of LS to produce dolomite. It occurs at a depth of 500-3000 m and requires Mg rich water circulating through relatively porous LS and higher temperatures.
Dunham Carbonate Classification
A classification system that enables classification via hand specimen that emphasizes the grain packing, micrite abundance, and grain binding.
Mud-supported rocks include mudstone (<10% grains) and wackestone (>10% grains)
Grain supported rocks include packstone (>1% mud) and grainstone (<1%mud)
Allochthonous is for coarse sediment not bound at deposition wheras autochtonoous is for coarse grains that are bounded at deposition.
E-Horizon
Zone of intense remove of cations (eluviation) and chelation. The soil is a light color and depleted of metallic cations. ~50% mineral
Entrainment
The process of grains losing contact with the bed below and is determined by the critical shear threshold.
Epiclastic Breccia/Conglomerate
FIND EXAMPLE
Epiclastic conglomerate/breccia: An extraformational/intraformational rock that formed from a non-specific weathering and transport process.
Erosional Structures
These include sole marks which show a unidirectional flow that drags a particle across the base. Direction of flow cannot be determined.
Tool marks refer to dragging of “tools” on the surface.
Flute casts refer to the scouring of eddies behind large clasts that are not entrained the deepest part of the cast is at the front of the flow.
Paleochannels: These cross-cut bedding and can be tidal, underwater, and fluvial.
Scour and Fill: These are small lenses of coarse material whose long axis indicates flow direction where the bulbous end of the lens exists.
Example of hydrolysis
Alumino-silicate+ “acidified” water + water yields alkalai metal in solution + phyllosilicate + SiO2 (aq)
Ex: 2KAlSiO6(s) +H2CO3 + H2O-> K2CO3(aq) + Al2SiO5(OH)4 (s) + 8SiO2 (aq)
Orthoclase + carbonated rain + water -> Potassium carbonate + kaolinite + aqueous silica
Example of REDOX
2FeS2+15/2O2 + 4H2O -> Fe2O3 + 4SO4 2- + 8H+
Ferrous iron (soluble) forms ferric iron (3+) upon being exposed to the atmosphere and forms the hydrated Fe(OH)3 This then dehydrates to form hematite (above).
Factors of Weathering
Climate and Rock
Weathering in wet climates is dominated by chemical mechanisms. Low slope, higher grain size surface area, and warm climates all promote water retention and higher weathering.
Feature of immature clasts
Poor sorting, angular grains composed on relatively unstable minerals.
Features of mature clasts
homogenous composition, well rounded, well sorted
Feldspathic Arenite AKA Arkose
Less than 75% of the clasts are qtz and there is more spar than lith. They are generally immature and form clay-rich arenites. They often form on stable continental shelves/alluvial fans or in-situ when granite decays. They are promoted by arid/cold environments and were more common from Paleozoic and Mesozoic times.
Flaser Bedding
This is describing a bed form where mud accumulates in the troughs of the cross strata. Indicates that the hydraulic conditions favored sand preservation during episodic flows.
Folks carbonate classification
Named via “packing”+”major type of allochem”+mud/cement type. It is the cement-matrix-allochem classification scheme.
Ex: Sparse Oomicrite= matrix supported ooid with micrite mud.
Froude Number
A dimensionless unit that describes how a surface wave passes through a liquid. The denominator describes the velocity of a surface wave through water and the numerator is the velocity of flow. Therefore a Fr<1 means that the wave’s velocity is greater than the flow’s.
Fr=V/(gD).5 D=water depth
Grading
Normal Grading describes beds that are larger grained at the base and grade into finer sediments.
Reverse grading indicates that the largest grains are at the top of the bed and can occur due to kinetic sieving and dispersive pressures.
Grain flow deposits
Kinetic sieving causes reverse grading. Generally well sorted, and form wedge shapes with the upper surface = angle of repose.
In comparison to eolian settling this increase in thickness downwards. They are often adjacent to settling deposits though.
Grain Flows
These are relatively dry flows of individual grains that are induced when the weight exceeds the internal frictional cohesion. The dispersive pressure is derived from the collision of grains. Commonly is the “Avalanching” of grains on the lee-side of dunes.
tau/P=tan(a) where: a=angle of internal friction
P=dispersive pressure
“grapestone”
A rock that is composed of aggregate grains (lithoclasts that become cemented together)