1.3 Sedimentary rocks - formed by a range <strong>of</strong> surfaceprocesses in a variety <strong>of</strong> envir<strong>on</strong>mentsYou can ‘read’ sedimentary rock exposures by understandingthat <strong>the</strong>se rocks <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re <strong>on</strong>ce loose sediments thathave been cemented or compressed into sedimentary rocks.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>y <strong>the</strong>refore c<strong>on</strong>tain <strong>the</strong> same clues that sediments do,to <strong>the</strong> ways in which <strong>the</strong>y <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re originally moved and laiddown. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se clues include <strong>the</strong> size, shape and chemicalmakeup <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> grains, <strong>the</strong> layers <strong>the</strong>se grains form, like<strong>the</strong> cross bedding in Figure 1.16, and <strong>the</strong> fossils and overallsequences that <strong>the</strong> rocks c<strong>on</strong>tain. Since most sedimentaryrocks have layers, called beds (see Figure 1.17), youcan usually use this to distinguish <strong>the</strong>m from igneous andmetamorphic rocks. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> good ‘rock detective’ can readsedimentary rock clues <strong>of</strong> compositi<strong>on</strong> (chemical makeup),texture (grain size, shape and arrangement) and structure(including structures like bedding and cross bedding)to discover <strong>the</strong> envir<strong>on</strong>ment in which <strong>the</strong> sediments<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re first deposited.Sediments are generally eroded from higher land and depositedin lo<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>r areas. Such lo<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>r areas include puddles,p<strong>on</strong>ds, lakes, gutters, streams, rivers, valleys, general lowlandareas, coastlines and shallow and deep seas. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>selo<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>r areas span a range <strong>of</strong> latitudes, from polar to temperateto arid and tropical. Deposits <strong>of</strong> boulders, gravel,Figure 1.16: A sedimentaryrock face showing some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>clues into how <strong>the</strong> sediments<str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re originally laid down.sand or mud can be laid down at all latitudes but calcium carb<strong>on</strong>ate deposits (limest<strong>on</strong>es)and evaporites are formed mainly in <strong>the</strong> tropics.Most sediments are formed from <strong>the</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>a<strong>the</strong>ring and erosi<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> rocks, which could be <strong>of</strong>sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic type. Deposits near <strong>the</strong>se source rocks have not beenmoved very far and so <strong>the</strong> make up <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sediment is similar to <strong>the</strong> mineral compositi<strong>on</strong><strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> source rocks. If <strong>the</strong> source rocks c<strong>on</strong>tained quartz, feldspar and mica, so will <strong>the</strong>sediment. Similarly, <strong>the</strong>re has been little chance for <strong>the</strong> sediment to become sorted intodifferent grain sizes or for <strong>the</strong> grains to be worn down. Thus, sediments near source rocksusually have mixed compositi<strong>on</strong>s and mixed sediment sizes, whilst <strong>the</strong> individual sedimentfragments have sharp corners and are angular, as in Figure 1.18, which shows a breccia(a sedimentary rock <strong>of</strong> mixed sizes with angular grains).Gravity moves <strong>the</strong>se sediments downhill and <strong>the</strong>y become picked up by water and movedal<strong>on</strong>g streams and into rivers. Minerals like mica, and later, feldspar, become brokendown. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> corners <strong>of</strong> individual grains are worn away and <strong>the</strong>y become rounded andreduced in size. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> abrasi<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> grains to smaller sizes and rounded shapes is calledattriti<strong>on</strong>. As rivers and later, coastal currents, carry <strong>the</strong> grains al<strong>on</strong>g, <strong>the</strong>y are sortedinto different sizes, since fast flows can carry large grains whilst small grains <strong>on</strong>ly settle11
Figure 1.17: Sedimentary rocks showing<strong>the</strong>ir layers or beds. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> surface <strong>of</strong> eachbed is called a bedding plane.Figure 1.18: A sedimentary rock made <strong>of</strong>angular fragments, a breccia.in quiet c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s. So, <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> find boulders, pebble deposits, sand deposits and deposits <strong>of</strong>mud in different parts <strong>of</strong> rivers and coastal areas, depending up<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> speeds <strong>of</strong> currentflow. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> proporti<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> quartz in sediments increases as <strong>the</strong>y are carried al<strong>on</strong>g, sincemica and feldspar are broken down physically and chemically. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> chemical breakdown<strong>of</strong> mica and feldspar produces clay minerals so <strong>the</strong>re is a high proporti<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se veryfine-grained minerals in quiet areas <strong>of</strong> depositi<strong>on</strong>.So, <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> can use <strong>the</strong> sizes, shapes and compositi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> grains to tell us about how <strong>the</strong>grains <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>re transported and deposited. Poorly-sorted angular sediments <strong>of</strong> mixed compositi<strong>on</strong>sare found near source areas, whilst <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>ll-rounded gravel deposits, <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>ll-sorted,quartz-rich sands, and muds rich in clay minerals, are found far from <strong>the</strong>ir sources. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>gravels can become cemented into c<strong>on</strong>glomerates (Figure 1.20), <strong>the</strong> sands into sandst<strong>on</strong>es(Figure 1.21) and <strong>the</strong> muds can later be compressed into mudst<strong>on</strong>es (Figure1.19) and shales (shales are <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>ak mudst<strong>on</strong>es that tend to fall apart in your hand).Deserts are mostly very dry but sometimes have torrential storms, so <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g> can find a widerange <strong>of</strong> deposits. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are accumulati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>of</strong> angular fragments that could becomebreccias, whilst dried rivers can have pebble and sand deposits that could become c<strong>on</strong>glomeratesand sandst<strong>on</strong>es (Figure 1.22). Dried up lake beds can have muds and saltdeposits (as in Figure 1.23) that could be preserved as mudst<strong>on</strong>es with evaporite layers.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se deposits <strong>of</strong>ten c<strong>on</strong>tain more clues as <str<strong>on</strong>g>we</str<strong>on</strong>g>ll.Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sands have layers that will become sandst<strong>on</strong>e bedding. When sands aredeposited in fast flowing rivers, <strong>the</strong>y are usually laid down in small underwater dunesas sloping layers that are seen as <strong>the</strong> cross beds in many sandst<strong>on</strong>es. Since <strong>the</strong> crossbeds always slope downstream, <strong>the</strong>y tell you <strong>the</strong> directi<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> current flow that laiddown <strong>the</strong> sand (as in Figure 1.24). As water currents slow down, <strong>the</strong> surface <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sand<strong>of</strong>ten forms into current ripple marks that have a shallow up-stream slope and slope moresteeply downstream. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se asymmetrical ripple marks or current ripple markstell you <strong>the</strong> directi<strong>on</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> current that deposited <strong>the</strong>m and <strong>the</strong>se can be preserved in12
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Figure 2.10: The m
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are forming them. Similarly the sha
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Figure 2.19: This photo was taken f
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Figure 2.25: Dinosaur tracks conser
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• On coastal sections, whenever p
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found evidence that the Earth was a
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Figure 3.3: James Hutton, the ‘Fo
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Figure 3.5: A page of Wegener’s 1
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Figure 3.7: The st
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Figure 3.10: The r
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Figure 3.13: The m
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Figure 3.15: The S
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Figure 3.19: An ocean versus contin
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Figure 3.23: Map of the major tecto
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Figure 3.26: Global temperature cha
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Figure 3.29: A computer generated p
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Figure 3.31: The
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planet extended th
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Figure 4.1: William Smith’s geolo
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Millionsof yearsago (Ma)01000Some M
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ocks whilst the first definite plan
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Figure 4.9: The ch
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Figure 4.12: The 4
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Millionsof years Some Major Earth E
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Figure 5.2: Strike-slip movement (r
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Figure 5.4: The So
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Figure 5.6: An ash eruption rising
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Figure 5.10: A hazard zone map of t
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isk to humans. The
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Figure 5.14: A GPS (global satellit
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None of these methods has yet prove
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Figure 5.17: A windfarm in Ireland.
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Figure 5.19: A beautifully preserve
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Another ‘missing link’ find has
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Figure 5.22: A dinosaur reconstruct
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Figure 5.25: A working aggregate-pr
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Figure 5.26: The E
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Chapter 6Understanding what geologi
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Figure 6.2: A drilling rig used for
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When an oil/gas field has been foun
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Figure 6.6: Groundwater flowing out
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Dam disaster in Italy, when the wav
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Figure 6.10: A slab foundation, bui
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An example of this is investigation
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GlossaryAbsolute age The</s
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Carbon capture The
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Crustal shortening This results of
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Evaporite deposits (or evaporites)
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Geophysical survey Using the method
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“Integrated waste management” <
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Metamorphism The r
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Pore spaces (or pores) Gaps bet<str
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Saltation Sediment movement by flui
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Suspension Sediment movement by flu
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AcknowledgementsPermission to repri
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Figure 2.3 A scree slope. Photo ID:
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Figure 1.15a Hematite.Figure 1.15b
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Figure 1.28 Dune cross bedding in s
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Figure 3.18 An island arc volcano,
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Figure 5.21 Excavations at the dino