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INTRODUCTION
The important properties of sedimentary rock fragments are: (i)
the mineralogical and chemical composition; (2) the specific gravity;
(3) the volume size or the size of the true nominal diameter; (4) the
sedimentological shape and sometimes the crystallographic form;
and (5) the roundness of the corners and edges. The regional character
of a sediment is indicated by the mineralogical composition and
the size of the fragments. The presence of rare and "heavy'' minerals
may give a clue to the source of the particles, or may be used for
correlation of sediments within a given region. The volume size, the
specific gravity, and the sedimentological shape are the principal
factors governing transportation and deposition, so far as the
fragments themselves are concerned. The roundness of the corners and
edges may indicate the rigor' of the last stage of transportation. Increasing
rigor increases fracturing and chipping and reduces the
roundness of the corners in general. Rounding of sedimentary fragments
is a special type of disintegration attributed to attrition and
sometimes to solution. High degree of roundness is often an indication
of gentle conditions of wear relative to size, hardness, and toughness
of the fragment. Rounding frequently takes place in the bed
load material under gentle tractional transportation. Solution processes
in deposited sediments and disintegrated rocks sometimes lead
to a relatively higher degree of roundness of the smaller particles
' C. K. Wentworth introduced "rigor" as a term for the violence of transportation. in
"A Field Study of the Shapes of River Pebbles," U.S. Geol. Sun. Bull. 730C (1922).
INTRODUCCIÓN