Siliclastic shelf sediments

Lecture Outline

1. Modern vs. ancient

2. Types of shelf sediments

3. Contolling processes

4. Physical processes

5. Sedimement characteristics

6. Tidal shelves

7. Storm dominated shelves

8. Strata types and preservation potential

   • Event strata
   • Migration strata
   • Hummocky cross stratification
   • Tempestites
   • Hardgrounds

9. Coastal depositional systems

   • Estuaries and coastal marshes
   • Beaches
     • modern sequences
     • ancient sequences
   • Coastal manipulation

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   Key Terms
   • shelf sediments
     • detrital
     • residual
     • authigenic
     • biogenic
     • volcanic
     • relict
   • oceanic cirrculation currents
   • tidal currents
   • meterological currents
   • density currents
   • sand waves
   • sand ridges or ribbons
   • sharp retreat massifs
   • linear sand ridges
   • event strata
   • periodites
   • migration strata
   • hummocky cross stratification
   • graded tempestites
   • hardgrounds
   • groins
   • bulkheads and seawalls
   • revetments
   • offshore breakwaters
   • beach norishment
   • Bruun rule

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For more information on Thermohaline circulation see the Fact Sheet by Stefan Rahmstorf and this information sheet with videos from UAE's Climate Research Group. 

Here are a couple of sites with good photographs of HCS (hummocky cross stratification):      

http://course1.winona.edu/csumma/FieldTrips/SedimentaryStructures/cross%20strat/newpage2.htm  http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/sumner/gel109/SedStructures/Dunes.html

Here are a few website with decent images that might help you understand the Coriolis Effect, Geostrophic Flow, and Ekman Transport:

Coriolis:  http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/fw/crls.rxml, http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1904/es1904page01.cfm, and http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/coriolis_effect.html

 

Geostrophic Flow:  http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter8/parc_anim.html

 

Ekman Transport: http://my.opera.com/nielsol/blog/2009/05/02/ekman-spiral-layer-transport-2, http://www3.ncc.edu/faculty/bio/fanellis/biosci119/ekman.html and http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/currents/05currents4.html

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