Sedimentary Rocks and Tectonic Setting
Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Sedimentation Rates
Tectonics controls sedimentation by:
- Controlling rate of basin subsidence
- Controlling relief of source areas and rate of erosion
- Creating or modifying source rocks
| Deposition Rate | Geologic Settings |
| 0.1 - 1 m/1000yr (mm/yr) | Oceanic trenches Foreland basins (Molasse basins) Rift valleys Successor basins |
| 0.01 - 0.1 m/1000 yr (mm/yr) | Miogeoclines Continental shelves Eugeoclines Continental Rises |
| 0.001 - 0.01 m/1000 yr (mm/yr) | Cratonic basins |
| Less than 0.001 m/1000 yr (mm/yr) | Abyssal plains Cratonic platforms |
Source: Schwab, F. L., 1976; Modern and ancient sedimentary basins: Comparative accumulation rates, Geology, v. 4, p. 723-727.
Tectonics and Lithology
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Quartz and feldspar are resistant to weathering and survive the protracted recycling of sediments on the craton. Magmatic arc sediments are rich in rock fragments and poor in quartz since the source rocks are typically basalt and andesite. Orogens are still subject to rapid erosion and have abundant rock fragments, but they also have exposed granite and gneiss and thus will have abundant quartz as well. |
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Created 26 October 2001, Last Update