Introduction to Sedimentology

Sedimentology is the study of sedimentary rocks and their formation. The subject covers processes which produce sediments, such as weathering and erosion, transport and deposition by water or air, and also the changes which take place in sediments after their deposition (diagenesis). Diagenesis includes mechanical sediment compaction as a and mineral reactions as a function of temperature during burial. Changes in sedimentary rocks at temperatures of over 200–250°C are called metamorphic processes and are not dealt with here. In this chapter we shall discuss primarily transport and deposition of clastic sediments and sedimentary environments. These processes determine the distribution and geometry of reservoir rocks in a sedimentary basin and also the changes in rock properties during burial. Accumulation of organic rich sediments which may become source rocks is also an integrated part of sedimentological models.