TO STUDY DIFFERENT PROPERTIES AND
TEXTURE OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
1. ROCKS
Rocks are aggregates of mineral grains. Most rocks are polyminerallic and contain several different
minerals. For example, granite contains the following minerals:
- Quartz
- 2types of the mineral feldspar: plagioclase and orthoclase
- 2 types of the mineral mica: muscovite and biotite
Some rocks contain grains of only one kind of mineral and are called monomineralic.
2. SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
These rocks form by deposition of sediment or precipitation of minerals at or near Earth’s surface.
There are two types of sedimentary rocks.
2.1Clastic
These types of rocks are formed by cementing together fragments or grains of pre-existing
rocks.
2.2Chemical
These types of rocks formed when minerals precipitate out of water solutions at the earth’s
surface.
Examples of Sedimentary Rocks
(a) Conglomerates
• Formed from rounded pebbles or boulders (>2mm in diameter).
• Cemented together with finer-grained material.
• Weather to a very coarse material-which-may form gravelly soft.
(b) Sandstone
• Consists of sand grains (0.5 to 2 mm in diameter)
• Gives rise to sandy or sandy loam soil.
(c) Shale
• Composed of minute particles (<0.005 mm diameter) which are consolidated.
• Predominant mineral is clay which is deposited in slowly moving water.
• Soils derived by shales are clayey.
(d) Limestone
• Usually, fine-grained chemical precipitates
• Principal minerals are Calcite and dolomite.
• During weathering the carbonate minerals dissolve and leach away.
• Remaining impurities determine the nature of the developed soil.
3. SEDIMENTARY ROCKS IDENTIFICATION
Sedimentary rocks are identified based on
3.1Bedding Or Stratification
(a) Different beds can be recognized based on color, grain size, texture, hardness and other
physical properties.
(b) In case of cross bedding sets of layers will not be parallel but mutually inclined.
3.2Cementing Material
Calcareous It imparts white color and pale color to sand stones and can be known by
acid test.
Feriginous Imparts shades of brown, red, or yellow color to sandstone.
Argillaceous It provides only weak cohesion for sand particles, which fall of rubbing
the sandstone.
Siliceous Resembles calcareous cementing material but provides competence and
durability to sandstone.
Glaucontic It provides green color to sandstone.
3.3Fossils
May be plant (leaf) fossils or shells (complete or broken) – common in shales and limestones.
3.4Ripple Marks
Rare, may appear in sandstones, shales and limestones. These appear as ware undulations on
rock surface.
3.5Peculiar Forms
Concretionary, nodular Laterites, Lime stones
Pisolotic Limestones, Laterites
Oolitic Limestones
Solution cavities Limestones
Lamination Shales
3.6Flaggy
Tendency to break into slab, due to parallel fractures. Sometimes these are noticed in lime
stones and sand stones.
3.7Fissility
Tendency to split along bedding planes. Some shale has this character.
3.8Conchoidal Fracture
In dense compact Limestones, less distinctly in shales
3.9Composition
Argillaceous Shales
Arinaceous Sandstones
Calcareous Limestones
3.10 Grain Size
Too fine to be seen as separate particles in shales and lime stones.
3.11 Surface touch
Gritty or rough in sand stones, smoot in shales and lime stones.