Sedimentary Petrology
GEO 333
Lab (1)
Introduction
2009
Mansour Al-Hashim
Objectives of Lab 1
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Syllabus
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Course Objectives
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Equipment
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Introduction
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Main Minerals of Sedimentary Rocks
Syllabus (1)
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Instructor: Mansour Al-Hashim
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Office hours:
Saturday through Wednesday 2-4 pm
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Room: 1B58
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Email: malhashim@ksu.edu.sa
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Course: Sedimentary Petrology (GEO 333)
Syllabus (2)
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Recommended texts:
1)
Petrology of Sedimentary Rocks by Robert L. Folk,
1974. Hemphill Publishing Company, Austin,
Texas, USA.
2)
Sedimentary Petrology by Tucker, M.E., 2001,3rd
edition. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK.
3)
Sedimentary Petrology by Blatt, H., 1992, 2nd
edition. Freeman Co., New York, USA.
Syllabus (3)
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Recommended texts:
1)
Origin of sedimentary rocks by Blatt, H.,
Middleton, G.V., and Murray, R., 1980,2nd edition.
Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 782 p.
2)
Sand and sandstone by Pettijohn, F.J., Potter, P.E.,
and Siever, R., 1987. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Syllabus (4)
Grading
 Laboratory exercises (4 pts.)
 Short quizzes (4 pts.)
 Attendance, participation, and effort (2 pts.)
 First exam (10 pts.)
 Final exam (10 pts.)
Note: for a detailed syllabus, see attached Word
file (not ready yet!)
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Course Objectives (1)
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Knowing the basic concepts in the classification
of sedimentary rocks.
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Knowing the processes that erode, transport,
and deposit sediments.
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Observing physical characteristics of
sedimentary rocks, especially mineral
composition and texture.
Course Objectives (2)
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Understanding the main classifications used in
clastic sedimentology.
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Using some statistical methods and quantitative
techniques in sedimentology.
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To be introduced to some nomenclatures used
to name sediments and sedimentary rocks.
Equipment
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Lab notebook
Pencils
Calculator
Hand lenses
Grain size cards
Introduction
Sedimentary processes of weathering,
transportation, and deposition produce three
products:
1.Quartz (Conglomerate and Sandstone)
2. Clay (Shale and Mudstone)
3. CaCO3 (Limestone and Dolomite)
Bowen’s Reaction Series
From csmres.jmu.edu
Weathering
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Except for quartz, all other rock-forming
minerals either dissolve or decompose to form
new minerals.
Quartz does not weather (chemically).
Orthoclase weathers to form clay.
Ca plagioclase dissolves into solution to form
CaCO3.
From csmres.jmu.edu
Transportation and Sorting
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Weathering products are separated by
transportation.
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The quartz settles quickly and form rocks such
as sandstone and siltstone.
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The clay stays in suspension until it settles to
form shale and mudstone.
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The dissolved CaCO3 precipitates to form
limestone or dolomite.
Transportation and Sorting
From csmres.jmu.edu
From csmres.jmu.edu
The Main Minerals that Form
Sedimentary Rocks
1. Quartz
1.
Very common on the surface of the Earth.
2.
Glassy mineral. Conchoidal fracture. Hardness=7.
3.
Strong crystals with no cleavage.
4.
A component of many igneous, metamorphic, and
sedimentary rocks.
5.
Usually appears light gray in rocks.
6.
Similar in appearance to Na Plagioclase.
Quartz
From csmres.jmu.edu
From mindat.org
SiO2
The Main Minerals that Form
Sedimentary Rocks
2. Clay
1.
Forms from the chemical weathering of
feldspars (e.g. orthoclase).
2.
Extremely fine grained (less than 1/256 mm).
3.
Tends to be white or tan, especially if pure.
4.
Refers to a group of minerals known as clay
minerals.
Clay
Shale
From csmres.jmu.edu
The Main Minerals that Form
Sedimentary Rocks
3. Calcite (CaCO3)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Trigonal.
Very common.
Wide variety of colors. Hardness=3.
Highly variable regarding forms and colors.
Characteristic properties include low hardness
and high reactivity with acids.
From "chalix" the Greek word for lime.
Calcite
From mindat.org
From mindat.org
CaCO3
Assignment (1)
Sample No.
Weathering
product (s)
Depositional
environment
References
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Klein and Hurlbut, 1993. Manual of mineralogy.
Pettijohn et al., 1987. Sand and sandstone.
csmres.jmu.edu
mindat.org
The End