The Classification of Clastic

(Terrigenous) Sedimentary Rocks

Dr. Charlie Wu October 4, 2017

 OUTLINE
1. Sedimentary rock classification
2. Classification of clastic (terrigenous) rock - sandstones
a) Mineral composition
framework mineralogy, accessory framework minerals,
rock fragments, matrix minerals, cements
b) Chemical composition
c) Sandstone classification based on
1) texture of mixed sediments (Folk)
2) mineralogical classification (Folk)
3) % of matrix (Pettijohn)
4) texture and mineralogy (Dott)
3. Classification of rudites/conglomerates
a) Pettijohn (1969)
b) Boggs (1992)
4. Classification of lutites/shales (mudrocks)
5. Genetic implication of sandstone composition
a) Sandstone maturity
b) Provenance of sediments
 Sedimentary rock classification

Clastics Biochemical Chemical

Carbonate
Conglomerate Limestone Limestone
Sandstone Dolomite Dolomite
Siltstone Chalk

Evaporite
Mudstone
Shale Coal Gypsum
Halite
Volcaniclastics Chert
Chert

3
• Clastic: made of rock fragments carried away from their
source by water, wind or ice and left as deposits. Over time
these fragments are compacted and cemented together.

• Biochemical: formed by remains of living organism; coals,

limestones. Coals are mainly decayed plant and animal
material while limestones are entirely CaCO3 shells from dead
organisms.

• Chemical: formed by recrystallization of previously-dissolved

minerals; evaporites such as gypsum or halite.
 Mineralogy of sedimentary rocks
Clastic sediments
• siliciclastics – quartz, feldspars, clay minerals,
rock fragments
• calciclastics – calcite, dolomite
Carbonate (biogenic) sediments
• aragonite, calcite
• chalcedony silica (flint) occurs as subsidiary
Evaporite (chemical) sediments
• halite, gypsum and anhydrite
• Dolomite, also as dolomitisation of calcite
• Conglomerate is a clastic sedimentary rock that contains large
(> 2mm diameter) rounded clasts.
• Breccia is a clastic sedimentary rock that contains large (> 2mm
diameter) angular clasts.
• Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed of sand-size grains
of mineral, rock, or organic material.
• Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the
compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles that we
commonly call "mud." Shale is distinguished from other
mudstones because it is fissile and laminated.
SHALE SANDSTONE COMPONENTS
Quartz (silt size) Quartz Clastic rock
Felspar Felspar
Micas Rock fragments FRAMEWORK mineral composition
Heavy minerals Bioclasts GRAIN
Heavy minerals Micas
bulk of a
Glauconite
sandstone
Olive, Zircon
Pyroxene
Clay Quartz (silt size)
Felspar MATRIX
Micas fine material
Clay minerals within pores
Calcite Silica
Organics Calcite
Dolomite
Iron Oxide CEMENT
Anhydrite binds the
Halite framework
Clay minerals grains together
Asphalt
Water Water
Oil Oil PORES
Gas Gas
 Effect of grain size on composition

From Blatt, Middleton and Murray, Origin of Sedimentary Rocks, 1980

 Chemical composition
The composition of sandstone is quite similar to that of sand, that essentially consists
of quartz. The natural cementing material which binds the sand together as rock is
usually composed of silica, calcium carbonate, or iron oxide. The percentage
constitution of each constituent varies between certain limit, which is as follows:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Location Ohio Ohio Ohio NY Colorado Motana Michigan Michigan
Silica SiO2 93.1 92.2 90.7 77.6 95.9 82.0 84.6 94.7
Alumina Al2O3 3.9 3.9 5.0 10.8 5.9 0.4
Ferrous oxide Fe2O3 0.1 1.4
4.6 2.6 11.1 6.5 2.6
Ferric oxide FeO 0.5 0.4 1.3
Calcium oxide CaO 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.8 1.0 0.4
Magnesium oxide MgO 0.3 0.2 0.2 1.2 0.1 0.8 0.7 0.4
Potash K2 O 2.2 1.3
Soda Na2O 0.9 1.1
Titanium oxide Ti3O5 0.8
Loss on ignition 1.4 1.7 1.7 2.6 0.5 2.5 1.9 0.8
99.5 100.2 99.8 100.1 99.8 99.7 99.6 99.3

Sandstone Quarrying in The United States

Bulletin 124, Mineral Technology 17, 1917
 Sandstone classification
• More than 50 classification systems.
• Petrographic analysis (or grain size analysis) is
required for estimating composition.
• Classification firstly proposed by Krynine (1940’s), Folk
(1950’s) and Pettijohn (1950’s and 1960’s), and
modified by Dott in 1964.
• Classification based on texture (grain size) –
depositional environment
• Classification based on mineralogy- tectonic
• Which classification should you use? depends on the
purpose of the study that you are participating in
Petrographic point counting (250 to 300 counts) on thin section using
microscope is to estimate rock composition semi-quantitatively.

F
R
R

F
Q
Q

R
R
 Classification based on Texture grain size
(gravel, sand, silt, clay)
Gravel Sand
Gravel Sandstone 90%
80%
Silty Shaly
sandstone sandstone
Sandy Muddy 50%
gravel gravel Muddy

Mudston
30% sandstone

Sandstone Shale Siltstone Shale

e
Sand 1:1 Mud Silt 2:1 1:2 Clay

Folk
1954,
1974
 Classification based on grain size

Simple classification (Folk) of terrigenous clastic rocks and sediment

based on the predominant grain size of the material:

Grain Size Sediment Rock Name Adjectives

(mm) name
Cobble, pebble,
>2 Gravel Rudite well sorted, etc.
Coarse, medium,
0.0625-2 Sand Arenite well sorted, etc.

< 0.0625 Mud Lutite Silt or clay

Pettijohn 1975
 Classification based on mineralogy
Quartz >95% Quartz =
Quartz arenite

Folk 1968 <95% Quartz -

divided on
amount of
feldspar or lithics

Rock
fragments
Feldspar (lithics)
 Classification based on percentage of matrix
Q
Matrix poor (<15%) - arenites
Matrix rich (>15%) – wackes

Quartz

F R

Pettijohn 1975 Rock

Feldspar fragments
 Volcanic
Classification based on texture & mineralogy
Volcanic
50 arenite 50
% %
Phyllo
Calclithite
arenite
Sedimentary 50 Metamorphic
%

R by Dott in 1964
Examples in hand specimen
Light
Light coloured
coloured Light coloured

Dark coloured Dark coloured

 How to name a sandstone based on Dott Classification?
Case 1:
Components % vol Q+F+R% % vol /Q+F+R
Quartz 33 48 Lithic

100%
Feldspar 10 14 Arenite
Rock fragments 26 69 38
Matrix 10
Porosity 21
Total 100 100

Quartz Arenite Q
5 5
Sublitharenite
Subarkose

25 25
<15% 48%
matrix

Arkosic Lithic
Arenite Arenite
F R
50
1. “normalize” quartz, feldspars and rock fragments to 100%.
2. Use %matrix to determine whether arenite, wacke or mudstone.
Case 2: What is the sandstone name??

Petrographic Point Count Data:

# grains A first order classification is
Components % volume based on the proportion of
counted
matrix that is present:
Quartz 73 26
Feldspar 56 20 % matrix Rock Name
Rock fragments 34 12 < 15 Arenite
Matrix 118 42 15 - 75 Greywacke
Total 281 100
>75 Mudstone
 Greywacke

Arenite

F R
 Classification of conglomerates/rudites
Key terminology
• Conglomerates - mainly rounded clasts (>2 mm grain size)
– Ortho conglomerates - clast supported
– Para conglomerates - matrix supported
• Breccias - mainly angular clasts
• Clast type defines rock type:
– Monomict/orthomict - clasts of mainly one composition
– Polymict/petromict - clasts of various compositions
– Diamict - clasts poorly sorted of various types
• Matrix (sediment between major clasts)
– sand and mud grade sediments
• Cement binds clasts/matrix (Crystalline, diagenetic,
typically calcite, silica
 Rudites are classified on the basis of origin, texture and
composition (Pettijohn 1969).

Rudite/Conglomerate
derived outside basin derived within basin
weathered/eroded rock origin weakly consolidated rock
Extra formational Intra formational

<15% matrix >15% matrix

clast-supported texture matrix-supported
Ortho Cglm Para Cglm
>90% maturit <90%
ultrastable
y clasts (Qz. Chert)
Laminated Unlaminated
Oligomict Petromict
matrix matrix

Oligomict Ortho Petromict Ortho Laminated Tilloid debris

Cglm Cglm Tillite
Cglm mudrock flow grain flow

Petromict=Polymict
 clast-supported (<15% matrix) Consist few stable rock
types/minerals (chert, quartz)
Ortho conglomerate Oligomictic conglomerate

Petromictic conglomerate
(Polymictic)
Para conglomerate Consist many rock types/minerals
matrix-supported (>15% matrix) (mixed stability)
 Classification of conglomerates (Boggs, 1992)
Conglomerate: clast- support
Diamictite: matrix-support

diamictite
diamictite

diamictite

diamictite

diamictite

diamictite diamictite
diamictite

diamictite diamictite
diamictite

diamictite
 Conglomerate/Rudite

Conglomerate Diamictite

Conglomerate Breccia composed of poorly

composed composed sorted, mud to gravel-size
predominantly of predominantly of sediment, commonly with
rounded clasts. angular clasts. angular clasts.

Boggs, 1992
 Classification of Lutites/Shales
Terminology
Shale: The general term applied to this class of rocks (> 50% of
particles are finer than 0.0039 mm, clay size).
Lutite: A synonym for "shale".
Clay: All sediment finer than 0.0039 mm. Common clay minerals
include Kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite and chlorite
Silt: A sediment in which >68% of particles fall within the silt size
range (0.0625 - 0.0039 mm).
Mud: All sediment finer than 0.0625 mm. More specifically used for
sediment in which 33-65% of particles are within the clay size
range (<0.0039 mm). Mudstones contain both detrital minerals
(quartz and feldspar), clay minerals and carbonaceous matter.
Siltstone and shale classification

Table 5.7 from

Sedimentology
and Stratigraphy,
5thed., by Boggs,
p. 121
Genetic implications of sandstone composition
5a. Sediment maturity
Textural maturity
Mineral/compositional maturity
5b. Provenance of sediments
Tectonic setting; Climate
 Sediment Maturity
• Maturity is a function of sediment transport distance
i) Textural maturity: more rounded, better sorting (mature
sandstones have well-rounded and well-sorted grains)
ii) Mineralogical maturity: more quartz, more mature.
Feldspars break down with transport. Quartz grains are
more resistant

i) Increasing textural maturity

Poorly Well
sorted Increased sorting sorted

Increased rounding

Increased sphericity
 ii) Mineral/compositional Maturity
Quartz is the most stable of the common mineral; it resists chemical
weathering and is the most common mineral in most sedimentary
rocks. The earliest minerals to crystallize are the least stable.

olivine Mineral stability series anorthite

Potassium feldspar is
(After Goldich 1938)
also common but
Increasing stability

pyroxenes Ca-plagioclase Muscovite is relatively

soft and breaks down
amphiboles Na-plagioclase
during transport.
biotite albite

K-feldspar The stability of rock

muscovite
fragments varies with
Most their mineralogy.
stable
quartz
 Provenance of a sediment
Provenance: where something originated. The Provenance of a sediment
reflects the rock type, tectonic and climatic characteristics of the source
area for the sediment.
 Provenance
of a sediment
Passive tectonic
Quartz Reworked sediments
Arenite 2nd+ cycle quartz

Arkose

Active tectonic
Arid climate

Greywacke Active tectonic

Turbidity current
Base of continental slope
 Homework 6
Based on petrographic thin section analysis, listed below are report of 2 rocks
analyzed. Please name the rocks using Dott’s (1964) sandstone classification
system (show calculations).

Rock A Rock B
Components Grains counted Components Grains counted
Quartz 153 Quartz 216
Feldspar 67 Feldspar 57
Rock fragments 86 Rock fragments 48
Matrix 77 Matrix 35
Porosity 67 Porosity 84
Total 450 Total 440