Identification and Classification of Sedimentary Rocks

Terrigenous Clastic Sediments and Rocks

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Initial Compositional Classification of the Most Common Sedimentary Rocks

T=Terrigenous
sand mud and gravel weathering products formed at the earths surface from exposed, pre-existing ign, meta, and sed rocks; extrabasinal.

A= Allochemical
chemical or biochemical ppt formed within the basin of deposition (intra-basinal) but subsequently reworked at or near the site of deposition. E.g. particulate carbonate sediment, bioclasts, ooids, etc

O= Orthochemical
primary chemical ppt formed within the basin without subsequent reworking or transport. Carbonate mud (micrite), phosphate, halite, gypsum, chert, etc

IO= Impure orthochemical IA= Impure allochemical

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Initial Compositional Classification

T: Terrigenous rocks
Most mudrocks, sandstones, and conglomerates. Comprise 65% to 75% of sedimentary strata

IA: Impure Allochemical rocks

E.g.: Very fossiliferous shale, sandy fossiliferous or oolitic limestones. Comprises 10-15% of sedimentary strata

IO: Impure Orthochemical rocks A: Allochemical rocks

E.g.: clay-rich microcrystalline limestones. Comprises 2-5% of sedimentary strata E.g.: fossiliferous, oolitic. Pellet, or intraclastic limestone or dolomite. Comprises 10-15% of sedimentary strata

O: Orthochemical Rocks
E.g.: microcrystalline limestone, chert, anhydrite,crystalline dolomite. Comprises 2-8% of sedimentary strata
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Siliciclastic Rock Classification:Texture

Descriptive Textural Classification
Grain Size
Uden-Wentworth grain size scale Phi ()=-log2 (grain diameter in mm) naturally occurring groups; Gravel ~ rock fragments, Sand ~ individual mineral grains (particulate residues) Clay ~ chemical weathering products (clay minerals, etc.) Mud ~ particulate residues +/chemical weathering products

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Clastic Rock Classification Texture: Sorting & Shape

Sorting: measure of the diversity of grain size (see F&P Appendix A)
A function of grain origin and transport history

Clast Rounding: surface irregularity

Due to prolonged agitation during transport and reworking

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Statistical/Graphic Presentation of Texture; Granulometry

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Statistical/Graphic Presentation of Texture: Grain Size/Sorting

Quantitative assessment of the % of different grain sizes in a clastic rock

Mean: average particle size Mode: most abundant class size

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Significance of Grain Size, Sorting and Rounding : Interpretive

Textural Maturity
Kinetic energy during transport and reworking Transport history Dispersal patterns Caveat emptor!
Mixed sources Biogenic reworking

The trouble with Sedimentary Rocks

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Significance of Grain Size and Sorting: Intrinsic and Derivative Physical Properties
Intrinsic Properties
Grain Size vs Porosity Sorting vs porosity

Derivative Properties
Grain size vs permeability

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Significance of Grain Size and Sorting: Intrinsic and Derivative Physical Properties
Derivative Properties
Grain size vs permeability

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Siliciclastic Rock Classification

Mineralogical Classification/terminology
Sand ----------->Arenites CGL------------->Rudites MDST----------->Lutites textural term mineralogical term

Arenites Petrology
Ease of analysis and sampling Composition can be interpreted

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Mineralogical Classification Sandstone Architecture

F-M-C-P
Framework Grains
> 0.05mm (particulate residues)

Detrital Matrix
< 0.05mm (clay, qtz, flds, -CO3, organics, oxides) chemical weathering products

Cement
post-depositional orthochemical components; ppt from circulating pore fluids (qtz,-CO3, clay, fldsp, oxides, zeolite, salts)

Pores;
Primary (~40%) or 2ndary due to leaching/dissolution
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Primary and Authigenic Components of Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary rocks are composed of primary and authigenic (post-depositional, secondary) components Both minerals and pores are represented in both the primary and the secondary parts of the rock.

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Primary and Authigenic Components of Sedimentary Rocks

Both minerals and pores are subject to profound modification by chemical and mechanical processes in the subsurface (diagenesis). Diagenetic impacts are key to predicting the evolution of fluid flow properties (porosity [], permeability [ ]; etc.; petrophysical properties) You should be able to examine a sedimentary rock at various scales (outcrop, hand sample, thin section) and distinguish between primary (depositional; texture, mineralogy, pores) and secondary (diagenetic; mineralogy and pores) features.
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Mineralogical Classification Sandstone Architecture

Framework Grains:
relative abundance a function of mineral grain

Availability, Chemical Stability, Mechanical Durability Anything Possible, most common:

Qtz :
mono, poly, ign, meta, qtzite, chert, volc, etc; mech & chem stable, abundant

Feldspar:
K-spar (sandine, microcline), Plag (Na-Ca), stains (Amaranth soln), abundance and mechanical stability (variable)

Rock Fragments:
all kinds (including limestone/dolomite RFs) ; abundant, variable stability

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Mineralogical Classification Sandstone Architecture

Framework Grains
Accessory Minerals:
Mica ZTR; zircon, tourmaline, rutile: stable heavies Unstable heavies: Amph, Pyx, Chl, Garn, Epid carbonate allochems non-detrital/orthochem; glauconite (iron-rich clay after fecal pellets) and phosphate (colophane, apatite); unusual oceanographic conditions

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Main Authigenic Components of Sandstone

Carbonate cement (calcite, dolomite, ankerite, siderite) Clay minerals (kaolinite, illite) Quartz

Feldspar (albite) Zeolite

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Data Plots and Primary Sandstone Composition Classification

TCs with >50% grains & > 0.05mm
Arenites Ternary Diagram Q - F - R(L) Q= mono and polycrystalline (not chert) quartz F= monocrystalline feldspar R (L)= rock (or lithic) fragments

Normalized, 3 phase classification: Q=q/q+f+r; F=f/q+f+r; R=r/q+f+r

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Data Plots and Sandstone Classification

Normalized, 3 phase classification
Q= q/q+f+r F= f/q+f+r R= r/q+f+r

7 types of normal Arenites

others = mineral arenite, i.e. mica-arenite, magnetite-arenite

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Interpretation of Sandstone Composition:

MATURITY
a relative measure of how extensively and thoroughly a sediment (sand size and larger) has been weathered, transported and reworked toward its ultimate end product, quartz sand.

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Interpretation of Sandstone Composition:

Provenance Basin Analysis and Paleotectonic Reconstructions
QFL plots for SUBQUARTZOSE (<75% quartz) Sst Heavy Minerals (and other things) for QUARTZOSE (>75% quartz) Sst

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Importance of Sandstone Composition:

Provenance Can be interpreted in terms of tendency towards chemical and physical alteration during diagenesis
Quartzose sandstone experiences less physical alteration and, mainly, depth related chemical alteration/loss of porosity due to cementation Subquartzose sandstone is more subject to chemical and physical (compaction) loss of porosity and formation of authigenic cements
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Mudrocks
Most abundant sedimentary rock type Source of much organic material precursor to fossil fuels Good indicators of chemical/biological conditions at the site of deposition Impermeable physical properties are important for subsurface fluid flow Most effectively studied using SEM/XRD Both primary and secondary minerals in sedimentary rocks

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Sheet Silicates: the Mica's and Clay Minerals

Mica and clay minerals are Phyllosilicates
Sheet or layered silicates with Two dimensional polymerization of silica tetrahedra Common structure is a Si205 layer

Phyllosilicates
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Si2O5

sheets of silica tetrahedra

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Structure of Phyllosilicates
Octahedral layer
Layer of octahedral coordinated
magnesium (brucite layer) or Aluminum (gibbsite layer)

Makes up the other basic structural unit

Kaolinite: Al2Si2O5(OH)4 1:1 tetrahedral octahedral sheets

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The Major Clay Mineral Groups

Kaolinite group:
1:1 TO clay minerals

Mica (illite) group:

2:1 TOT clay minerals Expandible clays:
Smectite- montmorillonite complex 2:1 clay minerals

Chlorite
Fe- and Mg-rich TOT clays

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2:1 TOT Phyllosilicates and True Mica

Muscovite and Biotite:
Macroscopic model for clay minerals TOT sandwich with an (K+) olive Electrostatically neutral, stable

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2:1 TOT Phyllosilicates With Charge Deficiencies

Illite (relationships also relevant to other clays):
Muscovite with an attitude (charge) problem
More Si +4 Less Al +3 Less K+

Results in
Fine grain size
Colloidal size particles High surface area to volume; High surface electrostatic reactivity
Flocculation (particles stick together) Cation exchange capacity (CEC)

Unit cell charge imbalance

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Clay Mineral Physical Properties

Fine particle size (<2-4m)
High surface area to volume Electrostatic charge in
Interlayer (between T and O layers) Exterior surfaces due to broken bonds

Other ions and polar molecules are attracted to and held by clay mineral particles

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Clay Minerals, Water Sorption, and CEC

Water sorption (electrostatic attachment to clay size particles) effects
Engineering properties of clay-rich Earth materials
Plasticity Expansion/contraction with changes in humidity

Chemical properties of clay-rich Earth materials

Exchange of metal cations (and nitrogen compounds NH4+) with natural waters (ground water, etc); CEC

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