Evaporites
If you evaporate a 1000m column of sea water only 1.5m of evaporites are produced. Given this, how would you account for the 2km thickness of Permian Zechstein deposits? In your answer make reference...
View ArticleQuartz Arenites
Detail the general characteristics of quartz arenites and describe an environment where you might expect them to be particularly common. Arenites contain less than 15% matrix (<15% material that is...
View ArticleMid-Ocean Ridge
Describe the sediments you would expect on the ocean floor near a mid ocean ridge, from the ridge crest to the deep ocean floor 4000m below sea level on either side of the ridge. How active divergent...
View ArticleModern vs. Ancient Marine Evaporite Environments
Compare and contrast modern and ancient marine evaporite environments. The mineral makeup of the earth has changed over time. Aside from mineral evolution, atmospheric and climate changes also impact...
View ArticleGolden Spike
In a stratigraphic context, what is a “golden spike?” Explain why the choice of the Ludlow Bone Bed in the Welsh Borderland was rejected as the Golden Spike for the Silurian / Devonian boundary. What...
View ArticleSequence Stratigraphy
Describe the sequences as described by Sloss (1963) and discuss the possible controls on their deposition. Sequence stratigraphy is a system of linking unconformity-bounded sediment packages to global...
View ArticleSandstone Diagenesis
During diagenesis a sandstone may undergo compaction, cementation and dissolution. Detail these processes and explain why they are important factors that must be considered by petroleum geologists....
View ArticleStratigraphy as a Badly-Edited Tape
“The stratigraphic record is like a badly edited tape.” Discuss. The rock record is incomplete. Between limited exposure, erosion, and recycling, only patches are preserved, and deposits of the same...
View ArticleHorizontal Correlation
Why is it difficult to correlate time horizons over wide areas using lithostratigraphic units and how can fossils help resolve this problem? The best time-markers in stratigraphy are widespread,...
View ArticleK-Pg Extinction Event: Boundary Characteristics
The end of the Cretaceous period and the start of the Paleogene period 65.5 million years ago is marked by a global extinction event at the K-Pg boundary. The Paleogene was previously part of the...
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