SEDIMENTARY

STRUCTURES
Bedding
 Bedding

How are they formed?

Result of relatively uniform deposition,

usually on a flat surface. Bedding planes,
Which define the lower and upper
boundary of beds, represent breaks in
deposition. Thus, a bed may represent a
single event of deposition.
Laminations
 Laminations

How are they formed?

Forms in a way similar to beds, but with

smaller amounts of sediment resulting to
thinner strata. Laminations typically
represent short periods or slow rates of
deposition.
Graded Bedding - Normal
 Graded Bedding - Normal

How are they formed?

Large amount of sediment with varying

grain sizes are deposited to quiet waters.
Water allows for coarser sediments to
deposit first, which are followed by the
finer sediments. This usually happens
during underwater landslides, resulting in
deposits called turbidites.
Cross Bedding
 Cross Bedding

How are they formed?

Repeated deposition at lee side of dunes

results in series of inclined beds. Once
buried/overlain by sediments from normal
deposition, the observed pattern shows
non-parallel planar features.
Mudcracks
 Mudcracks

How are they formed?

Wet muddy sediments experience uneven

loss of water as it dries. The upper layer is
exposed to the surface which causes it to
lose more water and contract. The lower
layer remains relatively the same volume
which results to uneven tension and
produces cracks.
Ripple Marks
Ripple Marks
 Ripple Marks

How are they formed?

Undulations in the unconsolidated

sediments are formed as fluid (e.g. water,
wind) moves over its surface. Type
(asymmetrical vs. symmetrical) depends
on the nature of fluid movement
Ripple Marks
Tracks and Trails
 Ripple Marks

How are they formed?

Movement of organisms typically leave

impressions on unconsolidated
sediments. They are typically preserved
on finer sediments.
Bioturbation
Bioturbation
 Ripple Marks

How are they formed?

Organisms dig through the substrate and

create borings, which can be filled by
latter deposition or by sediments ingested
and excreted by the organism.
 In Structure 4
1. True or False: Tracks are continuous as
opposed to trails.
2. True or False: Laminations always indicate
slow sedimentation rates.
3. Deposits formed by underwater landslides
are called __________.
4. What type of sedimentary structure is
associated with the deposits in #3?
5. What type of ripple marks are found in
beach environments?