ERSC/GEOG 2P16

Sedimentology

Rick Cheel

Mackenzie Chown D407

Phone: 905-688-5550 ext. 3512 E-mail: rcheel@brocku.ca

All course material, including the course outline, lecture notes and PowerPoint presentations are available from:

http://www.brocku.ca/sedimentology

Grade Distribution

Assignments
Midterm Test

25%
20% Wednesday, Feb. 18, in class

Assignment Test
Final Exam

15%
40%

March 29, in lab period

Friday, March 4 is the last date for withdrawal without academic penalty and last day to change from credit to audit status for duration 3 courses.

Textbook:

Introduction to Clastic Sedimentology

Downloadable from: http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~rcheel/teaching/sedimentology/SedNotes/

Topics to be covered:

1. Grain Texture (fundamental descriptors of granular material)

Grain size

Grain shape
Porosity and permeability Grain orientation 2. Classification of terrigenous clastic rocks.

Arenite
Rudite Lutite

3. Unidirectional fluid flow and sediment transport

Characteristics of unidirectional flows Simple fluid flow Fluid gravity flows Sediment transport Modes of transport Initiation of transport

4. Bed forms and stratification under unidirectional flows

Bed forms

Terminology
The sequence of bed forms Bed form stability fields Cross-stratification formed by bed forms.

Terminology
Origin of cross-stratification Cross-stratification and bed forms.

5. Flow, bed forms and stratification under oscillatory and combined flows
Characteristics of gravity waves Bed forms and stratification under symmetrically oscillating currents

Bed forms and stratification under combined flows

The enigma of Hummocky Cross-stratification

Assignment Schedule (Winter, 2011)

January 11
January 18 January 25

No assignment
No assignment 1. Analysis of Grain Size Data

February 1
February 8 February 15

Assignment 1 continued
2. Analysis of Grain Shape 3. Analysis of paleocurrent data

February 22
March 1 March 8

Reading Week
4. Classification of clastic rocks Assignment 4 continued

March 15
March 22 March 29

5. Paleocurrent problems
Hand in assignment 5 Assignment Test

Clastic Sedimentology: The study of sediment and sedimentary rocks that are made up of particles that are the solid products of weathering at or near the Earths surface. Gravel Conglomerate Sand Sandstone Mud (silt and clay) Siltstone and Shale

Purpose of the course: To introduce terminology and fundamental concepts for the description and interpretation of clastic sediment and sedimentary rocks.

Why study clastic sediment? Sedimentary rocks make up only 7.9% of the Earths crust.

66% of the surface of the Earth is covered by sediment or sedimentary rocks. Humans interact with the Earth largely at or near its surface.

They..

Grow food on it.

Build structures on it.

Take resources from it.

At the same time they..

Hide garbage and other waste material in it.

Modify its physical and chemical properties so that it is no longer useable by them.

It is important to understand the various properties of the sedimentary cover and have systematic methods for describing these properties.

Sedimentary rocks record the history of changing environments on Earth. Based on the recognition of the signature of changing environments over time, as preserved in the rock record. Environmental interpretation of rocks

+
Age of rocks = Earth History

Large scale cross-bedding in 240 million year old rocks in the Central US.

= windblown sand dunes; the Central US was a desert at that time.

Environmental interpretation: The present is the key to the past.

By examining the characteristics of various environments on Earth today we can interpret the environments in which ancient sediments were deposited.

Age of rocks: Based on relative age (relative to associated rocks) or absolute age (radiometric dating).

Earth History:
The history of changing environments on Earth.

ERSC/GEOG 2P16 focuses on: The description and classification of clastic sediment.

Processes and their products in the sedimentary record that aid in interpreting ancient sedimentary environments.