Sedimentology

Prof., Samir M. Zaid

TERRIGENOUS CLASTIC
Texture
INTRODUCTION

Terrigenous clastic sediments and sedimentary rocks

are composed of fragments that result from the
weathering and erosion of older rocks. They are
classified according to the sizes of clasts present and
the composition of the material.
INTRODUCTION

The proportions of different clast sizes and the

textures of terrigenous clastic sediments and
sedimentary rocks can provide information about
the history of transport of the material and the
environment of deposition.

Terrigenous clastic is material that is made up of

particles or clasts derived from pre-existing rocks.
The clasts are principally detritus eroded from
bedrock and are commonly made up largely of
silicate minerals: the terms detrital sediments and
siliciclastic sediments are also used for this material.
CLASSIFICATION OF SEDIMENTS AND SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

A distinction can be drawn between

sediments (generally loose material) and
sedimentary rocks which are lithified
sediment:
lithification is the process of ‘turning into
rock’ (18.2). Mud, silt and sand are all loose
aggregates; the addition of the suffix ‘-
stone’ (mudstone, siltstone, sandstone)
indicates that the material has been lithified
and is now a solid rock.

Coarser, loose gravel material is

named according to its size as granule,
pebble, cobble and boulder aggregates,
which become lithified into conglomerate
(sometimes with the size range added as a
prefix, e.g. ‘pebble conglomerate’).
1- Physical properties of particles
A- Surface texture of particles

Shape Indication (evidence of)

Microscopic striation Glacial action

Shinny surface Desert varnish =Desert sands

Opaque frosted surface Wind blown sands

Clear translucent surface Water –laid sands

Frosting indicate to alternate solution and precipitation under sub

aerial condition (wind + water)
 Physical properties of particles

B- Particle shape, Sphericity and Roundness

Zingg (1935) describe pebble shape as a

measure ratios between length, breadth and
thickness (3 axes X, Y, Z) and identify 4 classes
1- Spherical or equant
2- oblate or discoid
3- Bladed
4- Rod-shaped or prolate

The shapes of clasts in gravel and conglomerate

are controlled by the parent rock type and the
subsequent history of transport.
Shapes of clasts

Rock Resulted Shape

Slate and Schist Tabular or bladed shape
Quartzite and chert equant or Subspherical
If the pebbles traced away from their source, it diminish in size and
tend to assume equant or bladded shapes

Shapes of Sand-Size particles

Sand-Size particles are not amenable to measurement of long, medium and
short axes (X, Y, Z). Their shape is generally measured by reference to a
coefficient of sphericity and roundness.
Sphericity
This is a measure of the degree to which a grain approaches the shape
of a sphere. It is a projected width per projected length

Roundness
This is a measure of the degree of curvature of corners.
During sediment transport the individual clasts will repeatedly come into
contact with each other and stationary objects: sharp edges tend to be
chipped off first, the abrasion smoothing the surface of the clast.

Factors controlling Roundness and Sphericity of sediment particles

1- Roundness and Sphericity increases away from the source
2- Eaolian action more efficient than aqueous transportation over an
equivalent distance

Roundness and sphericity

estimate comparison chart (from
Pettijohn et al. 1987).
Physical properties of particles
C- Particle Size
CLASSIFICATION OF SEDIMENTS AND SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

A threefold division on the basis of grain size is

used as the starting point to classify and name
terrigenous clastic sediments and sedimentary
rocks:

• gravel and conglomerate consist of clasts

greater than 2mm in diameter;
• sand-sized grains are between 2mm and
1/16mm (63 microns) across;
• mud (including clay and silt) is made up
of particles less than 63 mm in diameter.

There are variants on this scheme and there are

a number of ways of providing subdivisions
within these categories, but sedimentologists
generally use the Wentworth Scale to define
and name terrigenous clastic deposits.
THE UDDEN–WENTWORTH GRAIN-SIZE SCALE

Four basic divisions are recognised:

- clay (<4 µm)
- silt (4 mm to 63 µm)
- sand (63 µm or 0.063mm to 2.0 mm)
- gravel/aggregates (>2.0 mm)

The phi scale (Krumbein, 1934) is a

numerical representation of the Wentworth
Scale (1922). The Greek letter ‘Ø’ (phi) is
often used as the unit for this scale. Using
the logarithm base two, the grain size can
be denoted on the phi scale as
Ø= - log2 (grain diameter in mm)
Using this formula, a grain diameter of 1mm
is 0Ø: increasing the grain size, 2mm is -1Ø,
4mm is -2Ø, and so on; decreasing the grain
size, 0.5mm is +1Ø, 0.25mm is 2Ø, etc.
Conglomerates & Sandstones Mudstones
Breccias
conglomerate

Conglomerate beds are rarely composed

entirely of gravel-sized material. Between
the granules, pebbles, cobbles and
boulders, finer sand and/or mud will often
be present: this finer material between the
large clasts is referred to as the matrix of
the deposit. A clast-supported conglomerate: the pebbles
are all in contact with each other.
- sandy conglomerate
- Muddy conglomerate
- intraformational conglomerate
- clast-supported (orthoconglomerate)
- matrix-supported (paraconglomerate)

A matrix-supported conglomerate: each

pebble is surrounded by matrix.
SAND AND SANDSTONE

Sand grains are formed by the

breakdown of preexisting rocks by
weathering and erosion, and from
material that forms within the
depositional environment. The
breakdown products fall into two
categories: detrital mineral grains,
eroded from pre-existing rocks, and
sand-sized pieces of rock, or lithic
fragments.

Grains that form within the depositional

environment are principally biogenic in
origin, that is, they are pieces of plant or
animal, but there are some which are
formed by chemical reactions.
CLAY, SILT AND MUDROCK

Fine-grained terrigenous clastic

sedimentary rocks tend to receive
less attention than any other group
of deposits despite the fact that
they are volumetrically the most
common of all sedimentary rocks
types.

The grain size is generally too small

for optical techniques of mineral
determination and until scanning
electron microscopes and X-ray
diffraction analysis techniques
were developed little was known
about the constituents of these
sediments.
Definitions of terms in mudrocks

Silt is defined as the grain size of material

between 4 and 62 microns in diameter. This
size range is subdivided into coarse, medium,
fine and very fine. The coarser grains of silt
are just visible to the naked eye or with a
hand lens. Finer silt is most readily
distinguished from clay by touch, as it will feel
‘gritty’ if a small amount is ground between
teeth, whereas clay feels smooth.

Clay is a textural term to define the finest

grade of clastic sedimentary particles, those
less than 4 microns in diameter. Individual
particles are not discernible to the naked eye
and can only just be resolved with a high
power optical microscope.
2- Methods of particle analysis
Rock Methods of Analysis
Well cemented Are measured from Thin section microscope
sediments Av. grain size = (Ʃ2d/n)/N
n= number of grains cut by the cross wires
d= the diameter of the field of view
N= total number of of the field of view counted
This method is quite inadequate for detailed
granulometric studies
It gives only the average grain size and does not
describe the sorting of the sample
Claystones and siltstones are not amenable to size
analysis from an optical microscope. Their particle
size can be measured individually by SEM analysis
2- Methods of particle analysis
Rock Methods of Analysis
Semi consolidated Mechanical (sieving) analysis
and unconsolidated - A sand sample of known weight is passed through a
set of sieves of known mesh sizes.
sediments - The sieves are arranged in downward decreasing mesh
diameters.
-The sieves are mechanically vibrated for a fixed period
of time.
-- the weight of sediment retained on each sieve is
measured and converted into a percentage of the total
sediment sample.
This method is quick and sufficiently accurate for
most purposes