Sedimentary Environments Chart Page 1 of 5

Laboratory 6

Sedimentary Environments
Classification Charts
Pamela J. W. Gore

Georgia Perimeter College

Copyright © 1982-2004 Pamela J. W. Gore

Please print these charts in landscape mode rather than in portrait mode.

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Sedimentary Environments Chart Page 2 of 5

Table 1

CONTINENTAL SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS

ALLUVIAL FAN FLUVIAL LACUSTRINE DESERT (DUNES) PALUDAL

Rock Type Breccia, Conglomerate, Siltstone, shale, limestone, or Quartz arenite Peat, coal,
conglomerate, sandstone, evaporites (gypsum) (sandstone) or black shale,
arkose siltstone, shale gypsum siltstone

Composition Terrigenous Terrigenous Terrigenous, carbonate, or Terrigenous or Terrigenous

evaporite evaporite

Color Brown or red Brown or red Black, brown, gray, green Yellow, red, tan, Black, gray,
white or brown

Grain Size Clay to gravel Clay to gravel Clay to silt or sand Sand Clay to silt
(Fining upward) (Coarsening upward)

Grain Shape Angular Rounded to --- Rounded ---

angular

Sorting Poor Variable Variable Good Variable

Inorganic Cross-bedding and Asymmetrical Symmetrical ripples, Cross-bedding Laminated

Sedimentary graded bedding ripples, cross- lamination, cross-bedding, to massive
Structures bedding, graded graded bedding, mudcracks,
bedding, tool raindrop prints
marks

Organic or --- Tracks, Tracks, trails, burrows, rare Tracks, trails Root
Biogenic trails,burrows stromatolites marks,
Sedimentary burrows
Structures

Fossils --- Rare freshwater Freshwater shells, fish, --- Plant

shells, bones, plant bones, plant fragments fossils, rare
fragments freshwater
shells,
bones, fish

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Table 2

TRANSITIONAL SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS

DELTA BARRIER BEACH LAGOON TIDAL FLAT

Rock Type Sandstone, siltstone, Quartz arenite, coquina Siltstone, shale, limestone, Siltstone, shale,
shale, coal oolitic limestone or gypsum calcilutite, dolostone or
gypsum

Composition Terrigenous Terrigenous or Terrigenous, carbonate, or Terrigenous,

carbonate evaporite carbonate, or evaporite

Color Brown, black, gray, White to tan Dark gray to black Gray, brown, tan
green, red

Grain Size Clay to sand Sand Clay to silt Clay to silt

(Coarsening upward

Grain Shape --- Rounded to angular --- ---

Sorting Poor Good Poor Variable

Inorganic Cross-bedding, graded Cross-bedding, Lamination, ripples, cross- Lamination,

Sedimentary bedding symmetrical ripples bedding mudcracks, ripples,
Structures cross-bedding

Organic or Trails, burrows Tracks, trails, burrows Trails, burrows Stromatolites, trails,
Biogenic tracks, burrows
Sedimentary
Structures

Fossils Plant fragments, shells Marine shells Marine shells Marine shells

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Table 3

MARINE SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS

REEF CONTINENTAL CONTINENTAL SLOPE AND ABYSSAL PLAIN

SHELF RISE

Rock Type Fossiliferous Sandstone, shale, Litharenite, siltstone, and shale (or Shale, chert, micrite,
limestone siltstone, fossiliferous limestone) chalk, diatomite
limestone, oolitic
limestone

Composition Carbonate Terrigenous or Terrigenous or carbonate Terrigenous or

carbonate carbonate

Color Gray to white Gray to brown Gray, green, brown Black, white red

Grain Size Variable, Clay to sand Clay to sand Clay

frameworks, few to
no grains

Grain Shape --- --- --- ---

Sorting --- Poor to good Poor Good

Inorganic --- Lamination, cross- Graded bedding, cross-bedding, Lamination

Sedimentary bedding lamination, flute marks, tool marks
Structures (turbidites)

Organic or --- Trails, burrows Trails, burrows Trails, burrows

Biogenic
Sedimentary
Structures

Fossils Corals, marine Marine shells Marine shells, rare plant fragments Marine shells
shells (mostly microscopic)

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Sedimentary Environments Chart Page 5 of 5

Return to Contents

Go to Depositional Sedimentary Environments Lab and Exercises

This page created by Pamela J. W. Gore, [email protected]

Georgia Perimeter College

July 14, 1998

Modified June 22, 1999
Modified December 12, 2003

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