Contents

 Introduction  Stratigraphic principles

 Unconsolidated clastic sediments  Sequence stratigraphy
 Sedimentary rocks  Sedimentary basins
 Diagenesis  Models in sedimentary geology
 Sediment transport and deposition  Applied sedimentary geology
 Sedimentary structures  Reflection
 Facies and depositional environments
 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
 Fluvial/deltaic/coastal environments
 Shallow/deep marine environments

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Glacial environments

 Glaciers and ice sheets form where precipitation rates, in the

form of snow (accumulation), exceed melting rates (ablation)
 Ice flows as a result of gravity and essentially acts like a high-
viscosity fluid exhibiting laminar flow
 Temperate (warm-based) vs. polar (cold-based) glaciers reflect
the temperature regime within the ice
 Ice shelves can form when a glacier or ice sheet reaches the
coast and extends offshore, and ultimately breaks up into
icebergs

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Glacial environments

 Abrasion leads to the formation of rock flour (mineralogically

diverse silt- and clay-sized sediment grains); plucking results in
coarser (up to boulder-sized) material
 Warm-based ice tends to be more erosive (abrasive) than cold-
based ice
 Till/tillite (also known as diamict/diamictite) is poorly sorted,
angular, and immature
• Lodgement till forms by active deposition under the ice (relatively
compact and usually fractured)
• Meltout till forms passively during melting

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Glacial environments

 Abrasion leads to the formation of rock flour (mineralogically

diverse silt- and clay-sized sediment grains); plucking results in
coarser (up to boulder-sized) material
 Warm-based ice tends to be more erosive (abrasive) than cold-
based ice
 Till/tillite (also known as diamict/diamictite) is poorly sorted,
angular, and immature
• Lodgement till forms by active deposition under the ice (relatively
compact and usually fractured)
• Meltout till forms passively during melting

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Glacial environments

 Glaciofluvial or fluvioglacial deposits are sediments formed in

association with glacial meltwater (e.g., glacial outwash)
 More distal glaciolacustrine and glaciomarine deposits are
typically dominated by fine-grained sediment (rock flour), along
with ice-rafted debris and dropstones

 The preservation potential of glacial deposits is usually limited,

with the exception of tills and glaciomarine deposits associated
with big ice sheets

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Eolian environments

 Eolian deposits dominate deserts (mostly at low latitudes, but

sometimes arctic), but are also important along shorelines
(coastal dunes) and in association with ice sheets (loess)
 Air is a low-density and low-viscosity fluid; therefore high flow
velocities are required to enable sediment transport
 Eolian deposits are mostly texturally and mineralogically mature,
due to the selective transport of specific grain sizes and the
large impact of grain-to-grain collision

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Eolian environments

 Sand dunes are the most common eolian landforms; their

geometry and resulting sedimentary structures depend primarily
on sediment supply and prevailing wind direction
 Large (>~5 m) sets of cross strata are very commonly eolian in
origin
 Eolian sand sheets develop when sediment supply is limited
and are characterized by planar stratification; vegetation can
contribute to dune formation under such circumstances
 Loess is a homogeneous, very well sorted, silt-dominated
sediment that is deposited from suspension; it is commonly
associated with ice sheets that produce large quantities of
source material (rock flour)

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Eolian environments

 Sand dunes are the most common eolian landforms; their

geometry and resulting sedimentary structures depend primarily
on sediment supply and prevailing wind direction
 Large (>~5 m) sets of cross strata are very commonly eolian in
origin
 Eolian sand sheets develop when sediment supply is limited
and are characterized by planar stratification; vegetation can
contribute to dune formation under such circumstances
 Loess is a homogeneous, very well sorted, silt-dominated
sediment that is deposited from suspension; it is commonly
associated with ice sheets that produce large quantities of
source material (rock flour)

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Lacustrine environments

 Playa (saline) lakes are hydrologically closed, ephemeral water

bodies that form in arid environments and are characterized by
mud-evaporite couplets
 Freshwater lakes are permanent (commonly hydrologically open)
water bodies
• Waves and relatively weak wind-driven currents constitute the main
mechanisms of sediment transport
• Density stratification develops under seasonal climate conditions and
when currents are limited

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Lacustrine environments

 Playa (saline) lakes are hydrologically closed, ephemeral water

bodies that form in arid environments and are characterized by
mud-evaporite couplets
 Freshwater lakes are permanent (commonly hydrologically open)
water bodies
• Waves and relatively weak wind-driven currents constitute the main
mechanisms of sediment transport
• Density stratification develops under seasonal climate conditions and
when currents are limited

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Lacustrine environments

 Coarse sediments mainly occur on lake margins (lacustrine

deltas, beaches)
 In the central parts of lakes, deposition occurs from suspension
and by means of turbidity currents
 Stratified lakes promote the accumulation of organic matter and
the formation of varves; organics are especially important in
small lakes
 Carbonates of both chemical and biogenic origin can contribute
significantly to lake sediments

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 Glacial/eolian/lacustrine environments
Lacustrine environments

 The final stage of filling of lakes commonly involves an important

organic component
 Hydrosere: vertical succession of organic deposits associated
with the transition from a limnic, through a telmatic, to a
terrestrial environment
• Gyttja --> fen peat --> wood peat --> moss peat

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