Sedimentary rocks exercise
Sedimentary rocks are formed by the accumulation of sediments and through
diagenetic processes as you know.
There are two basic types of sedimentary
rocks:
1)
Clastic sedimentary rocks
2)
Chemical/biochemical sedimentary rocks
Go to this website: http://skywalker.cochise.edu/wellerr/rocks/sdrocksL.htm
to look at the rocks, but you can just use the search engine to find the
answers.
Let's start with the clastic sedimentary rocks:
Breccia:
Copy and paste a really good breccia picture here ( just a thumbnail size) and
answer the following questions: (to copy a picture here, find the picture, right
click on it, choose copy; go back to your paper, right click at the place where
you want to put it and choose paste; when the picture is there you can change
the size by clicking on the image.)
a. In what kind of environment does breccia form?
c. Why would the grains be angular in the breccia?
Conglomerate:
Copy and paste a really good Conglomerate picture here ( just a thumbnail size)
and answer the following questions:
a. what kind of environment does conglomerate form?
b. What is the main difference between conglomerate and
breccia?
Sandstone:
Copy and paste a really good quartz sandstone and
arkose picture
here (just a thumbnail size) and answer
the following questions:
a. What is the difference between Quartz sandstone and arkose?
b. Do they form in different environment?
c. Quartz sandstone is a mature sedimentary rock. What does this mean?
d. Why sandstone is useful? In geology,
and commercially?
Mudstone, slate:
Copy and paste a really good mudstone and shale
picture here (just a thumbnail
size) and answer the following questions:
a. What is the difference between shale and mudstone?
b. What environment they form in??
c. Why are they useful?
Let's move now to the chemical/biochemical sedimentary
rocks
Limestones
How can you test limestones and separate them from any other rock but one?
Oolitic limestone:
Copy and paste a really good oolitic limestone picture
here (just a thumbnail size; probably
picture D is the best.) and answer the following questions:
a. What is oolite?
b. What kind of environment does it form?
Coquina:
Copy and paste a really good Coquina picture
here (just a thumbnail size; probably )
and answer the following questions:
a. What is the meaning of coquina?
b. What kind of environment does it form?
c. List some building built of coquina? (http://www.coquinarock.com/uses.php)
Fossiliferous limestone:
Copy and paste a really good fossiliferous limestone
picture here
(just a thumbnail size; ) and answer
the following questions:
a. What kind of environment does it form?
b. List some famous building built of fossiliferous limestone?
Lime mudstone:
Copy and paste a really good lime mudstone picture
here (just a thumbnail size; ) and
answer the following questions:
a. What kind of environment does it form?
b. List some famous building built of lime mudstone?
Dolomite also called dolostone: Copy and paste a really good
Dolomite picture here
(just a thumbnail size; ) and answer
the following questions:
a. What kind of environment and how does it form?
b. How do we use dolomite?
Cheart:
Copy and paste a really good chert picture
here (just a thumbnail size; ) and
answer the following questions:
a. What kind of environment does chert form and how?
b. What are the more common usage of chert?
Evaporites:
Copy and paste evaporate such as gypsum, rock salt
picture here
(just a thumbnail size; ) and answer
the following questions:
a. What kind of environment do they form?
b. list some of their most important usage of them!
Coal:
Copy and paste a really good coal picture
here (just a thumbnail size; ) and
answer the following questions:
a. How does coal form?
b. List a couple type of coal and characterize them.
c. What is a common problem with coal (acid rain) What causes it?
After you finished with looking at the picture, please practice your knowledge
on this website:
http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/GEOL101/Labs/Sediment/index.htm
Pick your sample and try to identify the rocks!