Chapter-5 Sediments and Surface Transfers

Question 1

are fragmented materials that originate from weathering and erosion of rocks or unconsolidated deposits, and are transported by, suspended in, or deposited by water

Answer 1

Sediments

Question 2

soil material subsequently transported away from its source, mostly by water

Answer 2

Sediments

Question 3

is essentially the erosional environment (source of sediment)

Answer 3

The Land

Question 4

is essentially the depositional environment (sediment is buried beneath subsequent layers)

Answer 4

The Sea

Question 5

Sedimentary materials:

Answer 5

Sandstone
Clay
Limestone

Question 6

mineral grains (mostly quartz, muscovite), rock fragments and volcanic debris

Answer 6

Sandstone

Question 7

– breakdown products, organic debris mainly dominated by plant material

Answer 7

Clay

Question 8

organic debris dominated by marine shell debris, dominantly calcite solutes from sea water due to biological activity

Answer 8

Limestone

Question 9

– movement of sediments

Answer 9

Sediment Transport

Question 10

– how sediments are collected and added to a landform or landmass

Answer 10

Sediment Deposition

Question 11

is far the most important agent of sediment transport, followed by wind and ice.

Answer 11

Water

Question 12

– when suspended in water, coarser debris have lower velocities than finer debris.
Water’s ability to transport sediment depends on its velocity

Answer 12

Stoke’s law

Note:Larger particles can only be moved by faster flows
Therefore, sediment is sorted during water transport

Question 13

works on the steeper slopes producing landslides and colluvium (loose unconsolidated soil in hillsides)

Answer 13

Gravity

Question 14

moves only fine particles

Answer 14

Wind

Question 15

transports are powerful, but restricted by climate

Answer 15

Ice

Question 16

may blast debris over limited distances

Answer 16

Volcanic Activity

Question 17

Types of Sediment Transport:

Answer 17

Water
Stoke's Law
Gravity
Wind
Ice
Volcanic Activity

Question 18

sorted and stratified, mostly sand and clay. Mostly forms alluvium and lake sediments

Answer 18

Water on Land

Question 19

final destination of most sediment. Sorted and stratified in beds. Turbidity currents carry sediments into deeper basins

Answer 19

Sea

Question 20

– unsorted debris dumped in the melt zones of glaciers

Answer 20

Ice

Question 21

Types of Sediment Deposition

Answer 21

Water on land
River Deposition
sea
Ice

Question 22

the process by which a weak, loose sediment is turned into a stronger sedimentary rock. Also known as diagenesis in geology and consolidation in engineering.

Answer 22

Lithification

Question 23

three main processes of lithification:

Answer 23

COMPACTION
CEMENTATION
CRYSTALLIZATION

Question 24

– restructuring and change in grain packing, with decrease in volume due to burial pressure, with consequent reduction of porosity as water is squeezed out.

Answer 24

Compaction

Question 25

the filling of the inter-granular pore spaces by deposition of a mineral cement brought in by circulating ground water.

Answer 25

Cementation

Question 26

– small scale solution and deposition of mineral, so that some grains become smaller and some become larger. Similar to cementation, but results are stronger mosaic texture.

Answer 26

Crystallization

Question 27

– formed by weathering processes that break down rocks into pebble, sand, or clay particles by exposure to wind, ice, and water (moving fluids) aka Detrital Rocks

Answer 27

Clastic Sedimentary Rocks

Question 28

– formed by chemical reactions and precipitation of different elements dissolved in water, chiefly in the ocean aka Chemical Rocks

Answer 28

Non-clastic Sedimetary Rocks

Question 29

– composed of rounded gravel, pebbles, cobbles, or boulders along with similar rock pieces

Answer 29

Conglomerate

Question 30

– similar to conglomerate except its gravel, pebbles, cobbles or boulders have a sharper, angular shape

Answer 30

Breccia

Question 31

–composed of sand

Answer 31

Sandstone

Question 32

composed of silt

Answer 32

Siltstone

Question 33

composed of clay-sized particles (smaller than 4 micrometers in diameter)

Answer 33

Shale

Question 34

– composed of the mineral calcite, may contain or may be made of marine fossils, formed by precipitation from water

Answer 34

Limestone

Question 35

Clastic Sedimentary rocks:

Answer 35

``` Conglomerate Breccia Sandstone Siltstone Shale ```

Question 36

– composed of sodium and chlorine, formed by evaporation. Also known as rock salt

Answer 36

Halite

Question 37

– composed of gypsum, formed by evaporation

Answer 37

Rock Gypsum

Question 38

– composed of microscopic mineral grains of quartz, very hard with sharp edges

Answer 38

Chert

Question 39

Non-Clastic Sedimentary Rocks:

Answer 39

Shale Halite Rock gypsum Chert

Question 40

Types of Sedimentary Structures

Answer 40

``` Stratification/Bedding Cross-Bedding Graded Bedding Ripple Marks Mud Cracks Fossils ```

Question 41

refers to the way sediment layers are stacked over each other, and can occur on the scale of hundreds of meters, and down to submillimeter scale.   It is a fundamental feature of sedimentary rocks.

Answer 41

Stratification

Question 42

are large scale reflection of transport of gravel and sand by currents that flow over the sediment surface (river channels). Sediment is moved up and eroded along a gentle up-current slope, re-deposited on the down current slope

Answer 42

Cross-Bedding

Question 43

when the grain size within a bed decreases upwards. Commonly associated with turbulent suspension flows, they are initiated by slope failure, or earthquake that triggers down slope movement of sediment.

Answer 43

Graded Bedding

Question 44

are produced by flowing water or wave action, similar to cross-bedding, only on a smaller scale

Answer 44

Ripple Marks

Question 45

form when a water rich in mud dries out on the air.

Answer 45

Mud cracks

Question 46

when remains of a number of biologically-created organisms exist in a sedimentary structure

Answer 46

Fossils

Question 47

Types of Fossils

Answer 47

BODY FOSSILS – contain the actual organism remain | TRACE FOSSILS – contain geological records of a biological activity (footprint, burrows, imprints)

Question 48

SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS (Depositional environments):

Answer 48

``` Continental Transitional Marine Evaporite Glacial Volcanic ```

Question 49

Continental Depositional environment:

Answer 49

Alluvial Aeolian Fluvial Lacustrine

Question 50

Transitional Depositional Environment:

Answer 50

Deltaic lagoonal Beach

Question 51

Marine Depositional Environment:

Answer 51

Shallow Water Marine Deep water Marine Reef

Question 52

– is loose, unconsolidated environment which has been eroded, reshaped by water into another form and re-deposited in a non-marine setting

Answer 52

Continental Alluvial (Alluvium, Alluvial Fan)

Question 53

– similar to alluvial fan, but deposition is via action of wind. Also known as dunes.

Answer 53

Continental Aeolian (Eolian)

Question 54

processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them.

Answer 54

Continental Fluvial

Question 55

– water localized in a basin, surrounded by land apart, may or maybe connected by any river or other outlet. Also known as lakes

Answer 55

Continental Lacustrine

Question 56

– landform formed at the mouth of a river, where the river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake or reservoir. Generally characterized by deposits of sediments.

Answer 56

Transitional Deltaic (River Delta)

Question 57

– similar to lacustrine environment, except that it is a shallow body of water and it is separated from a larger body of water by small landmasses, barrier islands or reefs.

Answer 57

Transitional Lagoonal

Question 58

– landform along the coast of an ocean, sea or lake, or river.

Answer 58

Transitional Beach