Goals

By the end of this lab you will be able to:

1. Describe in words the main types of depositional environments, starting on land and moving out to the deep ocean.
2. Recognize the typical sediment types, patterns and sedimentary structures associated with each environment.
3. Map sedimentary facies in plan view, and reconstruct the layout of an ancient depositional environment.

Introduction

You learned in Lab 1 that a single specimen of sedimentary rock can be described by looking at its mineral composition, sedimentary features, and sedimentary structures. But those descriptive elements may not be enough to reveal how and where the sediment was formed. For example, well-sorted, well-rounded, high-sphericity medium sands with ripple cross-beds might occur in deserts, river channels, tidal channels or in shallow marine sands. In this lab, you will learn about the different depositional environments recognized by geoscientists, and how to determine where a rock was formed by examining it in the context of the other rocks that are with it.