CHAPTER

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The Occurrence of Sedimentary Rocks

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Pr.e-Holocene seciirnents and sedimentary rocks ifcy? i^pWattnentiU surtc& Mraba- ? l M'&^^w!r i Til r t e'xtenf Is c. M&uf >f gn^s an^ea^mr'^^ Mf *'^ r t ^ ; i JA-'-.. ii*>. ^wj&i!*^!'' 1

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fossil shells. (veu ils frajmiental na'urc. il ciiiild lie clas-sified as a sandstone (or a con-lomcratc) bul bocansc of its chcmical composijion it i.s ciisloitmrtly uii-ludi-d in the lnestones. Howsliould we cUissify y iin-K i-oinp.wd of subequai amounis o clay ltlwrai.s IM) mirrocrys-alline carbonate material (mar!)? Tin-n' are no pccl'i'<-t ajiswc-rs to ucli questions, only agr.-^d-oii comproinises, and sojiii'dmes not even those. lofk.s t'ritvl deti-ital or clastic are fomposed of spilinii'ii tliat lias undergone significant transport. Tie use of trese ternis is nonnally restricted to sicate niaterials. The mop. abundant sediinentai-y rocks aro the miid.. . ...................... .. .. ____ rocks, whicfi fonn 65% of nll sedimcnlary rocks. A 1110-

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. Seoimentary rocks consist almost eniirely (>95%) of llin'f rypes: samlstones, mudrocks, anc! carbonate rofks. Sund is del'ined as 'agmental sedimcni 2.0 to '0.00 itim in riiameter; muii, snialler thaii O.Ofl nini. Carbonate rooks are cornposerl largety of CaCO.; fcalcie or :ir;)j,'onire) or CaMg (COa)-/ (dolomile) with orlier carbonates being rai'e. Despite the long-sianding practice of pladng tliem in a seprate rategory because of tlteir cheinifd compositon, t!ie vas! ntajorify of carbonates also i-iginatcd as accumulalions of unid-, sanii-, o' giavi'l-sizeci fragments. As ex'pectcd, there are transi-lioiil rocks chat do not fit neatly n thi? three pigewn-holftS. Por exfimple, cocinjna is i ragmental rock coni-posed of sand-pizL'cl (or fine gravel-sized) fragmetiEs of

^'ill'Be'uiiSfcore, alra"wnrtm- ^""'ment's reflecton about the niineralogy of ijnious and inetainorpliic rocks suggests why inndiock.s domnate tlie averagc stratigraphic section. igncous and nietamoi-phic rocks are composed of apjirnxiinau'ly 'l?Xi (nariz and 809 olher silicale inincrals; only the qtiartz is chem-ically atable umler moyt snrfacu cmidijons. Tliu othor niincrjls (inostly teklspars) are unsiable whi'ii exposed the surface and are altered to a variely of Milistances, but inostly to clay minerals. Clay inincrals aro clay sized; henee, mudrnrlis are the dorninam sedimentary rock. The quartz in crystalne rocks i.s vojy ressml lo cliem-ical attack a:id occtirs clieniicilly imcliangcd in boili nmdnK-ks and .siublones. Many tliou-saiids of anilyscs by X-ray, polaiizinfemicioscope, and chemical twliniqifs shown niudi'ocks and sandstones to ha\v (he aver-deliil.'il ininerijl coiiipositions i.sU'd in Tablc 11-1. A tiletl avt-ra^i- sliows (lint !he dcnifal srdiiucnt in llie -y iluniii consiste fjf-l-'A'i i-lay niiin'ials, JfKi quart:, C% fold.-ipar, % undisafffegHieii rock IragdK'iit.s, antl J% oihf-rs. Aiom S.ri9'i is clay minerals or ijuanz, lili' most s:i)lc- miiiPns imilcr most stirfact1 condilions. t'learly, weatlierillg luis

buon a \-ciy effeclix'c jlogic time.