- Source: Diamictite
Diamictite ( ; from Ancient Greek dia- (δια): 'through' and meiktós (µεικτός): 'mixed') is a type of lithified sedimentary rock that consists of nonsorted to poorly sorted terrigenous sediment containing particles that range in size from clay to boulders, suspended in a matrix of mudstone or sandstone. The term was coined by Richard Foster Flint and others as a purely descriptive term, devoid of any reference to a particular origin. Some geologists restrict the usage to nonsorted or poorly sorted conglomerate or breccia that consists of sparse, terrigenous gravel suspended in either a mud or sand matrix.
Unlithified diamictite is referred to as diamicton.
The term diamictite is often applied to nonsorted or poorly sorted, lithified glacial deposits such as glacial tillite and boulder clay, and diamictites are often mistakenly interpreted as having an essentially glacial origin (see Snowball Earth). The most common origin for diamictites, however, is deposition by submarine mass flows like turbidites and olistostromes in tectonically active areas, and they can be produced in a wide range of other geological conditions. Possible origins include:
glacial origin
meltwater flow deposition
unsorted moraine glacial till
basal melt-out
ice rafted sediments deposited by melting icebergs or disintegrating ice sheets (dropstones)
volcanic origin
lahars
lahar mass flows entering the ocean
marine origin
debris flow
turbiditic olistostromes
mixing of sediments by submarine landslides
tectonic origin
fault gouge
erosional origin
regolith, in the form of a debris flow
other mass wasting events
extraterrestrial origin
impact breccia
References
Further reading
Deynoux, M., et al. (Editors) (2004) Earth's Glacial Record, Cambridge University Press, pp. 34–39 ISBN 0-521-54803-9
External links
Illustration of a Canadian diamictite
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Bumi Bola Salju
- Diamictite
- Huronian glaciation
- Diamicton
- Marinoan glaciation
- Snowball Earth
- Till
- List of rock types
- Ediacaran
- Copepod
- Permian
