Sedimentology concepts

The facies concept refers to the sum of characteristics of a

sedimentary unit, commonly at a fairly small (cm-m) scale
Lithology
Grain size
Sedimentary structures
Color
Composition
Biogenic content
Lithofacies (physical and chemical characteristics)
Biofacies (macrofossil content)
Ichnofacies (trace fossils)

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 Sedimentology concepts

Facies is a body of rock characterized by a particular

combination of lithology, physical and biological
structures that bestow an aspect that different from the
bodies of rock above, below and laterally adjacent
Facies associations :
constitute several facies that occur in combination, and typically
represent one depositional environment (note that very few
individual facies are diagnostic for one specific setting!)
groups of facies genetically related to one another and which
have some environmental significance (Collinson, 1969)
Facies successions (or facies sequences) are facies
associations with a characteristic vertical order

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 Sedimentology concepts

Facies analysis is the interpretation of strata in

terms of depositional environments (or
depositional systems), commonly based on a
wide variety of observations
Facies Model is a general summary of a
particular depositional system, involving many
individual examples from recent sediments and
ancient rocks

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 Sedimentology concepts

Genetic Stratigraphic Sequence / Genetic Unit / Unit

Genesa : the sedimentary product of a depositional episode (after
Galloway, 1989)
Architectural elements are
the two- or three-dimensional building blocks of a sediment or a
sedimentary rock
a morphological subdivision of a particular depositional system
characterized by a distinctive assemblage of facies, facies geometry,
and depositional processes.
Depositional Environment : geographic and/or geomorphic area

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 Lake
Lake
Talus
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Sedimentary Environments
Examples

Playa

Braided Stream
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Sedimentary Environments
Examples

Delta

Alluvial Fan

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 Walthers Law (1894) states that two different facies found superimposed
on one another and not separated by an unconformity, must have been
deposited adjacent to each other at a given point in time

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Sedimentary facies

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 Fluvial environments

Bars are sandy or gravelly macroforms in channels that are

emergent, mostly unvegetated features at low flow stage, and
undergo submergence and rapid modification during high discharge
Point bars form on inner banks and typically accrete laterally,
commonly resulting in lateral-accretion surfaces; mid-channel or
braid bars accrete both laterally and downstream
Bars are always associated with channels; a genetically related
bar/bar complex and channel/channel complex is known as a
storey

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 Fluvial environments

Lateral accretion involves higher-order bounding surfaces dipping

perpendicular to paleoflow direction and associated lower-order
bounding surfaces; in the case of downstream accretion higher-
order bounding surfaces dip parallel to paleoflow direction
Braided rivers are characterized by a dominance of braid bars
exhibiting both lateral and downstream accretion; meandering rivers
primarily contain point bars with lateral accretion; in straight (and
most anastomosing) rivers bars are commonly almost absent

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 Fluvial environments

Facies successions in sandy to gravelly channel deposits typically

fine upward, from a coarse channel lag, through large-scale to
small-scale cross stratified sets (commonly with decreasing set
height), and finally overlain by muddy overbank deposits
Facies successions produced by different fluvial styles can be
extremely similar!
The geometry and three-dimensional arrangement of architectural
elements therefore provides a much better means of inferring fluvial
styles from the sedimentary record

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 Fluvial environments

Channel belts consist of channel-bar and channel-fill

deposits; the proportion of the two generally decreases markedly
from braided rivers to anastomosing rivers
The geometry of a channel belt (width/thickness ratio) is a function
of the channel width and the degree of lateral migration; values are
typically much higher for braided systems (>>100) than for straight
or anastomosing systems (<25)
Sheets have width/thickness ratios of >50
Ribbons have width/thickness ratios of <15
Residual-channel deposits are predominantly muddy
(occasionally organic) deposits that accumulate in an abandoned
channel where flow velocities are extremely small

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 Fluvial environments

Overbank environments are dominated by fine-grained facies

(predominantly muds)
Natural-levee deposits are wedges (wings) of sediment that form
adjacent to the channel, dominated by fine sand and silt exhibiting
planar stratification or (climbing) ripple cross stratification
Crevasse-splay deposits are usually cones of sandy to silty facies
with both coarsening-upward and fining-upward successions, and are
formed by small, secondary channels during peak flow
Flood-basin deposits are the most distal facies, consisting entirely of
muddy sediments deposited from suspension, and are volumetrically
very important (mainly in low-energy fluvial settings)

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 Fluvial environments

Paleosols (well drained conditions) and occasional peats (poorly

drained conditions) occur frequently in overbank environments and
are important indicators of variations of clastic aggradation rates
and the position relative to active channels (proximal vs. distal)
The pedofacies concept refers to the maturity of a paleosol,
irrespective of the specific set of pedogenic processes operating, in
the case of floodplains mainly controlled by distance to the active
channel
Lacustrine deposits can be important in overbank environments
characterized by high water tables, and are also found in distal
settings; they are more likely to contain primary sedimentary
structures (horizontal lamination) than their frequently bioturbated
subaerial counterparts

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 Fluvial environments

Facies models highlight conspicuous differences between different

fluvial styles:
Channel-belt width/thickness ratio (braided: high; meandering:
intermediate; straight/anastomosing: low)
Channel-deposit proportion (braided: high; meandering: intermediate;
straight/anastomosing: low)
Overbank-deposit proportion (braided: low; meandering: intermediate;
straight/anastomosing: high)
Overbank-deposit geometry (meandering: wedge-shaped;
straight/anastomosing: highly irregular due to numerous crevasse
channels)
Overbank facies (meandering: well-drained paleosols common;
straight/anastomosing: peats and lacustrine deposits common)

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 Fluvial environments

Avulsion is the sudden diversion of a channel to a new location on

the floodplain, leading to the abandonment of a channel belt and
the initiation of a new one
Avulsions are the inevitable consequence of the increase of cross-
valley slope (typically through a crevasse channel) relative to down-
valley slope along the channel, associated with the growth of an
alluvial ridge
An avulsion belt constitutes an extensive network of rapidly
aggrading, narrow, crevasse-like channels with genetically
associated overbank deposits, that may surround the new channel
belt

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 Fluvial environments

Alluvial architecture refers to the three-dimensional arrangement

of channel-belt deposits and overbank deposits in a fluvial
succession
The nature of alluvial architecture (e.g., the proportion of channel-
belt to overbank deposits) is dependent on fluvial style, aggradation
rate, and the frequency of avulsion
When alluvial architecture is dominated by channel-belt deposits,
the separation of channel belts from storeys can be extremely
difficult

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