I want to clarify the implication of sedimentary environment on the physical properties of the enclosed sediments, so it is very important to characterize and delineate the depositional environment of each sedimentary unit . My question is what are the field and Lab methods used to characterize the sed. environment?
Dear Dr. El-Rayes,
there are several textbooks which have a chapter dealing with field and laboratory methods in sedimentology.
1. Field work
a)sampling and mapping (basic field techniques) supplment with devices to b(capture digital data in the field , e.g., magnetometer, gammaspectometry
PIMA..
c) situmetry
d) documentation (photography, lacquer peel)
2. Laboratory
a) thin section analysis
b) heavy and light element analysis
c) granulometry
d) morphometry
e) XRD
f) IR spectroscopy
g) DTA
h) SEM-EDX
i) EMPA
j) XRF
I renounce to list advanced level iotope methods.
The tool second to none is
Experience and knowledge.
With knd regards
H.G.Dill
Thanks Dill..would you please recommend some useful literatures??
regards
Dear Prof. El-Rayes,
Prof. Dill has provided a list of all the tools and proxies needed to study the physical properties of the enclosed sediments and their implications in a sedimentary environment.
However, I will like to point out that, before every study its very important to learn about the nature and dynamics of the study basin. For example in a lake basin, the size of the lake, water column depth, dynamics of hydrological regime, the quantity of water inflow and capacity of outflow, climate etc all play an important role in variation in the physical properties of sedimentation.
In most of the lake basin, an influx of sand is tied up with the increased precipitation. However, it is not always like that, during my recent study I have observed that an increase in the deposition of sand can also be associated with decreasing lake water levels.
The key to the study of a sedimentary packages are hosted in the sediment themselves. The best field practice of how to study sedimentary rocks in the field is by adopting the facies concept which involve the study of; 1. lithology, 2. geometry, 3. paleocurrent pattern, 4. sedimentary structures, and 5. fossil content of the sediments. This is best suite for study ancient analogs while in the study of modern analog a bit of the basin morphodynamics would yeild essential outcome. I will also want to concur with what Rayees Ahmad Shah has said with regards to the study of the nature and dynamics of classically known analogs round the world. In line with this, am suggesting the following text books as guide;
1. Sedimentary rocks in the field by Maurice E. Tucker (2003)
2. Depositional sedimentary environments by Reineck and Singh (1973)
3. Principles of sedimentology by Friedman and Sanders (1978) and
4. Sedimentary environments: Processes, Facies and Stratigraphy edited by H. G. Reading.
For the labrotary techniques, I also concur with the suggestions of Harald G. Dill such as XRF, XRD, SEM, granulometric analysis and petrographic microscopic studies.
Maurice E. Tucker is also on research gate, you can download a guide on how to conduct an XRD analysis on his page.
1) Selly, Richard C. (2000): Applied Sedimentology, 2nd Ed. (Academic Press, Calif., USA)
2) Boggs, S., Jr. (2006): Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, 4th Ed. (Prentice Hall/ Pearson Education Inc., New Jersey, USA)
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