GEO 1111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Clay Minerals, Parent Rock, Mass Wasting

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Geology
• Course: GEO 1111
• Professor: David Schneider

Document Summary

Sediment: rock fragments that accumulate over time in a layering effect, after being transported or precipitated: mechanical and chemical breakdown of the rocks, 75% of visible rocks, contain evidence of past environments. Sedimentary process: weathering (transport/breakdown, physical and chemical changes that occurs in rocks when exposed to atmosphere and biosphere. Climate, parent rock, soil/vegetation, time: erosion (mass wasting, transport, deposition, lithification. Clastic sedimentary rocks: quartz, mica, feldspar and clay minerals. The texture of sedimentary rocks reflect on their process. For example the grain size, sorting and shape will tell you the time of deposition and its distance of transport. Mudstone: clay to slit-sized particle (thin layers, deposited in calm waters, more than 50% of sedimentary rocks. Sandstone: sand-sized particles (mostly quartz, forms in a variety of environments. Limestone: 10-15% of sedimentary rocks, composed mainly of caco3, marine limestone. Chert: microcrystalline quartz, flint and jasper (agate) Evaporites: evaporation triggered deposition of inorganic precipitates, warm temperatures and a restricted basin.