The Maturity Myth In Sedimentology and Provenance Analysis

Garzanti, Eduardo

doi:10.2110/jsr.2017.17

Cited by 154 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 109 publications

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“…The bimodal grain-size distribution observed is characteristic of wind-blown sediments (Sharp, 1963;Greeley & Iversen, 1985;Jerolmack et al, 2006), in which saltating particles can facilitate transport of grains too large to saltate by surface creep. The high degree of grain rounding observed in the MAHLI targets is characteristic of grains transported by aeolian processes (Folk, 1980;Garzanti et al, 2015;Garzanti, 2017). Such a high degree of rounding is typically not achieved by sub-aqueous transport, which is relatively ineffective at rounding sand grains (Pettijohn, 1957).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is characteristic of repeated grain collisions which cause grain rounding by surface abrasion (Collinson et al, 2006). Fluvial transport of sand grains, even over hundreds to thousands of kilometres, does not cause such grain rounding owing to the difference in transport mechanism (Garzanti et al, 2015;Garzanti, 2017). Aeolian processes are much more effective at rounding particles owing to the greater differential density between grains and air, allowing harder grain-grain impacts, and because sub-aqueous transport provides a cushioning effect owing to adsorbed water films on grain surfaces (Folk, 1980).…”

Section: Evidence For Aeolian Deposition Of the Stimson Sandstonementioning

confidence: 99%

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Ancient Martian aeolian processes and palaeomorphology reconstructed from the Stimson formation on the lower slope of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, Mars

et al. 2018

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Reconstruction of the palaeoenvironmental context of Martian sedimentary rocks is central to studies of ancient Martian habitability and regional palaeoclimate history. This paper reports the analysis of a distinct aeolian deposit preserved in Gale crater, Mars, and evaluates its palaeomorphology, the processes responsible for its deposition, and its implications for Gale crater geological history and regional palaeoclimate. Whilst exploring the sedimentary succession cropping out on the northern flank of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity encountered a decametre‐thick sandstone succession, named the Stimson formation, unconformably overlying lacustrine deposits of the Murray formation. The sandstone contains sand grains characterized by high roundness and sphericity, and cross‐bedding on the order of 1 m in thickness, separated by sub‐horizontal bounding surfaces traceable for tens of metres across outcrops. The cross‐beds are composed of uniform thickness cross‐laminations interpreted as wind‐ripple strata. Cross‐sets are separated by sub‐horizontal bounding surfaces traceable for tens of metres across outcrops that are interpreted as dune migration surfaces. Grain characteristics and presence of wind‐ripple strata indicate deposition of the Stimson formation by aeolian processes. The absence of features characteristic of damp or wet aeolian sediment accumulation indicate deposition in a dry aeolian system. Reconstruction of the palaeogeomorphology suggests that the Stimson dune field was composed largely of simple sinuous crescentic dunes with a height of ca 10 m, and wavelengths of ca 150 m, with local development of complex dunes. Analysis of cross‐strata dip azimuths indicates that the general dune migration direction and hence net sediment transport was towards the north‐east. The juxtaposition of a dry aeolian system unconformably above the lacustrine Murray formation represents starkly contrasting palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic conditions. Stratigraphic relationships indicate that this transition records a significant break in time, with the Stimson formation being deposited after the Murray formation and stratigraphically higher Mount Sharp group rocks had been buried, lithified and subsequently eroded.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Evidence For Aeolian Deposition Of the Stimson Sandstonementioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient Martian aeolian processes and palaeomorphology reconstructed from the Stimson formation on the lower slope of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, Mars

et al. 2018

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“…It has been suggested that there is a distinct relationship between the composition of beach and other sands, and the tectonics of their source terranes (Dickinson & Suczek, ; Dickinson et al., ; Potter, ; Valloni, ). The composition of the sand is related directly to the source area (Garzanti, ; Johnsson, ). This concept has been clearly demonstrated in studies of modern island‐arc sands and active continental margins (Packer & Ingersoll, ; Pirrie, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immature beach/dune sands along a passive continental margin: Composition, grain size and hydraulic properties of coastal sands, Parque del Plata and Las Vegas, Uruguay

Missimer

Goso

Maliva³

et al. 2019

The Depositional Record

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The modal composition of sandstones has long been used as a tool for palaeotectonic and palaeoenvironmental analyses. Herein it is demonstrated that caution must be used when beach sand composition is utilized to assess tectonic provenances at both the local and continental scales. The occurrence of quartz arenites and compositionally mature sands along the coast of Brazil corresponds well to their passive margin location. However, modern sands from some beach locations in coastal Uruguay are less compositionally mature compared to the quartz arenites found in coastal Brazil. Along the beaches of Las Vegas and Parque del Plata, the composition of the beach and dune sands is impacted by the transport of continental outwash sediments derived from the Palaeozoic and Precambrian rocks in the interior to the beach by a low‐gradient stream, Arroyo Solis Chico, and the erosion of Pleistocene‐age formations that crop out on the beach and along an erosional scrap. The mean beach composition ratio of monocrystalline quartz to feldspar to rock fragments plus composite quartz grains is 67.5/8.0/24.5 compared to the ratio along the coast of Brazil at 86/4/10. The beach and coastal dunes environment studied is representative of about 35% of coastal Uruguay. At the smaller scale, changes in the textural properties of the beach and dune sands (grain‐size distribution and roundness) are caused by the addition of the sediment derived from erosion and stream transport. Porosity values show little influence and range between 0.35 and 0.36, but hydraulic conductivity is influenced to a greater degree, ranging from 18.5 to 31 m/day. Within one kilometre down‐drift of the river, the mean grain diameter and the mean hydraulic conductivity increase to the same values found in the up‐gradient area before influence of the sediment flux, due to the offshore transport of the finer sediment fraction during down‐gradient movement along the beach. The Arroyo Solis Chico area demonstrates that abrupt changes in composition and hydraulic properties can occur over short distances in sands deposited in passive margin environments. The potential for this local variability in sand composition and hydraulic properties should be considered in the analyses of ancient marine sandstones deposited in beach and coastal dunes environments.

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“…In general, vast sheets of sand, similar to Cambro–Ordovician successions of northern Gondwana, form through the complex interplay between aeolian, fluviatile and shallow marine environments, which altogether determine mineralogical and morphological composition as well as sediment maturity (Dott et al ., ; Dott, ; Garzanti, ). The Cambro–Ordovician succession of northern Gondwana was deposited in large river systems that emerged during and after the East African Orogeny, similar to the continental‐scale fluviatile systems of Early Palaeozoic Laurentia (Rainbird et al ., , ; Johnson & Winter, ; Thomas et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increasing sediment maturity towards the top of the succession was interpreted to reflect increasing transportation distance, possibly coupled with a shift in sediment provenance (Weissbrod, , and references therein), although this generalized approach was recently challenged by Garzanti (). Weissbrod & Nachmias (), observed that the Cambro–Ordovician sandstone possesses an ultra‐stable heavy mineral assemblage (dominated by zircon, tourmaline and rutile; ZTR), accompanied by apatite and barite (partially authigenic), which significantly differs from that of the underlying locally‐derived Late Neoproterozoic sediments (Avigad et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provenance of the great Cambrian sandstone succession of northern Gondwana unravelled by strontium, neodymium and lead isotopes of feldspars and clays

2018

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The great Cambro-Ordovician sandstone succession of northern Gondwana is one of the most voluminous siliciclastic deposits on Earth. Its deposition took place following the Neoproterozoic Pan-African Orogeny and the consolidation of Gondwana, a crucial episode in Earth history. Its provenance is of great importance for reconstructing palaeogeographic and tectonic settings and determining sediment dispersal patterns. In Israel and its environs, Palaeozoic sandstones overlie the juvenile Neoproterozoic basement of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. These basement rocks were considered as an important sediment source to the Cambro-Ordovician succession. However, recent studies established that a dominant portion of detrital zircons in the succession was derived from Archean-Proterozoic remobilized terranes, suggesting transportation distances of thousands of kilometres beyond the Arabian-Nubian Shield, and thus question the provenance of other, less weatheringresistant constituents, which were not necessarily derived from the same localities. Feldspars and clays were separated from 13 samples and analyzed for mineralogical and geochemical compositions, strontium, neodymium and lead isotopes, in order to further constrain the provenance of the Cambro-Ordovician succession of northern Gondwana. Detrital feldspars have eNd values significantly different from feldspars of the Arabian-Nubian Shield, ranging from À8 to À14, with model ages of 950 to 1750 Ma, more radiogenic lead compositions, and l ( 238 U/ 204 Pb) values ranging from 9Á8 to 10Á26. Clays are dominated by illite, smectite and kaolinite, with eNd values ranging between À14 and À9, with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios up to 0Á757. These findings point to a significant contribution of remote ancient terranes from outside the Arabian-Nubian Shield to the Cambro-Ordovician sandstone of northern Gondwana. The possible sources for these sediments are the Saharan Metacraton and the southern regions of the East African Orogen.

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The Maturity Myth In Sedimentology and Provenance Analysis

Cited by 154 publications

References 109 publications

Ancient Martian aeolian processes and palaeomorphology reconstructed from the Stimson formation on the lower slope of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, Mars

Ancient Martian aeolian processes and palaeomorphology reconstructed from the Stimson formation on the lower slope of Aeolis Mons, Gale crater, Mars

Immature beach/dune sands along a passive continental margin: Composition, grain size and hydraulic properties of coastal sands, Parque del Plata and Las Vegas, Uruguay

Provenance of the great Cambrian sandstone succession of northern Gondwana unravelled by strontium, neodymium and lead isotopes of feldspars and clays

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