Ministry of higher Education

And Scientific Research

University of Missan
College of Petroleum Engineering
The first stage

Muamel Ali Mohsen

Dr. Raed Saaie Jasim

 Sandstone classification;
More than 50 classification systems.

Petrographic analysis (or grain size analysis) isrequired for estimating composition.

Classification firstly proposed by Krynine (1940’s), Folk(1950’s) and Pettijohn (1950’s and 1960’s), and

modified by Dott in 1964.

Classification based on texture (grain size)

depositional environment

Classification based on mineralogy- tectoni

Which classification should you use?

depends on the

purpose of the study that you are participating in Petrographic point counting (250 to 300 counts) on thin section
usingmicroscope is to estimate rock composition semi-quantitatively.
 classification of Folk

Folk's classification is that the name of a rock must convey as much information as possible without being
a complete description. For this, he proposed five important properties of sandstones to use as defining
characteristics. These five properties are: grain size, chemically precipitated cements, textural maturity,
miscellaneous transported constituents, and clan designation. Folk's fivefold name must be in the
following format:
(Grain size): (chemically precipitated cements) (textural maturity) (miscellaneous transported
constituents) (clan designation)

However, Folk stated that cements and miscellaneous transported constituents are optional categories as
they are not always observed. The other three properties should always be mentioned.
The following are examples of rock names using Folk's fivefold name:
 Coarse sandstone: calcitic submature micaceous subarkoseFine sandstone: supermature
quartzareniteSandy granule conglomerate: calcitic submature calclithiteVery fine sandstone: chert-
cemented submature quartzose phyllareniteClayey very fine sandstone: immature fossiliferous plagioclase
arkose

Folk proposed a classification for sandstones based on the relative abundances of quartz (Q), feldspars (F), and rock
fragments (R). These are the main poles of the classification diagram.

To define the clan name one must normalize the sum of abundances of quartz, feldspars and rock fragments to 100%.
This means that other constituents that don't fit in these categories are disregarded. After this, the relative percentages
of quartz, feldspars and rock fragments are used to plot the appropriate point on a QFR triangle and obtain the clan
designation.

There are some exceptions when summing the abundances. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing quartz from
metaquartzite rock fragments, metaquartzite is always plotted on the Q pole of the QFR diagram along with quartz.
Granites and other phaneritic igneous rock fragments are plotted in the F pole of the diagram.
 If the abundances of quartz, feldspars and rock fragments indicate that the rock is an arkose, a subarkose or a lithic
arkose, one must then normalize the abundance of feldspars to 100% and attempt to identify the relative abundances
of K-feldspars to plagioclase in the sample. If there is more plagioclase than there is K-feldspar, the rock is either a
plagioclase arkose, a plagioclase subarkose or a lithic plagioclase arkose, respectively. If there is more K-feldspar than
there is plagioclase, or if it is too difficult to make a distinction between the feldspars, the name stays as arkose,
subarkose or lithic arkose, respectively.

If the abundances of quartz, feldspars and rock fragments indicate that the rock is a litharenite, a sublitharenite or a
feldspathic litharenite, one must then normalize the abundance of rock fragments to 100% and attempt to identify the
relative abundances volcanic rock fragments (VRFs) , metamorphic rock fragments (MRFs) and sedimentary rock
fragments (SRFs). If the relative abundances cannot be identified, then the clan name is simply obtained from the QFR
triangle. If the relative abundances can be obtained, one must plot the appropriate point in the VRF-MRF-SRF
triangle to obtain the clan name.

Textural maturity

Textural maturity is a property that relates to the amount of mechanical energy input on transported sediments
through the abrasive power of currents and tides. It is observed in certain characteristics such as rounding and sorting
of the grains. Folk states that as more mechanical energy is applied to transported sediment, this sediment will pass
through the following four stages sequentially:

Immature stage: The sediment contains more than 5% clay and sand grains are poorly sorted and angular.Submature
stage: The sediment contains less than 5% clay and sand grains are poorly sorted and subangular to
subrounded.Mature stage: The sediment contains little to no clay and sand grains are well sorted but not well
rounded.Supermature stage: Sediment contains no clay and sand grains are well sorted and well rounded.

Dott’s classification
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide).
Feldspar crystallize from magma as both intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks[4] and are also present in many types
of metamorphic rock. Rock formed almost entirely of calcic plagioclase feldspar is known as anorthosite.
Martrix (fine-grained - <0.03mm - material that is associated with the sand grains).
Rock fragments (sand grains that are made up crystals of two or more different minerals)

In Dott’s scheme the different varieties of quartz and feldspar are lumped into their respective end members. Folk has taken
this a step further where a distinction is made between potassium feldspars and plagioclases. Likewise, in Folk’s scheme
the lithic end member is subdivided into volcanic, metamorphic and sedimentary varieties. Note that chert presents an
interesting problem – pure chert consists of micro- and cryptocrystalline quartz but varieties transitional to mudstone-shale
are common. Dott and Folk treat chert as a lithic fragment (several other classifications also do this), whereas some
schemes treat chert as a variety of quartz
A quartz arenite (also known as orthoquartzite) has 95% or more quartz. A rock having feldspar content >25% and
subordinate lithics is an arkosic arenite or arkose; those with >25% lithic fragments and subordinate feldspars are lithic
arenites.

The real value of Dott’s scheme lies in its three dimensionality that visually incorporates the real-world continuum between
arenites, wackes and mudstones. The QFL end members are extended to the wacke realm such that we can designate
quartz, feldspathic (or arkosic) and lithic wackes.
This classification is based on the major component of most sandstones and provides a basis for a
consistentnomenclature for sandstones. Specific types of rock fragments may also be important in determining the history
of the sediment. Fragments of limestone or dolomite are simply classed as “rock fragments” using Dott’s scheme. Such
grains break down rapidly with transport so that their presence suggests that the sediment was deposited very close to the
area that it was produced.

I. Genetic Implications of Sandstone Composition

In addition to providing a basis for sandstone nomenclature, the composition of a sandstone also indicates something of
its history.

a) Maturity of a sandstone

Maturity refers to the cumulative changes that particles go through as it is produced by weathering and is transported to a
final site of deposition. Given that the source rocks for many sediments are pre-existing sedimentary rocks, a very mature
sediment may have been through the rock cycle several times.
Classification schemes are never perfect. The classifications illustrated here
can be applied to most terrigenous deposits with a bit of tweaking. Folk
chose to split the arenites, particularly the lithic end member, to
accommodate source rock variability. But there are some sediment types
that don’t fit the ‘norm’. QFL plots simply don’t apply to black sands that
contain abundant magnetite, ilmenite, amphiboles and pyroxenes (usually
of volcanic origin). Nor do they apply to sands that are a mix of bioclastic
carbonate and terrigenous material – the bioclasts certainly do not qualify
as lithics. Note that calclithite in both the schemes presented here refers to
reworked fragments of limestone and dolostone; it does not apply to first-
cycle carbonate fragments such as bioclasts or ooids – a separate
classification scheme is required for this class of carbonate sediment.

REFERENCES

1. Survey (U.S.). Publications of the Geological Survey 1879/1961. Washington,

DC: U. S.

Government Printing Office

2. Guerriero V, et al. (2012). "A permeability model for naturally fractured

carbonate

reservoirs". Marine and Petroleum Geology. 40: 115–134.

Bibcode:1990MarPG...7..410M.

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2012.11.002

3.Guerriero V, et al. (2011). "Improved statistical multi-scale analysis of

fractures in carbonate reservoir analogues". Tectonophysics. 504