Sedimentary Textures 2

Question 1

Explain the importance of sedimentary inheritance:

Answer 1

Sedimentary inheritance helps us understand the origin(s) of sedimentary deposits, including hydraulic conditions of transport/deposition, transport environment, weathering processes, geotechnical properties, and industry potential.

Question 2

Explain the difference between sediment texture and sediment fabric:

Answer 2

Sediment texture refers to the size and shape of particles (grain size and shape).
Sediment fabric describes the orientation and packing of particles.

Question 3

Describe the different aspects of grain shape:

Answer 3

Grain shape includes roundness, form, surface texture, and sphericity.
These aspects provide information about sediment transport/deposition processes, sediment composition/sources, and microscopic properties.

Question 4

Explain the term abrasion and describe which parameters affect abrasion rates:

Answer 4

Abrasion is the physical weathering of sediments through particle collisions.
Parameters affecting abrasion rates include viscosity and density of the transporting medium (e.g., wind, water, ice) and kinetic energy of the particles.

Question 5

Describe the kinetic energy formula and explain how this relates to abrasion:

Answer 5

Kinetic energy formula: Ek = ½ mv² (kinetic energy = 1/2 x mass x velocity²).
Kinetic energy affects abrasion as higher energy can lead to more significant abrasion. Larger clasts are abraded more quickly than smaller clasts.

Question 6

Explain the term textural maturity:

Answer 6

Textural maturity indicates the degree of sediment reworking and washing/winning.
Components of textural maturity include texture (grain size sorting, roundness) and composition (amount of stable minerals, detrital clay).