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Delft
University of
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M.E. Donselaar
Sedimentology lectures
TA2910
2
Sedimentology lectures
Duration: 14 hours
Examination BSc: written
Date and location:
Thursday 2 February 2012, 14:00-17:00 h
Room (?)
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Book
A textbook is used as additional, compulsory information to
the lectures

Title: Sedimentology and Stratigraphy Second Edition
Author: Gary Nichols
ISBN: 978-1-4051-3592-4
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Sedimentology exam
Book Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
PowerPoint files
Your lecture notes

N.B.: tentamencijfer voor dit vak staat los van cijfer voor
practicum Sedimentologie I (TA2911)
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Access to PowerPoint files
Log in on: http://blackboard.tudelft.nl
Enroll
Course name TA2910 Sedimentologie (2011-2012 Q2)

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Lecture contents
General part:
- Sedimentology in education & research TA
- Definitions and concepts
- Analysis methods

Sedimentary environments:
- Fluvial, aeolian, lacustrine, coasts, shelf, deep
marine sands
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Sedimentology in the teaching program
TA3820 Petroleum Geology
TA3942 Geology fieldwork Vesc

AES1800 Exploration Geology
AES1810 Production Geology
AES1820 Reservoir Development
AES1902 Reservoir geology Fieldwork Huesca

AES2006 Graduation thesis
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis
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Sedimentology: Definition

Part of the Geology concerned with the study of sediments
and sedimentary rocks

Physical processes of transport and sedimentation
Composition of the sediments
Analysis of the diagenetic processes
Construction of predictive models
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Sedimentation synergy of:
Sediment supply
Changes caused by chemical, biological and physical
processes
Accommodation space
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Accommodation space
The space in a sedimentary basin
where sediment accumulation can take place
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Accommodation space - 1
Posamentier et al. (1988)
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Accommodation space - 2
Posamentier et al. (1988)
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis
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Sedimentary environment
Erosional


Non-depositional


Depositional
sed. envir. input output
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Sedimentary environments
Continental: fluvial (braided, meandering)
lacustrine
aeolian
Coastal: deltas
linear (clastic, carbonate)
Marine: shelf
deep marine sands
pelagic
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Sub-environments:Example barrier island
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis
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Sedimentary facies
Each sedimentary environment has its own set of sedimentary
characteristics.
In combination, the set of facies characteristics defines the
sedimentary environment

Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
Palaeo-flow patterns
Fossil contents
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis

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Sequence
Vertical succession of sedimentary facies
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Sequence - example
Bioturbated mudstone with marine
trace fossil assemblage
Thin, very fine-grained, parallel
laminated sandstone beds alternating
with bioturbated mudstone
Thick, non-bioturbated medium-
grained, cross-bedded sandstone
beds
15 m
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Sequences:Walthers Law of Facies (1894)

Facies occurring in vertical contact with each other must be
the product of spatially neighbouring environments and
that facies occurring in a sequence conformably above one
another were formed in laterally adjacent environments
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Walthers Law 1: Spatially
neighbouring environments
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Walthers Law 2: Change in geological
time
Sea level fall: Coastline
expands seaward
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Walthers Law 3: Resulting facies
succession
barrier beach complex
shoreface
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis
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Cyclic sequence: definition

A repeating vertical succession of sedimentary facies
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Cyclic sequence: Example
Active
Channel
sequence
Active
Channel
sequence
Active
Channel
sequence
Cycle 1
Cycle 2
Cycle 3
Cycle 4
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Cyclicity
Auto-cyclicity:
Rhythmic repetition of facies caused by a repetition of
sedimentary processes within the depositional environment
(e.g., position switching of delta or river)

Allo-cyclicity:
Rhythmic repetition of facies caused by external factors
(e.g., tectonics, climate)
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Definitions and concepts
What is sedimentology?
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary facies
Sequences
Cyclicity
Facies analysis
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Facies analysis
Observation Interpretation Prediction

Observation: facies analysis
Interpretation: reconstruction of depositional
environment
Prediction: spatial distribution
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
Palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Geometry
Topography during deposition
Post-depositional development

N.B.: geometry alone does not define the depositional
environment
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Geometry
Selley (1985)
lens lens
shoestring wedge
fan wedge
sheet
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
Palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Lithology
Composition of the sediment

Limestone:
Lithology linked to depositional environment
Classification based on fossil contents
Sandstone:
Lithology reflection of transport processes
Analysis of grain size, sequences, mineralogy
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
Palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Sedimentary structures
Most sedimentary deposits are the result of transport of
sediment particles
Transport of particles by gravity, flow of water, wind, ice, or
dense mixtures of sediment and water
Interaction of sediment particles with transporting media
results in formation of bedforms
Bedforms may be preserved as sedimentary structures
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Sedimentary structures
Pre-depositional:
Structures form by erosional processes in early
stages of deposition
Examples: channel erosion, sole marks
Syn-depositional:
Formed during deposition : indicative of energy
Example: ripples
Post-depositional:
Deformation after deposition
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Pre-depositional structures: Channel
erosion
3.5 m
22 m
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Channel erosion
Size and shape of the erosion are measure for river size and
flow energy
Flow direction can be measured from orientation of the
erosional scour
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Pre-depositional structures: Sole marks
Sole marks form when the
upper part of a clay bed is
scoured by a water current
or object, and the scour is
subsequently filled with sand
When filled, the original
depression forms a ridge
below the sand bed surface
(= cast, afgietsel in Dutch)

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Types of sole marks
Groove marks
Flute marks
Bounce marks
More on this:
http://course1.winona.edu/csumma/FieldTrips/Sedimentary
Structures/sole_marks/Default.htm

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Groove marks
Elongate grooves are created when an object is dragged
across the surface of a muddy substrate. The tool scours out
a groove along the top of the bed, which is later filled in by
coarser sediment
Shape is used to determine the palaeoflow orientation
flow
Reineck & Singh (1975)
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Flute marks
Eddies formed by turbulent flow scour in muddy surface
Irregular depressions with a "pointy upstream end, and a
more gentle, flared downstream end that merges into the bed
surface
Crescent marks: crescent-shaped depression by flow around
an object resting on the muddy surface
Shape is used to determine palaeoflow direction
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Flute marks
Cross-section
Top view
flow
Reineck & Singh (1975)
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Crescent marks
flow
Horizontal flow eddy around object
Reineck & Singh (1975)
Downstream: vortex
causes flow
deceleration and
deposition
Upstream end of
obstacle: flow excavates
semi-circular depression
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Crescent marks
Downstream: vortex
causes flow
deceleration and
deposition
Upstream end of
obstacle: flow excavates
semi-circular depression
flow
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Fossil crescent marks
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Bounce marks
Forms when a tool bounces across a muddy substrate and
creates a small depression that is later filled with coarser
sediment
Gives indication of palaeoflow orientation

Reineck & Singh (1975)
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Types of sole marks
Crescent marks
Flute marks Groove marks
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Syn-depositional structures
Structures formed by moving sediment
Wind, water are transporting agents
Sediment transported in suspension or along surface
Surface transport depends on:
Grain size
Flow strength
Transported as:
No bed forms
Ripples (height up to 4 cm)
Dunes (height > 4 cm)


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Sedimentary structures: Planar cross
bedding
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Bed forms and sed. structures:
Sinuous-crested ripples
Reineck & Singh (1980)
Sinuous crested ripple
Trough cross-bedding
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Bed forms and sed. structures:
Isolated linguoid ripples
Reineck & Singh (1980)
Linguoid ripples
Trough cross-bedding
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Sedimentary structures: trough cross
bedding
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Sedimentary structures: trough cross
bedding
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Post-depositional structure:
soft sediment deformation
Formed by rapid loading of water-saturated sediment layer
Pore pressure increase in underlying sediment layer
Injection of water-saturated sediment upward into overlying
soft sediment
Overlying layer is broken up

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Post-depositional structure: water
escape breaks up layer
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
Palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Palaeo-current distribution - 1
Interpretation of current direction based on dip
measurements of sedimentary structures

Steps: Measurements statistical processing -
interpretation - regional trend map
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Palaeo-current distribution - 2
foreset laminae
brink point
Dip direction =
palaeo-current
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
Palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Fossil contents - 1
Is fossil in-situ or transported?

Was living environment of the fossil same as that of recent
descendants? (Do actualistic principles apply?)
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Fossil contents - 2
(Micro) body fossils: skeletons, shells or plant remains

Trace fossils: imprints of plants or animals (e.g., burrows,
crawling traces)
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Body fossils
Corals
Spirifer-shells
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Trace fossils - 1
Helminthoides
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Trace fossils - 2
Scolicia
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Trace fossils - 3
dino footprint
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Core analysis
Limitations: core is narrow (10 cm diameter)
Geometry: correlation?
Vertical grain size sequences
Sedimentary structures
Fossil contents
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Core: example
Njord Field, Haltenbanken area
Tilje Fm (M. Jura)
Inshore tidal deposits
Rhythmic alternation of thin
sandstone (light colours) and
claystone (dark) layers
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Methods of facies analysis
Geometry
Lithology
Sedimentary structures
palaeo-current distribution
Fossils
Cores
Wireline logs
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Wireline logs
Interpretation lithology/structures from wireline logs
- Gamma-ray log
- Sonic log
- Dipmeter log
- Formation Micro-Imager (FMI) log


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Gamma-ray logs - 1
Natural radio-activity in U,
Th, K
High in clay, low in sand
Beware!:
Mica
Glauconite
Zircon
low readings if caved-in

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Gamma-ray logs 2

Base of sand interval: sharp
decrease in gamma-ray readings:
sand on top of clay

Top of sand interval: gradual
fining-upward grain-size
succession produces gradually
increasing gamma-ray readings
Selley (1985)
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Gamma-ray logs 3

Base of sand interval with
claystone pebbles produces
gradual decrease of gamma-ray
readings

Top of sand interval: gradual
fining-upward grain-size
succession produces gradually
increasing gamma-ray readings
Selley (1985)
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Gamma-ray logs - 4
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FMS and FMI tools
Formation Micro-Scanner (FMS)
and Micro-Imager (FMI) tool

High resolution (5 mm) resistivity
measurement of borehole wall

Used for visualization and
interpretation of fractures and
sedimentary structures


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Borehole Image log: principle
Schlumberger Well Service (1992)
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FMI log:

Sine-wave is roll-out
of an inclined plane
cut by a cylinder
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Example of FMI log interpretation
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Compulsory reading
Chapter 4 Processes of Transport and Sedimentary
Structures
Chapter 11.7 Trace fossils