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GEOL 332 Lab #9: Petrography of Carbonate Rocks Name: _______________________

Due on Canvas by the beginning of lab next week

Carbonate Sedimentary Rocks in Thin Section

This lab focuses on observing and classifying carbonate sedimentary rocks in thin section. One of the largest groups of
non-clastic sedimentary rocks are “carbonates”. Carbonates differ from siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in that they are
usually composed of only 1 or 2 minerals (CaCO3 or CaMg(CO3)2). Carbonates also frequently contain >0.5 mm carbonate
grains called “allochems”, which may be skeletal (e.g., gastropods, crinoids, brachiopods) or non-skeletal (e.g., ooids,
peloids, intraclasts, grapestones).

VERY ABBREVIATED ATLAS OF SOME ALLOCHEMS

Intraclast: an allochem composed of composite

Ooids: concentrically coated, spherical allochems
that form through cementation on the sea floor in a
wave agitated environment (0.25 to 2.0 mm).
“Grapestones” are ooid aggregates.
Peloids: a generic term for allochems composed of
carbonate mud (micrite) irrespective of size, shape
(but they are usually round to ovoid) or origin. They
are commonly fossilized fecal pellets. Yum!
grains (equivalent to a rock fragment in
siliciclastic terms; BUT implies on the sea floor
cementation)

Rugose Coral: an extinct, solitary, and colonial corals Echinoderm: crinoids are one of the most common
that were abundant in Middle Ordovician to Late types of echinoderms. They resemble flowers with Mollusk: a very large phylum of animals, including
Permian seas their long cone-shaped stem and waving arms. clams and mussels. Their soft tissue is not
preserved, so look for shell fragments.

Foraminifera are single celled protists (not an

Gastropods are the largest group within the mollusk animal, fungus, or plant) with external shells of
phylum and include snails, so look for snail shells! Brachiopods look like clams, but they are actually diverse forms made of CaCO3, silt, clay, or older
very different. Look for the hair-like texture of their shell fragments.
shells.

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Bryozoa are a phylum of aquatic invertebrates that

are ~0.5 mm long. They are filter feeders that sieve
food particles out of the water. Black arrows to the
left indicate some different types. Look for their
sieved texture (cheese grater texture).

THIN SECTION S-33-43 (6 pts) THIN SECTION S-33-85 (6 pts)

Identify, sketch, and label at least TWO of the Identify, sketch, and label at least TWO of the
allochems shown on page 1 in the spaces below. allochems shown on page 1 in the spaces below.

Observed allochems: Observed allochems:

Field of view: Field of view:

_________ mm _________ mm

Observed allochems: Observed allochems:

Field of view: Field of view:

_________ mm _________ mm

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Carbonate Sedimentary Rock Naming

Bob Dunham (Shell Oil) devised a classification system for carbonate rocks in 1962. This classification system defines
carbonate rocks based on a set of criteria that includes (1) whether or not the rocks are grain-supported or matrix
supported, (2) what is the dominant grainsize of the allochems, and (3) whether their matrix is dominated by micrite
or calcite. Dunham’s names include mudstone, wackestone, packstone, grainstone, boundstone, and crystalline
carbonate. Follow the chart below to name them:

Robert Dunham
(1924-1994)

Bob Folk (University of Texas Austin) also devised a classification system for carbonate rocks in 1962. This
classification system defines carbonate rocks based on the type of allochems (e.g. fossils, ooids, pellets), ratio of mud
matrix (micrite) to allochems and the presence of sparite. Folk’s names include micrite, fossiliferous biomicrite, sparse
micrite, biosparite, and others. Use the chart below to name them:

Robert Folk
(1929-2018)

Micrite Spar Remember that the word ‘biomicrite’ or

matrix cement ‘biosparite’ above can be replaced with a
Fossils Biomicrite Biosparite prefix based on the allochem present. For
Allochem

Ooids Oomicrite Oosparite example, if >50% pellets are present in a

Pellets Pelmicrite Pelsparite mud matrix you may have a ‘packed
Intraclasts Intramicrite Intrasparite pelmicrite’.

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PICK ANY TWO SAMPLES FROM THIS PAGE (12 points)

SAMPLE: S-33-1
The hand sample of this thin section shows numerous 1-2 mm
allochems that look like spots. (Lots of air bubbles too
unfortunately!) Examine the spots, sketch and label them in circle
at left.
a) What are these “spots”?

b) How do these “spots” form. Also tell me if they were bound

together (cemented) during deposition or after deposition?

c) Name this rock following Dunham’s scheme:

FOV = _______mm
d) Name this rock following Folk’s scheme:

SAMPLE: S-33-50
Like S-33-1, this hand sample of this thin section also shows
numerous 1-2 mm spots. Draw & label these spots and the matrix
between them in the space to the left.
a) What are these “spots”?

b) Mud does not hold these spots together. What does?

c) Is this rock grain-supported?

d) Name this rock following Dunham’s scheme:

FOV = _______mm
e) Name this rock following Folk’s scheme:

SAMPLE: 67
Carefully sketch & label of the skeletal allochems to the left.
a) What is the dominant skeletal allochems in this rock? They are
small, so look carefully (use at least 10x magnification)!

b) Are they held together by micrite or sparite?

c) What is the Dunham name for this sample?

d) What is the Folk name for this sample?

FOV = _______mm e) Can you think of a simple name for this rock? (Hint: the Cliffs of
Dover are composed of this rock.)

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PICK ONE SAMPLE FROM THIS PAGE (6 pts)

SAMPLE: 71
This fine-grained rock is mostly calcite with rare chert. Notice how many allochems are in the rock too!

a) Identify at least TWO allochems. _____________ and ______________

b) Name this rock using Dunham and Folk’s classification schemes

Dunham’s name: ________________ Folk’s name: ________________

c) In what kind of depositional environment would you expect this rock to form?
Circle one:
streams/rivers deep ocean or lake beach marsh/swamp shallow ocean/reef

d) What evidence did you see in the thin section to answer the previous question?

SAMPLE: S-33-37
Examine this rock in thin section and sketch and label it.

a) Identify THREE skeletal allochems. _____________ ,

______________ , and ______________

b) Is there mud in this sample?

c) Is this rock grain-supported?

d) Name this rock following Dunham’s scheme:

e) Name this rock following Folk’s scheme:

FOV = _______mm