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Sed Rocks Test 1
N/A
88
Geology
Undergraduate 2
02/03/2013

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Term
What does sorting measure in a sample? What factors determine sorting?
Definition
Range of particle sizes in the deposit. calculate trask sorting coeff.
Term
What determines grain shape? How is it measured? What are the basic grain shapes?
Definition
CSF=c/sqrt(ab) where a b and c are the longest, intermediate, and shortest axis of the particle. Disks, spheroids, blades, rods.
Term
What is grain roundness? What factors determine grain roundness? What does grain roundness tell you?
Definition
Shape of corners on particle of sediment. the ratio of the average radius of curvature of the edges or corners to the radius of curvature of the maximum inscribed sphere. It can tell you how fluid moves thru deposit and intergranular fluid in the deposit.
Term
What is porosity? What is permeability?
Definition
Porosity is void space fraction. Premeability fluid flow thru pore network.
Term
What is the relationship between porosity/permeability and grain size? Why?
Definition
Perm is controlled by grain size and sorting.
Term
What is the relationship between porosity/permeability and sorting? Why?
Definition
Porosity is mostly b/c of sorting. Permeability controlled by grain size and sorting.
Term
What is the range of depositional (original) porosity in sand? What factors influence depositional porosity?
Definition
Extremely well to very poorly sorted. Median diameter and trask sorting.
Term
What is the scientific field of Sedimentology?
Definition
Study of production, transport, deposition, lithification of sediment.
Term
hat is the scientific field of Stratigraphy?
Definition
Classification, correlation, interp. of sed. roks.
Term
Sedimentary rocks make up what fraction of Earth’s crust?
Definition
5%
Term
Sedimentary rocks cover what fraction of Earth’s surface?
Definition
70%
Term
What is the average and maximum vertical thickness of sedimentary rock sections on the continents?
Definition
0-20km
Term
40 % of exposed sedimentary rocks on the continents are younger than what age?
Definition
100 million yrs.
Term
Periods on the geologic time scale were original defined by what three types of stratigraphic events?
Definition
Paleo: Extinctions, regional uncomformities caused by tectonics, geochem change from environment.
Term
What are the three fundamental types of sedimentary rocks? Which two rock types are composed of particles that primary form within the depositional basin? Which rock type is primarily composed of particles derived from outside the depositional basin?
Definition
Clastic, biochem, chem. Biochem and chem. Clastic.
Term
What is the definition of the Trask Sorting Coefficient?
Definition
So=sqrt(D25/D75) these are first and third quartile medians.
Term
What are typical rates of horizontal motion for crustal plates?
Definition
1-100 mm/yr
Term
What are typical rates of vertical motion for crustal plates?
Definition
0.1-10 mm/yr
Term
What is basin subsidence? How is basin subsidence connected to net sediment deposition?
Definition
It is what causes considerable thicknesses of sed deps to acc. Subsidence induces net depostion.
Term
When does weathering occur?
Definition
When some process breaks down and decomposes rocks.
Term
What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
Definition
Weathering is breakdown of rocks, erosion is the moevement of weathered material.
Term
What is the difference between physical and chemical weathering?
Definition
In physical there is no change in chem comp of weathered material.
Term
What environmental factor has the greatest control on weathering? When does physical weathering dominate? Chemical weathering?
Definition
Pressnce of water. When water is limited (arid, cold, high elevation)
Term
Ultimately, what drives most erosion?
Definition
Gravity
Term
What are the 3 basic products of weathering?
Definition
Sediment, clay minerals, dissolved salts.
Term
What are examples of physical weathering? Exactly, how does each cause physical weathering?
Definition
Thermal stress, ice forst wedging, permafost, biogenic, abrasion by transported grains, exfoliation, salt growth, wetting/drying, metorite impact
Term
What are examples of biogenic physical and chemical weathering?
Definition
Roots, animal burrowing. Dissolution, hydrolysis, ox/red.
Term
How does physical weathering occur with flowing water and air?
Definition
Water can carry grains that abrade, wind can too.
Term
What is a ventifact?
Definition
rocks that have been abraded, pitted, etched, grooved, or polished by wind-driven sand or ice crystals.
Term
What attributes of rocks influence the type and rates of weathering?
Definition
Rock mineralogy, zones of weakness, phys weathering can increase chem weathering by increasing surface area.
Term
What is the role of fractures, joints and bedding planes in weathering?
Definition
They are zones of weakness.
Term
How does physical weathering promote chemical weathering?
Definition
Increase surface area.
Term
With respect to grain morphology, where does chemical weathering occur?
Definition
Chemical weathering happens to minerals formed deep in interior which are not stable at surace.
Term
What are the main products of chemical weathering?
Definition
clay minerals and ions in solution
Term
What are the primary controls on rates of chemical weathering?
Definition
Where this is abundant water and temp.
Term
What is the relative susceptibility to chemical weathering of the common minerals found at the Earth’s surface?
Definition
Quartz and feldspar not weatherable, olivine plagiocase vulnerable.
Term
What is the role of microbes in chemical weathering?
Definition
They enhance it
Term
What are the 3 basic chemical reactions that describe chemical weathering on Earth?
Definition
hydrolysis, dissolution, ox/red
Term
What is dissolution? What are the products? What minerals are most susceptible to this form of chemical weathering?
Definition
Cations and anions in solution transported away leaving spaces in rock. Limetone,
Term
What is the chemical formula for carbonic acid? How is it formed?
Definition
CO2 from air is dissolved in rainwater. H2CO3.
Term
What is the average pH of rain water?
Definition
~5.6
Term
What is the basic chemical process of hydrolysis? What minerals are most susceptible? Weathering product?
Definition
Feldspar reacts with free hydrogen ions in H2O to form secondary mineral (kaolinite and additonal ions).
Term
What is the most common mineral on the Earth’s surface?
Definition
Feldspar
Term
What is reduction? What minerals are most susceptible?
Definition
Gain of e- from an element. Fe 2+
Term
What is oxidation? What minerals are most susceptible?
Definition
Loss of an e-.Iron or mn containing minerals such as pyroxene
Term
What are the weathering products of these common minerals: Quartz, Feldspar, Amphibole, Pyroxene, Biotite, Muscovite?
Definition
quartz grains, clay minerals, (clay minerals limonite hematite),
Term
What happens to the solution phase (ions) of weathering?
Definition
The ions are transported away leaving space in the rock
Term
What is soil?
Definition
surface material that includes an organic component due to weathering
Term
What are the controls on soil development?
Definition
climate, topography, precursor material
Term
What is the profile of a soil (i.e., layers)?
Definition
organic layer, zone of leaching, zone of accumulation, c horizon
Term
How would you recognize a paleosol in the rock record?
Definition
Look in the rock record
Term
What are the roles of flowing water, air or ice in shaping the Earth’s surface?
Definition
all these things transport sediment around
Term
How are sediment-gravity flows different from fluid-gravity flows?
Definition
Sediment gravity flows contain a lot more sediment and have greater viscosity and finite strength that must be exceeded for flow to occur.
Term
What is a fluid? What is different about the fluids water and air?
Definition
it has no strength. water has a tighter molecule config.
Term
What is density? What are the densities of water, wind and ice? Why does it matter in terms of sediment transport?
Definition
m/v. 1, 10^3, 10^3 kg/m^3. it's used to calculate kinematic visocisty.
Term
What is dynamic viscosity? What does it measure? What is kinematic viscosity?
Definition
measure of the internal friction of a fluid. kv is dv divided by density.
Term
What is the Froude Number? What is tranquil flow, shooting flow, and a hydraulic jump?
Definition
ratio btwn inertial and grav forces, applicable to all flows having a fluid interface. fr<1 waves can propogate up and down. fr>1 wave cannot go up. fr=1, up waves stuck here
Term
What is the Reynolds Number?
Definition
measure of the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces
Term
What is the difference between laminar and turbulent flow? How/why can these be characterized by the Reynolds Number?
Definition
stable or unstable to small disturbances. If Re>>1, turbulent, Re<1 stable.
Term
What do flow pathlines look like in laminar and turbulent flow?
Definition
straight, crazy as fuck
Term
What are the forces acting upon grains subject to flowing fluid?
Definition
inertial, grav, viscous
Term
If we know the forces acting upon grains with fluid flow, why don’t we just directly calculate sediment transport?
Definition
You need extra forces beyond just lift and drag forces. You have to figure it out experiementally.
Term
What is the Shields Diagram? What does it show?
Definition
graph that shows values for critical shear stress.
Term
What is boundary shear stress? What is the critical shear stress to move sediment? How are these related to initiate sediment movement?
Definition
characterizes near bed conditons for sediment transport. css is associated with initial motion of a significant number of particles.
Term
How is the boundary shear stress related to the mean flow velocity?
Definition
p*C_d*u=Tb where u is mfv and Tb is bss
Term
What is the grain fall or settling velocity? How is it determined? When does grain suspension occur?
Definition
Maximum velocity of the grain, Fr=Fg, when
Term
Simplifications have been made to make it practical to calculate sediment transport for flowing fluids. What are the key connections that have been made?
Definition
Term
Under what conditions of boundary shear stress and setting velocity does transport occur as pure bedload?
Definition
Term
Under what condition of settling velocity does suspension occur?
Definition
Term
What are the modes of grain movement? What are the components of bedload?
Definition
Term
In typical suspended transport, where are most of the grains located?
Definition
Term
What concentration of suspended sediment might you expect in a flowing river?
Definition
Term
How is total sediment discharge calculated?
Definition
Term
What are examples of sediment-gravity flows? How are grain concentrations different in sediment-gravity flows than in fluid-gravity flows?
Definition
Term
What is the sequence of bed configurations at low Froude numbers?
Definition
lower plane bed, typical ripple pattern, dunes with ripples superposed, dunes, washed out dunes/ transition, upper plane bed
Term
What is the sequence of bed configurations at high Froude numbers?
Definition
standing waves, incipient breaking and movin upstream, breaking antidune pool
Term
Be able to sketch the phases of bedforms as a function of grain size and mean flow velocity.
Definition
Antidunes: highest flow velocity for all sizes. Upper plate: small, high. Dune med-large, high, ripples low to med, low to med. no movement big particle, slow v.
Term
What is the sequence of bedforms with increasing flow speed in coarse silt to very fine sand? Fine sand to medium sand? Coarse sand to gravel?
Definition
ripples>UPB>antidunes
ripples>dunes>UPB>antidunes
LPB>dunes>UPB>antidunes
Term
Why is it now thought that ripples and dunes in water form a continuum?
Definition
they form an upward trend in size
Term
Are there bedforms with lower plane bed?
Definition
not really they are planar surfaces, some gravelly streaks.
Term
What are the features of lower plane bed? How do the grains move? Resultant stratification? What is imbrication? Why is finer sand common among gravel in lower plane bed? What is surface armoring? How does it form?
Definition
Coarse material protects sand from being weathered. Water flows up and over the imbricated rocks with minimal effort.
Term
Be able to label morphological parts of ripples/dunes (e.g., stoss, crest,…)
Definition
The key thing to know is that the upstream side is the stoss and the lee face is on the other side. (remember those diagrams). The brink point is the edge, crest is highest point of topography. Lowest pt of topography is trough. Dist. From trough to trough is the wavelength
Term
What is the angle of repose? What is a typical angle?
Definition
steepest angle of descent or dip of the slope relative to the horizontal plane when material on the slope face is on the verge of sliding.
Term
What is a slipface? What stratification types characterize a slipface in subaqueous ripples and dunes?
Definition
Term
What part of the transport load typically makes up ripples? How is ripple height impacted by water depth? What is ripple index? What are typical values for subaqueous ripples?
Definition
Term
What part of the transport load typically makes up dunes? Are is dune height impacted by water depth? How constant is interdune scour depth in subaqueous dunes?
Definition
Term
What is a sand bar? How is it different from a sand dune?
Definition
Term
How is a set of cross-strata generated? What is the accumulation surface? What is bedform climb? How is it calculated? What is a foreset? Bottomset? Topset?
Definition
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