STRATIGRAPHY 2

Sediments in TIME and SPACE

http://www.eos.ubc.ca/courses/eosc326/content/EOSC326/
ID: eosc326
PW: ammonite
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LECTURE OUTLINE
# LITHOSTRATIGRAPHIC FORMATIONS
# FACIES
# FACIES AND SEA LEVEL CHANGE
# CASE 1: Stead State
# CASE 2: Transgression
# CASE 3: Regression
# Facies as Diachronous units
# WALTHERS LAW
# MECHANISMS OF SEA LEVEL CHANGE
# Crustal Deformation
# Isostatic Redress
# Global Eustatic Effects
# Glaciation
# Spreading Ridge Activity
# ENVIRONMENTS WHERE DEPOSITION OCCURS
#
MID TERM 1 HEADS UP
MA1L8lAL CCvL8Lu:

1. Module 1 and 2
2. Pomework readlngs 1, 2 and 3.
3. AlLhough Lhe pre-readlngs wlll noL be examlned
dlrecLly you are sull expecLed Lo be famlllar wlLh
Lhe maLerlal presenLed ln Lhem.
$
Learning Goals
1.# Dene a lithostratigraphic formation
2.# Dene a sedimentary facies and and explain how they may differ
laterally
3.# Predict how facies will change vertically in response to sea level
rise (transgression) and fall (regression)
4.# Dene Walthers Law
5.# List mechanisms of global (eustatic) and local sea level change.
6.# Relate sedimentary environments to the types of sediments
deposited in those environments and how this all relates to Earth
System Science.
%
Distinctive rock unit that
has recognizable contacts
with units above and
below.

Rock type / fossils

content / sedimentary
structures
ALSO must be able to
trace it across country
must be able to MAP it

Lithostratigraphic Formations
&
Formations: 1 rock
type or
associations of
rock type, eg
Uinta Formation, Utah: composed of Sand and Siltstones
'
How many formations would you tentatively identify?
Mark them on the LHS of this photograph
The Grand Canyon
(
i>clicker: How many formations did you identify?
The Grand Canyon
A: 2
B: 3
C: 5
D: 6
E: 7

)
Lithostratigraphic
Formations in the
Grand Canyon
At least 10
in this
part..
probably
more
note
Group
*
REMEMBER: A sediment is deposited as a factor of the
environment in which it is being deposited
EG: Near shore sands deposited by a slow advancing sea.

NOTE: although this is all the SAME TYPE OF SEDIMENT the

sediments at A were deposited BEFORE the sediments at B
!+
nC1L lC8 2013: need Lo explaln Lhls slldes beuer
Develops concept of Formations a little further

Facies: part of a rock body that has characteristics from which

we can infer the depositional environment.

Consider this EXAMPLE of where sediment is being

deposited.
FACIES: A Denition
See page 102 106 for additional information
!!
reverse engineer what the sediments make up this rock
sand closest to shore. heaviest. currents cant carry them further out
Carbonates:
sediment produced by planktons
Turbulent (waves)
High Energy
Environment
RIVER INPUT
All clastic
sediments
have been
deposited
All coarse
sediments
have been
deposited
A coccolithophore: just
one type of CaCO
3

secreting planktonic
creature
Again in a little more detail..
Non clastic, biological sediment composed
of CaCO
3
Low Energy Environment
NOTE: this slope is greatly exaggerated
!#
key to unravel ancient system because of the course -> ne sediment deposition
# Facies are dened by: sediment type, type of sedimentary
structures (example: ripples) and sometimes their fossil
content

# Since depositional environments grade laterally into other

environments- facies changes are GRADUAL
Fossil Ripples
Trilobites in a sediment
Various sedimentary structures
!$
l>cllcker: Whlch facLors are responslble for Lhe relauve
posluons of Lhe sandsLone and shale facles ln Lhls gure?
l.# 1urbulence of waLer
ll.# Slze of sedlmenLary gralns
lll.# 8lology
lv.# WaLer depLh
v.# WaLer LemperaLure
Sand
Mud and Clay
Carbonate mud
River:
input of sediment
Shoreline
Sea level
A.# l. ll. lv. v.
8.# l. ll. lll. lv.
C.# l. ll. lv.
u.# lll. lv. v.
L.# lll. lv.
!%
answer C
HOWEVER:
Lets complicate things

Plot sea level versus time:

Facies SHIFT through time

due to changes in sea level

LOCAL and GLOBAL

(Global = Eustatic)
Facies and
Sea Level
Change
hup://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/llle:hanerozolc_Sea_Level.png
!&
sea levels affect the facies drop position. as the boundaries
will move for the coarse and ne sediments
CASE 1: the rate at which sediments are deposited keeps pace
with any changes in sea level T1 T3
RIVER
INPUT
Facies boundaries in
about the same
location over time
T
I
M
E

Shoreline doesnt
change location
A
A
Pebbles/Gravel
Sand
Silt
Muddy
carbonates
- facies boundaries and the location of the shoreline will not
change location over time
!'
no relative change in sea level, so the facies boundaries didnt really change
We often can not see a cross section with all the facies exposed.

Just have a thin core of sediment in order to work out how sea
level has changed in the past
hup://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/llle:8C_urlll_8lg_WesLern_AusLralla.[pg hup://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/llle:ulamond_Core.[peg
!(
T1

T2
T3

If you were to extract a
core of sediments from
the area indicated in
case 1 at A A, this is
what that sedimentary
core would look like
the SAME facies from
the bottom to the top of
the core.
A
A
As the sedimentary facies
are THE SAME over time
from the bottom of the
core (oldest) to the top of
the core (youngest) then
the environmental
conditions (sea level)
MUST HAVE BEEN THE
SAME OVER TIME
Top of the
sedimentary
core (youngest)
Bottom of the
sedimentary core
(oldest)
!)
T1(oldest) and T3(youngest)
were sand, so it tells us the environment/sea level did not change
that much
CASE 2: Sea Level RISES over time: A TRANSGRESSION

- Facies MIGRATE in direction of ADVANCING shore line

Shore line
at Time-rock unit B
Shore line
at Time-rock unit A
Shore line
at Time-rock unit C
!*
environment is varying
NOTE the core of sediments you would get in this case
Progressively ner
sediments: Finer facies
OVERLY coarse facies:
SEA LEVEL MUST BE
RISING. Facies are said
to demonstrate
onlapping behaviour
Shore line A
Shore line B
Shore line C
#+
CASE 3: Sea Level FALLS over time: A REGRESSION

- Facies migrate in direction of RETREATING shoreline

Progressively coarse
sediments: Coarse facies
OVERLY ne facies: SEA
LEVEL MUST BE
FALLING. Facies
demonstrate
backstepping behaviour
- NOTE the core of sediments you would get in this case
Oldest
shore line
Old shore
line
Current shore line
#!
l>cllcker: lf Lhls core of sedlmenL had been exLracLed from
a conunenLal slope sedlmenLary envlronmenL, whlch of
Lhe followlng sLaLemenLs may be Lrue ?
A.# 1hls area had been experlenclng sea level rlse
8.# 1hls area had been experlenclng sea level fall
C.# 1hls area had seen seen no relauve change ln sea level
u.# 1he ocean had been conslsLenLly LurbulenL (hlgh energy)
LhroughouL Lhe ume of deposluon of Lhe sedlmenL
L.# 1he ocean had been conslsLenLly quleL (low energy)
LhroughouL Lhe ume of deposluon of Lhe sedlmenL
nC1L: slope here ls C8LA1L? exaggeraLed
1op of core
8ouom of core
C
a
r
b
o
n
a
L
e
s

S
l
l
L
s

S
a
n
d
s

C
l
a
y

##
answer B
Key
Pebbles/
Gravel Sand
Silt
Carbonate
mud
Increasing grain size
Existing
land
surface
Sea Level
Input of
sediment
Facies as Diachronous units
Diachronus = time crossing

Example: with sea level rise

Shore line
T1
NOTE TIME
HORIZON T1
NOTE: Slope GREATLY exaggerated
#$
Key
Pebbles/
Gravel Sand
Silt
Carbonate
mud
Increasing grain size
Existing
land
surface
Sea Level
Input of
sediment
Shore line
T1
NOTE TIME
HORIZON T1
#%
Sea Level
Input of
sediment
Shore line
T2
Shore line
T1
Movement of shoreline: TRANSGRESSION
As Before:
- sea level rises
- facies migrate in the
direction of the moving
shoreline.
NOTE TIME
HORIZON T2
Key
Pebbles/
Gravel Sand
Silt
Carbonate
mud
Increasing grain size
Existing
land
surface
#&
Sea Level
Input of
sediment
Shore line
T2
Shore line
T1
Shore line
T3
- Sea level continues
to rise.
Movement of shoreline: TRANSGRESSION
NOTE TIME
HORIZON T3
Key
Pebbles/
Gravel Sand
Silt
Carbonate
mud
Increasing grain size
Existing
land
surface
#'
Sea Level
Input of
sediment
Shore line
T2
Shore line
T1
Shore line
T3
Shore line
Today
Movement of shoreline: TRANSGRESSION
Boundaries
between different
sea oors.. T1-T3
Effectively time
horizons (red)
Boundaries
between
different facies
(yellow)
If we just correlated the same sediment TYPE (facies
boundaries. The yellow lines) we would be CROSS
CUTTING the red time lines (T1, T2, T3)
#(
On this diagram draw the
facies boundaries and time
lines .
Movement of shoreline: Transgression or regression?
NOTE: Slope GREATLY exaggerated
Key
Pebbles/
Gravel Sand
Silt
Carbonate
mud
Increasing grain size
Existing
land
surface
#)
Indicate with an X the
youngest conglomerate.
Indicate with a Y the
oldest carbonate.
Movement of shoreline: REGRESSION
facies
time
Key
Pebbles/
Gravel Sand
Silt
Carbonate
mud
Increasing grain size
Existing
land
surface
#*
l>cllcker: Cverall whaL has been happenlng Lo relauve sea
level as represenLed by Lhls gure? (assume facles
boundarles are verucal).
l.# 8elauve sea level ls falllng
ll.# 8elauve sea level ls rlslng
lll.# SedlmenL lnpuL ls keeplng pace wlLh
sea level change
lv.# SedlmenL lnpuL ls noL keeplng pace
wlLh sea level change
v.# 8elauve sea level ls consLanL
Sand
Mud and Clay
Carbonate mud
River:
input of sediment
Shoreline
Sea level
A.# l. lll. v.
8.# l. lv.
C.# ll. lv.
u.# l. lll.
L.# lll. v.
$+
answer E
because facies boundary
are vertical
l>cllcker: lf sea level was rlslng whaL would be Lhe
orlenLauon of Lhe facles boundarles?
Sand
Mud and Clay
Carbonate mud
River:
input of sediment
Shoreline
Sea level
A.# lrom le Lo rlghL
8.# 1owards deeper waLer
C.# lrom rlghL Lo le
u.# 8oundary orlenLauon would be varlable
L.# lacles boundarles would be verucal
$!
answer A.
SO WHAT IS ALL THIS LEADING TO?

We know the following facts:

1.# Facies are distributed due to changing conditions of deposition

over the surface of our planet. In our example, shallow high
energy, near shore conditions are characterized by sand.
Deeper, quieter conditions are characterized by ner grained
sediments.

2.# As conditions change (such as sea level) facies will appear to

MIGRATE, following their particular environmental conditions.

3.# Over time this will lead to patterns of facies as one facies
MIGRATES OVER ANOTHER.
Walthers Law
$#
4. This means that when we recover a vertical
succession of rock (like the one we used in our
example) we can PREDICT the lateral equivalence
of facies

As we go from coarse, near-shore facies at the
bottom of the core to off-shore, deeper water
carbonate sediments at the top of the core, sea
level (in this example) must have been RISING over
time.

silts
sands
Conglomerates
silts
sands carbonates
carbonates
silts
sands
carbonates
pebbles
sands
silts
Carbon
-ates

bottom
top
The uneven boundaries between the facies are
an attempt to demonstrate that facies GRADE
into each other just as environments grade into
each other.
Conglomerates
Conglomerates
$$
This is summed up in WALTHERS LAW

Facies that occur in a CONFORMABLE VERTICAL
SUCCESSION of strata, were deposited in laterally adjacent
depositional environments.
or put another way
adjacent sedimentary environments (facies) will end up
overlapping one another over time.
S
ea level fall
Sea level rise
Shore line
Beach
sediments
Near shore
sediments
Off shore
sediments
$%
1. Crustal Deformation (Local)
# Mountain building
# Subduction
# Continental collision
Mechanisms of Sea Level Change
(i.e. relative sea level)
$&
2. Isostatic redress (local)
# E.g. Removing ice sheets from Scotland
# Scotland relative regression, England relative transgression
$'
ocean crust sag down because ice too heavy
Scotland: Raised Beaches
England: Big Trouble!
Depositing lots of sediment can also cause the crust to sag
hup://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/llle:1hames_8arrler,_London,_Lngland_-_leb_2010.[pg
$(
London, the 10 barrier, is helping to prevent ooding due to the
crust will raise if they weren't there
depression
The Michigan Basin
-# 4900m Lhlck ln Lhe cenLre
-# ueposluon from Cambrlan - !urasslc
$)
too much sediments deposited that the crust
sags
positive feedback. getting heavier, causing
more sag, causing more .
3. Global Eustatic Controls
1. Glaciation
$*
ice sheet grew, sea level sink.
sea level rise, ice sheet smaller
2. Spreading Ridge Activity
# Active spreading - Large Ocean Ridges hot and buoyant
# Displace ocean water
%+
a lot of activity will produce a lot of mountain change, also displace water out therefore higher sea levels.
global effect not local
Environments where deposition occurs
Terrestrial transitional Marine: see readings
%!
higher sea level affect how
river deposit sediments
l>cllcker: lf sea level were Lo rlse whaL do you Lhlnk would
happen Lo Lhe characLer of Lhe sedlmenLs belng
deposlLed ln Lhe submarlne fan?
A.# 1here would be no change
8.# 1he sedlmenLs would become coarser
C.# 1he sedlmenLs would become ner
u.# 1he sedlmenLs would be mosLly composed of feldspar
L.# 1he sedlmenLs would be eroded.
%#
answer c
"#$% &'()*+,- .,(-/+0 1$- *2&+'%$0%3
Sea level change wlll eecL Lhe characLer of ALL facles belng deposlLed ln
ALL sedlmenLary envlronmenLs

4%,56 /&7

"89:; <=>"8 4?4"<@ 4A9<:A<
=-B 6+,'-(CD7
!"# #%&& '()*+%*+ ,-) &-.-& )/-'01
-# dlsLances sedlmenL wlll Lravel
-# areas of deposluon
-# eroslon
-# naLure of cllmaLe ln lnLerlor of conunenLs
-# Lhe naLure of blosphere ln eecLed areas
-# Lypes of sedlmenLs belng produced
ID: eosc326 .
PW: ammonite
http://www.eos.ubc.ca/courses/eosc326/content/
EOSC326/
%$