WHAT IS A SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENT A sedimentary environment is an area of the earth's surface where sediment is deposited.

It can be distinguished from other areas on the basis of its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. TRANSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS Transitional environments are those environments at or near the transition between the land and the sea MARINE ENVIRONMENTS Marine environments are those environments in the seas or oceans CONTINENTAL ENVIRONMENTS Continental environments are those environments which are present on the continents Alluvial fans are fan-shaped deposits formed at the base of mountains Alluvial fans are most common in arid and semi-arid regions where rainfall is infrequent but torrential, and erosion is rapid. Alluvial fan sediment is typically coarse, poorly- sorted gravel and sand Fluvial environments include braided and meandering river and stream systems. River channels, bars, levees, and floodplains are parts (or subenvironments) of the fluvial environment. Channel deposits consist of coarse, rounded gravel, and sand. Bars are made of sand or gravel. Levees are made of fine sand or silt. Floodplains are covered by silt and clay

Lacustrine environments or lakes are diverse; they may be large or small, shallow or deep, and filled with terrigenous, carbonate, or evaporitic sediments. Fine sediment and organic matter settling in some lakes produced laminated oil shales

Deserts Aeolian or aolian environments usually contain vast areas where sand is deposited in dunes. Dune sands are cross-bedded, well sorted, and well rounded, without associated gravel or clay

WHAT KINDS OF FEATURES HELP US TO IDENTIFY ANCIENT SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS Sedimentary rocks, which are exposed in many areas, contain clues that help us to determine the sedimentary environment in which they were deposited millions of years ago. By an examination of the physical, chemical, andbiological characteristics of the rock, we can determine the environment of deposition Each sedimentary environment has its unique combination of physical, chemical, and

biological features. These features help us to identify the sedimentary environment in which a rock was deposited In lab, you will be examining hand specimens of sedimentary rocks, describing their physical, chemical, and biological features, and then, interpreting their possible sedimentary environments of deposition. Geologists consider the characteristics that we will study in lab (see outline below), but they also study the geometry of the sedimentary deposits, the vertical sequence in which the rocks occur, and the paleocurrent directions Certain generalizations can be made, which help in identifying the depositional environment. For example, fluvial sequences become finer upward, whereas delta and lacustrine sequences coarsen upward. These predictable changes occur because the environments migrate over one another as sea level changes, or as a basin fills with sediment As a general rule, grain size is coarser in shallow water "high energy" environments where waves or currents are present. Waves and currents transport finer sediment offshore into "low energy" environments, generally in deep, quiet water. Fine grain size indicates deposition in a "low energy", quiet water environment In some areas far from shore (or far from a source of terrigenous input) only the shells of planktonic micro-organisms contribute to the sediment. These microscopic shells accumulate to form rocks such as chalk or diatomite

Any area where sediment is capable of accumulating is considered a depositional environment. Each depositional environment posseses distinctive physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that allow for specific kinds of deposits. Continental enviroments refers to all depostion that occurs on land; this includes fluvial systems (rivers and streams), lakes, deserts and areas adjacent to or covered by glaciers. At first glance it may seem impossible to be able to determine exactly which environment produced a given sediment but the factors that allow deposition behave extremely different in each environment.

Fluvial environments are those environments that are dominated by runnin water and are characterized as either a meandering stream system or a braided stream system. Braided stream systems are typically found in areas with high slopes or in areas where the water contains a high sediment load. In either case, braided stream systems are characterized by fast moving water in multiple shallow channels that appear to be braided. These channels form when fast moving water dramatically slows and the larger particles (such as gravels) are deposited within the channel and block the flow of water. Because braided stream systems are high energy smaller clast sizes, such as silts and clays, are not deposited instead they are washed further down stream. As a result braided stream systems can be

identified by their shallow channels of crossbedded-sands, gravel deposits, and the lack of mud or clays. Unlike braided stream systems, meandering stream systems have a single stream channel and are found on gently sloped or flat areas. As a result of the gentle slopes water moves relatively slowly and is therefore only capable of carrying sediments no larger than sand. As the meandering stream moves across the land point bars develop on the inside curve of each turn. Point bars are depositional features that consist of crossbedded-sands and caused by the change in velocity of water as it moves through a curved channel. Meandering streams also develop large flood plains on either side of the stream channel. During flood stages excess water carrying suspended particles of silts and clays flows away from the fastmoving channel water. As a result this water is slowed and the finer particles deposited on the flood plain.

Because of their size desert environments are typically identified by the assoication of many geologic features, such as sand dunes (Large scale cross-bedded sands), alluvial fan deposits, and playa lake deposits. Alluvial fans form where streams and debris flows discharge from mountains onto a valley floor leaving a triagular, or wedge-shaped, deposit of sands and gravel; typically the larger clasts are more abundant closer to their sources. Beyond the alluvial fans wind flowing down the mountain slope is able to pick up previously deposited sands and redeposit them along the desert floor in sand dunes. Lastly, many deserts contain lakes formed from seasonal rains called playa lakes. Because the water contained within a lake is extremely still it is a low energy environment. During rainy seasons the water washing into the basin of the lake will carry the sands, silts, and clays off the dry desert floor. As this water enters the newly formed lake the velocity of the water drops to nearly zero and throughout the dry season the finer particles of clay are capable of settling on the lake floor. Because this process occurrs every year playa lake deposits produce thin layers of mud, called varves, that record the seasonal deposition. The sediment deposited in glacial environments is collectively known as drift. Glacial drift is deposited through a number of processes and is categorized as either till or outwash. Till is deposited directly by the melting ice along the glacial margin and consists of all sediment that has been picked up by the glacier as it scraped across the surface of the Earth. Unlike fluvial systems where the speed of the liquid water controls the maximum

size particle that can be transported, glaciers have no limit to the size clast they are capable of transporting. Although they may move extremely slow-maybe only a few inches a day-- any object that is incorporated into the icy structure is simply moved along with the ice and is eventually deposited in linear piles along the glacial margin. These linear piles of till are known as glacial moraines. Outwash deposits form as meltwater from the glacier deposits sands and silts in braided stream environments directly in front of the glacial margin.