Sedimentology

sedimentary rock formation

Today we are going to talk about a branch of geology that focuses on the study of sediments. It's about the sedimentology. This branch of science focuses on the study of sediments and their formation. Sediments are the deposits that form on the surface of the land and at the bottom of the sea. They can occur through various geological processes and are of great importance in changing the earth's geology.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you about all the characteristics and object of study of sedimentology.

Key features

sediment carryover

Sediments They are the deposits that form on the surface of the land and the bottom of the sea. The formation of sediments in large parts depends on the physical and chemical actions present in the transition of the rock. For example, the atmosphere and the rock generate a relationship that, together with the water, are called exogenous processes. This is one of the reasons sediments are generated.

Most sedimentological processes occur due to the action of high pressures and temperatures. Sedimentology focuses on studying the wear of solid rocks, their transport and deposition. The deposition aims at the diagenesis of a sedimentary rock. From here comes the name of sedimentary rocks. It is the accumulations that occur from the various sediments to form a rock. This process has to be mediated on a geological time scale since it cannot be counted on a human scale. We are talking about millions of years for the formation of these rocks.

Sediments are materials that have been deposited in water, by the action of ice, wind or chemically precipitated by water. All these sedimentary processes occur both on the land surface and in water.

Sedimentology processes

sedimentology and study of rock formation

Sedimentary processes begin with the destruction of solid rocks caused by the action of various types of geological agents. In summary, these processes are: theory, erosion and the transport of a medium such as water, wind and ice. It can also be formed by deposition or precipitation and, finally, the diagenesis what is the formation of solid rocks. The sedimentary processes studied in sedimentology are very complex and depend on many factors.

The main study objective of sedimentology plays a fundamental role in the field of science. The economic interest in some deposits in the sedimentary environment is a more traditional field of sedimentology. Especially it happens with salt, gravel, sand and coal. There is also a myriad of deposits of metals with sedimentary origin, two such as laundries. Therefore, sedimentology is the key to understanding the environment and the manifestation of some pollutions such as rivers and oceans. To investigate contamination such as in a river system, you must first understand how rivers work, and particularly a polluted river. Here the deposition of sediments is essential.

Within sedimentology we find geotechnics. Especially focuses on studying the stability of the soils and is an extremely important field before any civil work. If you want to build a headquarters building, first assess the long-term stability of the soil. The high technical complexity of many of the large works such as tunnels, bridges, reservoirs, highways and skyscrapers require an exhaustive study of the subsoil. It depends on all this that these works are carried out and do not generate any type of risk.

Geological risks are associated with sedimentary processes. For example, the threat of floods should concern anyone who is in a senior position in planning a country, region or commune. Alluviums are the large avalanches of mud and mud that occur when rain carries all the sediment and accumulates causing avalanches. Floods and erosion of torrential waters in natural or canalized rivers are phenomena of greater importance than could be in sedimentology.

It also focuses on studying groundwater. The behavior of all the places where there is underground water storage mainly coincides with some sedimentological parameters. Nowadays it is not only important to know the abundance of water in the underground channels, but also the quality of this natural resource.

Geological processes of sedimentology

sedimentology

Earlier we mentioned that the main geological processes begin with the destruction of the bedrock. This can be given by some geological agents such as weathering, transport and sedimentation. Finally, the diagenesis of the rock formation is generated. We are going to see a little more depth what these geological processes are.

Weathering

Weathering is divided into physics and chemistry, let's see which each of them:

  • Physical weathering: it is a process that breaks or modifies rocks depending on their action and environmental conditions. They are capable of fragmenting and disintegrating them. They also act on minerals. The most frequent causes of physical weathering are rain, ice, thaw, wind, and continuous changes in temperature between day and night.
  • Chemical weathering: It is the one that takes place mainly in humid climates and causes chemical reactions that take place between the gases of the atmosphere and the minerals present in the rocks. In this case, what takes place is the disintegration of these particles. Water and the presence of gases such as oxygen and hydrogen become triggers for chemical reactions causing weathering.

Erosion and transport in sedimentology

Erosion occurs when the rains, the wind, the water flows act on the rocks. This is how fragmentation and deformation of the same occurs continuously. Transportation is the process that results from erosion. All the fragments and sediments divided by erosion are transported by torrents of water, glaciers and the wind.

Sedimentation is the final step and corresponds to the deposition of solid particles that have been transported by erosion. These particles are called sediments. The areas with the highest amount of sediment are the mouths of rivers and in places like the seas and oceans. Sediments once deposited are, in turn, removed by other geological agents such as erosion and weathering. If these sediments acquire large size and compaction over the years, sedimentary rocks are formed.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about sedimentology and its characteristics.


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