Common Chemical Sedimentary Rocks File

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Earth Systems 3209: Common Chemical Sedimentary Rocks Evaporites Halite Rock Salt is a chemical sedimentary rock that forms from the evaporation of ocean or saline lake waters. It is also known by the mineral name "halite". It is rarely found at Earth's surface, except in areas of very arid climate. It is often mined for use in the chemical industry or for use as a winter highway treatment. Some halite is processed for use as a seasoning for food. Gypsum Gypsum is an evaporite mineral most commonly found in layered sedimentary deposits in . association with halite, anhydrite, sulfur, calcite and dolomite. Gypsum (CaSO4 2H2O) is very similar to Anhydrite (CaSO4). The chemical difference is that gypsum contains two waters and anhydrite is without water. Gypsum is the most common sulfate mineral. Sylvite Sylvite is potassium chloride (KCl) in natural mineral form. It forms crystals very similar to normal rock salt, halite (NaCl). Sylvite is colorless to white with shades of yellow and red. Sylvite has a salty taste with a distinct bitterness. Sylvite is one of the last evaporite minerals to precipitate out of solution. As such, it is only found in very dry saline areas. Its principal use is as a potassium fertilizer Earth Systems 3209: Common Chemical Sedimentary Rocks Precipitates Limestone Limestone is a rock that is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. It can form organically from the accumulation of shell, coral, algal and fecal debris. It can also form chemically from the precipitation of calcium carbonate from lake or ocean water. Limestone is used in many ways. Some of the most common are: production of cement, crushed stone and acid neutralization. In a cave, droplets of water seeping down from above enter the cave through fractures or other pore spaces in the cave ceiling. There they might evaporate before falling to the cave floor. When the water evaporates, any calcium carbonate that was dissolved in the water will be deposited on the cave ceiling. Over time this evaporative process can result in an accumulation of icicle-shaped calcium carbonate on the cave ceiling. These deposits are known as stalactites. If the droplet falls to the floor and evaporates there a stalagmite could grow upwards from the cave floor. The limestone that makes up these cave formations is known as "travertine". Dolomite Dolomite (also known as "dolostone" and "dolomite rock") is a chemical sedimentary rock that is very similar to limestone. It is thought to form when limestone or lime mud is modified by magnesium-rich groundwater. The specimen shown above is about four inches (ten centimeters) across. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Geologic Storage Formation Classification: Understanding Its Importance and Impacts on CCS Opportunities in the United States
BEST PRACTICES for: Geologic Storage Formation Classification: Understanding Its Importance and Impacts on CCS Opportunities in the United States First Edition Disclaimer This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed therein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Cover Photos—Credits for images shown on the cover are noted with the corresponding figures within this document. Geologic Storage Formation Classification: Understanding Its Importance and Impacts on CCS Opportunities in the United States September 2010 National Energy Technology Laboratory www.netl.doe.gov DOE/NETL-2010/1420 Table of Contents Table of Contents 5 Table of Contents Executive Summary ____________________________________________________________________________ 10 1.0 Introduction and Background
[Show full text]
Non-Clastic Sedimentary Rocks by Cindy Grigg
Non-Clastic Sedimentary Rocks By Cindy Grigg 1 Rocks can be put into three main groups. They are grouped by how the rocks formed. Sedimentary (sed-uh-MEN-tuh-ree) rocks are formed on or near Earth's surface. Sedimentary rocks are sorted into other groups. They can be sorted as clastic or non-clastic. This group tells something about the rocks' beginning and what they formed from. 2 Non-clastic rocks are created when water evaporates or from the remains of plants and animals. Limestone is a non-clastic sedimentary rock. Limestone is made of the mineral calcite. It often contains fossils. Limestone formed in the ocean from the shells and skeletons of dead sea creatures. Some of the fossils in limestone are too small to be seen without a microscope. Chalk is a type of limestone that is usually white. It consists almost entirely of the shells of tiny dead sea creatures. Limestone is a common building material. 3 Coal is another non-clastic rock. It formed from the dead remains of plants. Millions of years ago, plants fell into swamps. They were covered with layers of sediment and did not rot. Over millions of years, as the remains were buried deeper under more and more layers of sediment, they were changed by pressure into coal. Coal is commonly used as fuel in power plants to make electricity. 4 Evaporite rocks formed when minerals such as gypsum and halite (rock salt) were left behind as water evaporated from oceans and lakes. Evaporite is common in desert areas, where evaporation is high, such as the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
[Show full text]
National Evaporite Karst--Some Western Examples
122 National Evaporite Karst--Some Western Examples By Jack B. Epstein U.S. Geological Survey, National Center, MS 926A, Reston, VA 20192 ABSTRACT Evaporite deposits, such as gypsum, anhydrite, and rock salt, underlie about one-third of the United States, but are not necessarily exposed at the surface. In the humid eastern United States, evaporites exposed at the surface are rapidly removed by solution. However, in the semi-arid and arid western part of the United States, karstic features, including sinkholes, springs, joint enlargement, intrastratal collapse breccia, breccia pipes, and caves, locally are abundant in evaporites. Gypsum and anhydrite are much more soluble than carbonate rocks, especially where they are associated with dolomite undergoing dedolomitization, a process which results in ground water that is continuously undersaturated with respect to gypsum. Dissolution of the host evaporites cause collapse in overlying non-soluble rocks, including intrastratal collapse breccia, breccia pipes, and sinkholes. The differences between karst in carbonate and evaporite rocks in the humid eastern United States and the semi-arid to arid western United States are delimited approximately by a zone of mean annual precipitation of 32 inches. Each of these two rock groups behaves differently in the humid eastern United States and the semi-arid to arid west. Low ground-water tables and decreased ground water circulation in the west retards carbonate dissolution and development of karst. In contrast, dissolution of sulphate rocks is more active under semi-arid to arid conditions. The generally thicker soils in humid cli- mates provide the carbonic acid necessary for carbonate dissolution. Gypsum and anhydrite, in contrast, are soluble in pure water lacking organic acids.
[Show full text]
Part 629 – Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms
Title 430 – National Soil Survey Handbook Part 629 – Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms Subpart A – General Information 629.0 Definition and Purpose This glossary provides the NCSS soil survey program, soil scientists, and natural resource specialists with landform, geologic, and related terms and their definitions to— (1) Improve soil landscape description with a standard, single source landform and geologic glossary. (2) Enhance geomorphic content and clarity of soil map unit descriptions by use of accurate, defined terms. (3) Establish consistent geomorphic term usage in soil science and the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). (4) Provide standard geomorphic definitions for databases and soil survey technical publications. (5) Train soil scientists and related professionals in soils as landscape and geomorphic entities. 629.1 Responsibilities This glossary serves as the official NCSS reference for landform, geologic, and related terms. The staff of the National Soil Survey Center, located in Lincoln, NE, is responsible for maintaining and updating this glossary. Soil Science Division staff and NCSS participants are encouraged to propose additions and changes to the glossary for use in pedon descriptions, soil map unit descriptions, and soil survey publications. The Glossary of Geology (GG, 2005) serves as a major source for many glossary terms. The American Geologic Institute (AGI) granted the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) permission (in letters dated September 11, 1985, and September 22, 1993) to use existing definitions. Sources of, and modifications to, original definitions are explained immediately below. 629.2 Definitions A. Reference Codes Sources from which definitions were taken, whole or in part, are identified by a code (e.g., GG) following each definition.
[Show full text]
S40645-019-0306-X.Pdf
Isaji et al. Progress in Earth and Planetary Science (2019) 6:60 Progress in Earth and https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-019-0306-x Planetary Science RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Biomarker records and mineral compositions of the Messinian halite and K–Mg salts from Sicily Yuta Isaji1* , Toshihiro Yoshimura1, Junichiro Kuroda2, Yusuke Tamenori3, Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo1,4, Stefano Lugli5, Vinicio Manzi6, Marco Roveri6, Hodaka Kawahata2 and Naohiko Ohkouchi1 Abstract The evaporites of the Realmonte salt mine (Sicily, Italy) are important archives recording the most extreme conditions of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). However, geochemical approach on these evaporitic sequences is scarce and little is known on the response of the biological community to drastically elevating salinity. In the present work, we investigated the depositional environments and the biological community of the shale–anhydrite–halite triplets and the K–Mg salt layer deposited during the peak of the MSC. Both hopanes and steranes are detected in the shale–anhydrite–halite triplets, suggesting the presence of eukaryotes and bacteria throughout their deposition. The K–Mg salt layer is composed of primary halites, diagenetic leonite, and primary and/or secondary kainite, which are interpreted to have precipitated from density-stratified water column with the halite-precipitating brine at the surface and the brine- precipitating K–Mg salts at the bottom. The presence of hopanes and a trace amount of steranes implicates that eukaryotes and bacteria were able to survive in the surface halite-precipitating brine even during the most extreme condition of the MSC. Keywords: Messinian Salinity Crisis, Evaporites, Kainite, μ-XRF, Biomarker Introduction hypersaline condition between 5.60 and 5.55 Ma (Manzi The Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) is one of the most et al.
[Show full text]
Seismic Delineation of the Prairie Evaporite Dissolution Edge in South-Central Saskatchewan
Seismic Delineation of the Prairie Evaporite Dissolution Edge in South-central Saskatchewan H. Hamid 1, I.B. Morozov 1, and L.K. Kreis Hamid, H., Morozov, I.B., and Kreis, L.K. (2005): Seismic delineation of the Prairie Evaporite dissolution edge in south-central Saskatchewan; in Summary of Investigations 2005, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Industry Resources, Misc. Rep. 2005-4.1, CD-ROM, Paper A-8, 11p. Abstract Approximately 330 km of 2-D seismic data were integrated with well log information to improve the delineation of the southern margin of the Middle Devonian Prairie Evaporite in Saskatchewan. Thirteen seismic lines were re- processed with an emphasis on enhancing high-frequency imaging. The resulting seismic sections show marked improvement in the accuracy and quality of subsurface mapping of the Prairie Evaporite salt edges. Seismic data indicate that salt dissolution structures were created by multistage processes. Thickening of overlying strata related to salt dissolution was observed within both salt-free areas and areas of preserved Prairie Evaporite. Well-log data were combined with seismic results and gridded to create an updated map of the Prairie Evaporite. Different gridding methods provided different interpolations of the data set, especially where the salt layer is thin near its margin. Comparisons with seismic interpretations show that interpolation of well data alone using different interpolation techniques can result in shifts in the delineated position of the salt edges of about 2 to 9 km. Therefore, integration of the seismic and well log data should increase the accuracy of delineating the salt edge. An attempt was also made to determine whether the effect of the salt edge could be observed in gravity data.
[Show full text]
Potash Deposits in the Devonian Prairie Evaporite, Southwestern Manitoba Lo Eo Gic G a a L B S O U
Potash deposits in the Devonian Prairie Evaporite, southwestern Manitoba lo eo gic g a a l b s o u t r i v n e a MGS y m M.P.B. Nicolas 1928 Manitoba Geological Survey, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Potash Geology 3. Esterhazy Member The Esterhazy Member is the most economic Potash Exploration potash beds. It consists of euhedral to subhedal halite 2. Regional and Local Geology crystals with large anhedral sylvite crystals and minor 1. Introduction interstitial carnolite and clays (Figure 7 and 8). In Manitoba, the Paleozoic-, Mesozoic- and Cenozoic-age strata form a basinward-thickening, southwesterly- 6. Potash Resource 7. Exploration History The Prairie Evaporite is a thick Denonian-aged evaporitic sloping wedge, with the strata reaching a total thickness of 2.3 km in the extreme southestern corner of Manitoba The Esterhazy Member is intermittently present in R29W1 R28 R27 R26 R25 R24 R23 sequence dominantly consisting of halite and anhydrite. It Legend (Figure 4). The potash-bearing Devonian-age Prairie Evaporite was deposited within the Elk Point Basin (Figure Formal mineral resource estimates have been prepared for The discovery of potash in Manitoba was in an oil well T30 a narrow, elongate strip in southwestern Manitoba, includes four potash-bearing members, from oldest to youngest N 5). The Prairie Evaporite consists mainly of thick halite beds, with minor anhydrite and four localized potash beds. the Russell deposit, most recently in 2009. A historical resource drilled in 1951 at 15-18-10-27W1. This discovery led to salt distribution WA T29 from Township 5 to 21, Ranges 27 to 29 W1 (Figure E A H B C Within the basin, the formation can exceed 210 m in thickness, and lies at depths of 200 to 2,700 m below surface.
[Show full text]
Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science
Geology and Mining of Gypsum in Southwestern Indiana^ Robert R. French, Indiana Geological Survey Introduction Gypsum in southwestern Indiana was first noted by Logan (3), who described a layer of selenite a few inches thick in the vicinity of Huron, Lawrence County. Many hundreds of oil and gas wells were subsequently drilled in southwestern Indiana, but not until about 30 years later were relatively thick beds of gypsum and anhydrite recognized in the lower part of the St. Louis Limestone (Meramec, Mississippian). Intense exploration for commercial quantities of gypsum began in 1951. McGregor (4) later delineated the approximate limits of the evaporite deposits. By late 1955 the National Gypsum Co. and the U. S. Gypsum Co. had established mines and fabricating plants and were shipping gypsum products from the Shoals (Martin County) area. In 1958 the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. discovered a potentially commercial deposit in T. 9 N., R, 5 W., Owen County, and in 1964 the Indiana Geological Survey discovered another potentially commercial deposit in sec. 10, T. 7, N., R. 4 W., Greene County. The deposits in Owen and Greene Counties have not been developed. Stratigraphy Gypsum and anhydrite have been observed in well cuttings from a broad band that extends northwestward from Perry and Harrison Counties to Vigo and Clay Counties and then southwestward along the Indiana-Illinois border (Fig. 1). Evaporites are found in the lower part of the St. Louis Limestone and are associated with carbonate rocks that are characteristically less cherty than the upper part of the St. Louis. The lower St. Louis Limestone ranges from less than 100 feet thick at the outcrop to more than 270 feet thick in the extreme southwest corner of the State.
[Show full text]
Evaporites and the Salinity of the Ocean During the Phanerozoic: Implications for Climate, Ocean Circulation and Life
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OceanRep Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 240 (2006) 3–46 www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo Evaporites and the salinity of the ocean during the Phanerozoic: Implications for climate, ocean circulation and life ⁎ ✠ William W. Hay a, , Areg Migdisov b, , Alexander N. Balukhovsky b, Christopher N. Wold c, Sascha Flögel d, Emanuel Söding e a 2045 Windcliff Dr., Estes Park, CO 80517, USA b VI Vernadski Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kosygin 19, Moscow 119991, Russia c Platte River Associates, 2790 Valmont Road, Boulder, CO 80304, USA d Leibniz-Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR), Wischhofstrasse 1-3, D-24148 Kiel, Germany e Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International, Inc., Sapporo Office, Creative Research Initiative “Sousei” (CRIS), Hokkaido University, N21W10 Kitaku, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan Received 23 March 2005; accepted 24 March 2006 Abstract A compilation of data on volumes and masses of evaporite deposits is used as the basis for reconstruction of the salinity of the ocean in the past. Chloride is tracked as the only ion essentially restricted to the ocean, and past salinities are calculated from reconstructed chlorine content of the ocean. Models for ocean salinity through the Phanerozoic are developed using maximal and minimal estimates of the volumes of existing evaporite deposits, and using constant and declining volumes of ocean water through the Phanerozoic. We conclude that there have been significant changes in the mean salinity of the ocean accompanying a general decline throughout the Phanerozoic. The greatest changes are related to major extractions of salt into the young ocean basins which developed during the Mesozoic as Pangaea broke apart.
[Show full text]
Evaporites Evaporites
Evaporites Evaporites • Evaporites are chemical sediments precipitated from water following evaporative concentration of dissolved salts • Principal evaporite minerals – Carbonates • Calcite (CaCO3) • Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) – Sulfates • Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) • Anhydite (CaSO4) – Chlorides • Halite (NaCl) • Sylvite (KCl) Controls on Formation of Evaporite Deposits • Normal Evaporative Sequence – CaCO3, 1.8X [SW] – CaSO4, 3.8X – NaCl, 10.6X – K salts, >70X • ~65X height of water column to height of resulting sediment column • Coastal basins normally have too high humidity to get K salts, these form mostly in arid settings Controls • Brine Composition – Continental waters vs seawater – Cont. waters have far more diverse mineralogy derived from weathering of source terrain • Basin Hydrology – Dynamic balance, need continual recharge – Need a basal aquitard as well as narrow sill in order to get high degree of brine supersaturation – Inflow – outflow (through sill or leaky basin) needs to be balanced Messian Salinity Crisis (7-5 Ma, late Miocene) – Mediterranean Sea became isolated • Eustatic sealevel fall, tectonic uplift – Widespread deposition of evaporites Kinds of Evaporites: Sulfates • Gypsum-anhydrite cycle – Deposition normally as gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) – Burial dehydration changes gypsum to anhydrite (CaSO4) – Uplift rehydrates anhydrite to gypsum • Dominant textures – Laminated • Thin, alternating layers of evaporite and matrix (tc/carbonate/organic matter) – Nodular • Irregularly shaped lumps separated by matrix • Early displacive fabrics,
[Show full text]
Warren, J. K., 2010, Evaporites Through Time: Tectonic, Climatic And
Earth-Science Reviews 98 (2010) 217–268 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Earth-Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/earscirev Evaporites through time: Tectonic, climatic and eustatic controls in marine and nonmarine deposits John K. Warren Petroleum Geoscience Program, Department of Geology, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand article info abstract Article history: Throughout geological time, evaporite sediments form by solar-driven concentration of a surface or Received 25 February 2009 nearsurface brine. Large, thick and extensive deposits dominated by rock-salt (mega-halite) or anhydrite Accepted 10 November 2009 (mega-sulfate) deposits tend to be marine evaporites and can be associated with extensive deposits of Available online 22 November 2009 potash salts (mega-potash). Ancient marine evaporite deposition required particular climatic, eustatic or tectonic juxtapositions that have occurred a number of times in the past and will so again in the future. Keywords: Ancient marine evaporites typically have poorly developed Quaternary counterparts in scale, thickness, evaporite deposition tectonics and hydrology. When mega-evaporite settings were active within appropriate arid climatic and marine hydrological settings then huge volumes of seawater were drawn into the subsealevel evaporitic nonmarine depressions. These systems were typical of regions where the evaporation rates of ocean waters were at plate tectonics their maximum, and so were centred on the past latitudinal equivalents of today's horse latitudes. But, like economic geology today's nonmarine evaporites, the location of marine Phanerozoic evaporites in zones of appropriate classiﬁcation adiabatic aridity and continentality extended well into the equatorial belts. Exploited deposits of borate, sodium carbonate (soda-ash) and sodium sulfate (salt-cake) salts, along with evaporitic sediments hosting lithium-rich brines require continental–meteoric not marine-fed hydrologies.
[Show full text]
Gypsum Dunes and Evaporite History of the Great Salt Lake Desert
GYPSUM DUNES AND EVAPORITE HISTORY OF THE GREAT SALT LAI(E DESERT Utah Geological and Mineralogical Survey Special Studies 2 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH A. Ray Olpin., Ph.D . ., President BOARD OF REGENTS Royden G. Derrick Chairman Spencer S. Eccles Vice Chairman Rulon L. Bradley Secretary George S. Eccles Treasurer Clarence Bamberger Member Reed W. Brinton Member Richard L. Evans Member George M. Fister Member Carvel Mattsson Member Wilford M. Burton Member Leland B. Flint Member Mitchell Melich Member Mrs. A. U. Miner Member A. Ray Olpin President I Uni v. of Utah I Ex -officio Member Lamont F. Toronto Secretary of State, Ex-officio Member Maurice L. Watts Alumni Assoc., Ex-officio Member UTAH GEOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL SURVEY ADVISORY BOARD Mr. J. M. Ehr horn I Chairman U . S. Smelting, Refining, and Mining Co. Mr. J. W. Wade Retired Dean A. J. Eardley University of Utah Dr. C. J. Christensen Uni versi ty of Utah Dean J. S. Williams Utah State University Dean D. F. Petersen Utah Sta te University Dr. L. F. Hintze Brigham Young Uni versi ty Mr. M. P. Romney Utah Mining Association Mr. A. J. Thuli Kennecott Copper Corp., A. I. M. E. Mr. Wa lker Kennedy Liberty Fuel Co. , Utah-Wyo. Coal Oper. Assoc. Mr. L. S. Hilpert U . S. Geological Survey Mr. B. H. Clemmons U . S. Bureau of Mines Mr. J. C. Osmond Consulting Geologist, I.A.P.G. Mr. W. T. Nightingale Mountain Fuel Supply Co., R. M. O. G .A. Mr. LaVaun Cox Utah Petroleum Council Mr. E. 1. Lentz Western Phosphates Inc.
[Show full text]