Back to EARTH!
Lectures
Monday, Wednesdays & Fridays,
8.30-9.20
• Lectures will be online, but labs are planned face-to-face
• Lectures will be recorded, aired at the time of the class, and will be
available after the class for asynchronous learning
•All lecture will be in Powerpoint presentation format, but uploaded
files will be pdf format
• Specific remote meetings will be set up for discussions/questions
before the midterm and the final (see Lecture class schedule)
Labs
Labs begin the week of September 13th
- Tuesdays, 2.30-4.20 PM
- Wednesdays, 2.30-4.20 PM
Contents
1. Introduction
Exploring Sedimentary environments of our planet: the visual Earth. What are
sedimentology and stratigraphy? Sediments and sedimentary rocks: why they are
important? Main groups of sedimentary rocks.
2. Terrigenous clastic sediments
Sediment composition; classification of sediments; terrigenous sediments;
sedimentary textures; grain size; particle shape and orientation; concept of
sediment maturity. Gravel and conglomerates; mud and mudstones; sand and
sandstones.
3. Carbonate sediments
Carbonate rocks: components and classification.
4. Sedimentary cycle
Weathering processes. Erosion. Transport: Transport media; behaviour of fluids
and particles; types of flow. Deposition. Lithification. Diagenesis of clastic and
carbonate sediments; cementation and porosity.
5. Sedimentary structures
Physical sedimentary structures: Pre-, syn-, and post-depositional sedimentary
structures -- origins and significance, biogenic sedimentary structures.
6. Facies and environments: main concepts Interpreting past depositional
environments; facies concept, provenance and paleocurrents; paleoenvironments
in space and time; facies models.
7. Clastic sediments and environments
Alluvial fans and rivers: braided and meandering; shallow marine (wave- and tide-
dominated), deltas, estuaries, turbidite systems.
8. Carbonate sediments and environments
The uniqueness of carbonates. Peritidal systems. Shallow marine: platforms and
ramps. Reefs.
9. Sedimentary environments beyond the Earth
Expanding our understanding of earth processes in the Solar Systmem. The
Martian surface. What do we know about sedimentary processes in Mars?
10. Stratigraphic concepts, lithostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy
Textbook: Nichols, G.
(2009)
Sedimentology
Will be used
and
throughout the
Stratigraphy
course
(Wiley-
It NEEDS to be
Blackwell)
read!
Please, also consider to
explore the additional
References (in syllabus)
Course Grading
• Midterm examination: 20%
• Lab TOTAL: 30%
» Lab reports: 40%
» Lab midterm: 20%
» Lab final 40%
• Final examination: 50%
Just a few concepts…
• Sedimentology vs. Stratigraphy
• Importance of sediments and
sedimentary rocks
SEDIMENTOLOGY
Study of the processes of formation,
transport and deposition of material
that accumulates as sediment in
continental and marine environments,
and eventually via lithification forms
sedimentary rocks
STRATIGRAPHY
Study of sedimentary rocks to
determine the order and timing
of events in earth history
SEDIMENTOLOGY vs.
STRATIGRAPHY
Different but commonly overlapping . . .
Sedimentology is concerned mainly with formation of
sedimentary rocks, but when these are analysed in
terms of their temporal (time) and spatial relationships
the study has become stratigraphic
If a stratigrapher interprets layers of rocks in terms of past
environments and processes, the research is then
sedimentological
Sedimentology and stratigraphy are normally considered
together . . .
BED (sandstone)
Cross bedding
(sedimentary
structure)
What process deposited the sands?
(e.g. strong unidirectional current)
In what environment were the sands deposited?
(e.g. river channel, beach, eolian dune?)
= ‘Sedimentology’
BED SUCCESSION - many beds
Thick beds
(younger)
Time
Thin beds
(older)
Changes in sedimentation clearly occurred over time
Interpreting those changes and their temporal
meaning is essentially stratigraphic in approach
Sedimentary rocks also vary laterally in space
Interpreting spatial relationships of sedimentary rocks
(especially large-scale) is also stratigraphic in approach
Importance of
sedimentology and
stratigraphy
• Academic
• Economic
Sediments and sedimentary rocks cover
75- 80% of the Earth’s surface, although
they constitute about 5% of Earth’s
crustal mass
Sedimentary rocks treasure the deep
history of our planet (i.e. the stratigraphic
record)
Sedimentary rocks contain the bulk of the
Earth’s energy resources and many of its
mineral resources
Global importance of sediments and
sedimentary rocks
Crustal abundance
5% 75% (66% = pre-Holocene)
Sediments Sediments
Other rocks Other rocks
By volume By exposure
Why the disparity?
Igneous and metamorphic rocks form at high T
and P - many minerals are unstable at earth’s
surface - they react (i.e. weather) to form more
stable minerals that will form sediments and
sedimentary rocks
Shallow marine deposits dominate much of the stratigraphic record
[Link]
~gabi/[Link]
Canadian Shield: 0 - few km Sediment thickness (km)
Sedimentary basins with thick
S. Saskatchewan: 3 - 6 km
sediments commonly contain
US Gulf Coast: > 15 km petroleum
ACADEMIC IMPORTANCE
of sedimentary rocks
- Provide archives to decipher the history of
the Earth’s surface and evolution of life
- Paleoenvironmental interpretations
(Archean rocks to archeology)
- Paleogeographical reconstructions
- Detailed analysis of climate changes
HUGE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
Sediments and sedimentary rocks
provide many different resources:
• Oil and gas
• Coal
• Aquifers
• Minerals
Pores
between
grains are
important!
e.g., slope failures
Understanding
sedimentology and
stratigraphy is also
very important in
geological and civil
engineering . . .
Isle of Portland, Dorset:
limestones
. . .and in
archaeology
Acheulian hand axes,
Olorgesailie, Kenya
READING MATERIALS
• Nicholson textbook (2009 edition)
• Chapter 1