UNCONFORMITY

 DEFINITION
 TYPES
 UNCONFORMABLE STRATA

 SIGNIFICANCE OF UNCONFORMITIES
• Unconformities are simply break in the rock record, these
breaks could indicate a variety of processes.

• There are four main types of unconformities:

(1) Angular unconformities

(2) Disconformities

(3) Nonconformities

(4) Paraconformity
Angular unconformities

• An angular unconformity is an unconformity in which

horizontally parallel strata of sedimentary rock are deposited on

tilted and eroded layers, resulting in angular discordance with

the horizontal layers above.

Angular unconformities
Nonconformity:

• exists between sedimentary rocks and metamorphic or igneous rocks when

the sedimentary rock lies above and was deposited on the pre-existing and
eroded metamorphic or igneous rock.

• An unconformity developed between sedimentary rock and older igneous or

massive metamorphic rock that has been exposed to erosion prior to being
covered by sediments is a nonconformity. Nonconformity surfaces probably
represent an extended period of erosion.
Disconformity
• Are an erosional surface between two sets of rock layers.

• Unlike with angular unconformities, there is no tilting of the older rock

layers. This makes disconformities difficult to recognize because the

erosional surface is often very difficult to find.

• the contact between younger and older beds is marked by a visible,

irregular or uneven erosional surface is a disconformity.

Disconformity
between massive
Coconino Sandstone
and thinner bedded
Hermit Shale, Grand
Canyon
A paraconformity is an obscure unconformity characterized by beds
above and below the unconformity contact that are parallel and in which
no erosional surface or other physical evidence of unconformity is
discernible. The unconformity contact may even appear to be a simple
bedding plane.
• Paraconformities are not easily recognized and must be identified on the
basis of a gap in the rock record (because of nondeposition or erosion) as
determined from paleontologic evidence such as absence of faunal zones
or abrupt faunal changes. In other words, rocks of a particular age are
missing, as determined by fossils or other evidence.
 CLUES AND EVIDENCES OF UNCONFORMITY

 Following on the Law of Original Horizontality and Law of

Superposition, both Hutton and Lyell recognized erosional boundaries
preserved between rock layers that represent gaps in the geologic record.
 Interruption in deposition
 The erosion of depositionally continuous strata followed by renewed
deposition
 SIGNIFICANCE OF UNCONFORMITIES

• The presence of unconformities has considerable

significance in sedimentological studies. Many
stratigraphic successions are bounded by
unconformities, indicating that these successions are
incomplete records of past sedimentation.
• Not only do unconformities show that some part of the stratigraphic
record is missing, but they also indicate that an important geologic
event took place during the time period (hiatus) represented by the
unconformity-an episode of uplift and erosion or, likely, an
extended period of nondeposition.
THE END