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ENVS 230: Fundamentals of Geology
Lab 5: Sedimentary Rocks
OBJECTIVES:
Become familiar with sedimentary rock textures
Differentiate clastic from carbonate sedimentary rocks
Identify environmental controls responsible for sedimentary structures
OVERARCHING GOAL: How can depositional environment be inferred from a rock?
INTRODUCTION:
Most of the Earth’s solid surface is covered with either unconsolidated sediments, soil or
sedimentary rocks. Because sedimentary rocks are predominantly composed of formerly loose
sediments which have become buried and lithified (compacted and cemented), a useful approach to
understanding such rocks is to examine the properties of the modern unconsolidated sediments and the
processes by which those properties arise. Such investigations are commonly made in either laboratory
situations or in a large array of modern depositional settings ranging from glacial forelands and river
floodplains to coral reefs and ocean floors. By assuming the uniformitarian tenet that “the present is the
key to the past”, a great deal can be learned about the origin of sedimentary rocks and the record of
geological history contained within them by thoughtful application of knowledge gained by the study of
present day sediments and sedimentation processes.
In this lab, you will learn how to recognize and interpret some of the clues to understand
depositional environments, as well as how to identify common sedimentary rocks.
Part 1: Clastic vs Non-Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
Clastic sedimentary rocks are composed of fragments of pre-existing rock (sediments) that formed by
the disintegration of that rock and the erosion, transportation, deposition and lithification of those
particles. They are composed mostly of physically hard and chemically stable minerals, quartz being the
most common example. Non-clastic sedimentary rocks are formed mostly by chemical and biological
processes.
Split your sample of rocks into two piles – Clastic and Non-Clastic. List which numbers belong to each
group in the space below.
Clastic: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9
Non-Clastic: 1, 4, 8, 10, 11, 12
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Part 2: Clastic Sedimentary Rocks
Clastic sedimentary rocks are formed from clasts (mineral grains or rock fragments) derived from
previously existing rocks. These rocks have a characteristic clastic texture in which discrete grains are
held together by a chemical cement or by a very fine-grained clastic matrix. The majority are derived
from silicate rocks and thus contain clasts composed of silicate minerals. Formation of clastic
sedimentary rocks includes the processes of weathering, erosion, transportation, deposition and
lithification.
The names of clastic sedimentary rocks are based primarily on the size of the clasts they contain.
1. Arrange your clastic sedimentary rocks in order from largest clasts to smallest clast.
2, 6, 7, 9, 5, 3
2. Arrange your clastic sedimentary rocks from well ported to poorly sorted.
3. Arrange your clastic sedimentary rocks from angular to rounded.
4. Describe the relationship between sediment size, sediment sorting, and sediment roundness
and distance the sediment has traveled from its source.
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Based on the identification tables, identify the clastic sedimentary rocks and consider where it may have
been deposited:
# Name Energy for deposition Transport distance Possible depositional
(high, moderate or (Far vs. close) environments
low)
Part 2: Carbonate Sedimentary Rocks
When alive, organisms extract chemical from their environment and use these to produce new
molecules for building bodies and shells. Some invertebrates (such as clams and oysters) along with
certain types of algae and plankton extract dissolved ions from water to produce shells composed of
carbonate. When the organisms die, the materials that composed their shells can accumulate, just like
sediment.
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Which of the following rocks is the following? Make
sure to take note of how to identify these rocks.
5. Coquina?
6. Fossiliferous limestone?
7. Micritic limestone?
8. Chalk?
9. Coal ?
10. Looking at the coal in front of you, how can
you differentiate it from the carbonate
biochemical rocks?