https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6589292 Course Content • Introduction to Earth Sciences • Geologic Time • Plate Tectonics: The Unifying theory • Earth materials: Minerals and Rocks • Igneous, Sedimentary & Metamorphic Rocks • Rock deformation • Clocks in Rocks • Earthquakes & Volcanoes • Hydrologic Cycle and Groundwater • Earth’s Interior • Weathering, Erosion and Mass wasting • Coasts and Ocean basins • The Climate System Sedimentary Rocks: Rocks Formed by Surface Processes
• Sediments are produced on Earth’s surface as a
result of weathering. • Sediments are transported and become sedimentary rocks after they come to rest. • Sedimentary rocks give evidence of ancient sedimentary environments where they formed. • Fossil in sedimentary rocks give clue on past life. • Sedimentary rocks important for resources such as coal and oil. The Rock Cycle & Sedimentary Rocks
Source: Karla Panchuk (2017) CC BY-SA 4.0. Objectives At the end of this topic, the student will be able to learn about: 1)Surface processes of the rock cycle 2)Sedimentary basins: the sinks for sediments 3)Sedimentary environments 4)Sedimentary structures 5)Burial and diagenesis: from sediment to rock 6)Classification of siliciclastic sediments and sedimentary rocks 7)Classification of chemical and biological sediments and sedimentary rocks 2. Sedimentary Basins
o Sediments tend to accumulate in
depressions in Earth’s crust.
o Depressions are formed by subsidence.
o Sedimentary basins are depressions filled
with thick accumulations of sediment. They are sinks for sediment. 2. Sedimentary Basins
Types of sedimentary basins:
● Rift basins and thermal
subsidence basins
● Flexural basins Sedimentary basins form on rifted Continental margins Sedimentary basins form on rifted Continental margins Sedimentary basins form on rifted continental margins 2. Sedimentary Basins
● Flexural basins- sedimentary
basin develops at convergent plate boundaries where one plate pushes up over the other. The weight of the overriding plate causes the underlying plate to bend or flex down, producing a flexural basin. E.g. Mesopotamian Basin in Iraq Tectonically produced basins: (a) trench basin (b) forearc basin (c) foreland basin (d) rift basin
Source: Steven Earle (2015) CC BY 4.0
Tectonically produced basins:
a) Trench basins - form where a subducting oceanic plate dips
beneath the overriding continental or oceanic lithosphere. They can be several kilometres deep, and in many cases, host thick sequences of sediments from nearby eroding coastal mountains. b) Forearc basin- lies between the subduction zone and the volcanic arc, and may be formed in part by friction between the subducting plate and the overriding plate, which pulls part of the overriding plate down. c) Foreland basin- is caused by the mass of a mountain range depressing the crust. d) Rift basin- forms where continental crust is being pulled apart, and the crust on both sides the rift subsides. If rifting continues this will eventually becomes a narrow sea, and then an ocean basin. The East African rift basin represents an early stage in this process. 3. Sedimentary Environments
• Between source area and sedimentary basins,
sediments travel through many sedimentary environments. • Sedimentary environments- is an area of sediment deposition characterized by a particular combination of climate conditions an physical, chemical, and biological processes. Types of sedimentary environments: 1. Continental 2. Shoreline 3. Marine 3. Sedimentary Environments
Types of environments: 1. Continental ● Lake ● Alluvial ● Desert ● Glacier 3. Sedimentary Environments
