Grain-size classifcation of

clastic and carbonate rocks

A chart for estimating grain size in

the feld

The distinction between well-sorted and poorlysorted refers to the distribution of grain sizes
within an individual bed
Eolian dune sands, many fluvial deposits shown
by the well-sorted sandstone
Debris-flow conglomerates are typically very
poorly sorted

Siltstone and mudstone can be distinguished in

a hand specimen by the presence or absence of
a gritty
texture.
For conglomerates,
maximum
clast size is often
a useful parameter to measure:
Taking the average of the 10 largest clasts
visible within a specifed region of an outcrop.
It is also important to note the degree of
sorting, clast shape and roundness, matrix
content, and fabric of conglomerate beds.
Do the clasts float in abundant matrix, a rock
type
termed
matrix-supported

Field geologists traditionally take a dropper

bottle of 10 % hydrochloric acid with them to
test for carbonate content and to aid in
distinguishing limestone from dolomite (on the
basis of fzziness).
Dolomite commonly can be distinguished from
limestone by its yellowish weathering color in
Evaporites
areadifficult
to study
the feld, but
better feld
test in
is surface
to use
alizarin red-Soutcrops.
in weak acid solution.
They are soft and recessive and commonly
poorly exposed, except in arid environments

Reduced sediments may contain organically

derived carbon and Fe2+ compounds, such as
sulfdes, imparting green or drab gray colors.
Oxidized sediments may be stained various
shades of red, yellow, or brown by the presence
of Fe3+ compounds such as hematite and
limonite.

Thickness relates to rate of environmental

change and to depositional energy.
In some cases, bed thickness and maximum
grain size are correlated, indicating that both
are
controlled
by
the
capacity
and
competency of single depositional events.
Bed-thickness changes may be an important
indicator
of
cyclic
changes
in
the
environment, and sedimentologists frequently
refer to thinning-upward and fining-

Sediment carried in turbulent suspension by

mass gravity-transport processes, such as
debris
flows
and
turbidity
When
the flow
slows
and
ceases, currents,
the sortingismay
subjected
to internal
sorting
processes.
be preserved
as a distinct
texture
termed
Graded Bedding. Grading commonly consists of
an upward decrease in grain size, this is
termed normal grading. However, certain
Cohesive grains are those that are small
sedimentary processes result in an upward
enough that they tend to be bound by
increase in grain size, termed inverse
electrostatic forces and thus resist erosion once
grading
deposited on a bed (clay minerals and fne silt
particles). Larger clastic grains, including

e ripples in shallow-water dolo

b) Ripples and climbing

ripples in glaciofluvial
outwash.

c) Planar crossbedding in drill co

d) trough crossbedding flow

direction towards the right.

e) low-angle crossbedding; flow direction towards the le

Planar crossbedding in sandstone

lanar crossbedding in modern river grav

Herringbone crossbedding (crossbed

dip direction reverses 180 from set
to set)

view of the underside of a bed

showing parting lineation with
scour hollows around small
pebbles

There are three main classes of bedforms and

crossbedding found in ancient rocks:
Those formed from unidirectional water currents
such as are found in rivers and deltas, and
oceanic circulation currents in marine shelves
and the deep sea.
Those formed by oscillatory water-currents,
including both wave- and tide-generated
features. Although the time scale of currentreversal is, of course, quite different, there are
comparable features between the structures
generated in these different ways.
Those formed by air currents. Such currents may