0% found this document useful (0 votes)
74 views4 pages

3-CoreDescription Hi Res

The document discusses the responsibilities and procedures for shipboard sedimentologists to describe cores recovered from scientific ocean drilling. Sedimentologists provide visual descriptions of cores in a complete and consistent manner using standardized terminology and methods so that their observations can be understood by other scientists.

Uploaded by

kingcoffee
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
74 views4 pages

3-CoreDescription Hi Res

The document discusses the responsibilities and procedures for shipboard sedimentologists to describe cores recovered from scientific ocean drilling. Sedimentologists provide visual descriptions of cores in a complete and consistent manner using standardized terminology and methods so that their observations can be understood by other scientists.

Uploaded by

kingcoffee
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Core Understanding - Core Description

and Lithostratigraphy
Background
The shipboard sedimentologists are responsible for describing the lithology and stratig-
raphy of sediments and sedimentary rocks that are recovered by scientific ocean drill-
ing. Lithology is the set of physical characteristics of the rock or sediment. Stratigraphy
is a term that refers to the classification, nomenclature (naming), and interpretation of
layered rocks and sediment. The sedimentologists provide the first complete visual
description of the cores. This is important because it will be used: (1) by shipboard and
shore-based scientists as the basis for further sampling and study, and (2) for forming
the first general conclusions about the geologic history of the drilling site. The shipboard
sedimentologists have considerable responsibility to the scientific community at large, for
they are commonly the only scientists who have the opportunity to see all the cores from
each of the drilling sites. Thus, it is very important that they describe the lithology and
stratigraphy of sediment and sedimentary rocks in a manner that is both complete and
consistent from expedition to expedition.1.

In this exercise you will be provided with a color print out of a split core photo. Photos
such as this are taken of each core recovered on the drill ship. The photo itself is an
important archive, as most scientists will not see the real split cores themselves. Rather,
they rely on the core photos and the accompanying core description by the sedimentolo-
gist to learn about the nature of the sediment and rock recovered, and to sometimes
make decisions on where in the core they want samples to be taken for their own re-
search projects.
Teaching for Science Learning for Life | www.deepearthacademy.org

Objective
You will model the role of a shipboard sedimentologist and describe a split core. This is
an inquiry-based activity and it will draw on and further develop your scientific skills of
observation and description. You will also learn how important it is in science to be com-
plete and consistent in recording your visual observations.
Procedures
You will be assigned one of the following cores to describe as a group:

130-807A-8H 206-1256B-2H
3 36.4N, 156 37.5E 6 44.2N, 91 56.1W
Water depth: 2804 mbsl Water depth: 3635 mbsl
TM

Cored interval: Cored interval:


64.40-73.90 mbsf 6.10-15.60 mbsf
145-887C-6H
54 21.9N, 148 26.8W
Water depth: 3634 mbsl
Cored interval:
42.30-51.80 mbsf
Part I:
Core Understanding - Core Description and Lithostratigraphy

How can core description be accomplished in a


1. Specific terminology is used to precisely identify complete and consistent way?
a core. See the attached What is a Core? work-
Standard forms, procedures, and lithologic nomen-
sheet to become familiar with this terminology.
clature are used by the sedimentologists on each
On what expedition (Leg) and at which Site
expedition. A description of the methods used in
was your core drilled?
core description and sediment classification can be
2. Where in the ocean was your assigned core found in the Explanatory Notes chapter of each
recovered? Use the attached site map to deter- Expedition Report or Initial Reports volume.
mine the location.
Visual Core Description (VCD) forms are com-
3. Examine the photo of the split core that your pleted for each section of core by the sedimen-
group has been assigned to describe. tologists. The VCD is the most detailed summary
a. What characteristics of this core should be of lithologic characteristics of the sediment or
described? sedimentary rock. Standard symbols are used to
graphically represent the lithologic features ob-
b. Is there any other visual information you
served in the split core. Note that in addition to
would want to obtain that cannot be ob-
the lithologic characteristics noted above, there is
served in the core photo?
also a column on the VCD form to indicate at what
4. What do you think would be the best means of depth and for what purpose shipboard samples
recording your observations? Discuss different were taken. See attached copies of (1) a blank
options with your group. What did you decide? VCD form and (2) a figure summarizing the com-
5. Now that you have had time to consider what mon lithologic symbols used in VCDs and barrel
should be described and how it should be re- sheets. A copy of the handwritten, completed VCD
corded, lets compare that to what the sedimen- forms for 130-807A-8H will also be distributed to
tologists do on the ship. Read the following to you to compare with your completed core descrip-
learn what instructions a new sedimentologist tion.
would get in preparation for describing cores. Smear slides of unconsolidated sediment or thin
sections of hard rock are prepared to help char-
Guidelines for Core Descriptions
acterize the lithology. Smear slides are especially
What visual sedimentary features or useful for characterizing the silt size fraction of sed-
characteristics of the split core should be iment. These are examined under a petrographic
recorded? microscope and estimates of the type and relative
Teaching for Science Learning for Life | www.oceanleadership.org

abundance of different sediment components are


Visual description should include (but is not limited determined. A short video on how smear slides are
to): made will be provided to you on CD and can also
1. Bedding thickness and attitude (orientation or be downloaded at: http://www.nisd.net/jay/joides/
angle) index.htm. Attached are examples of (1) a smear
2. Bedding contacts (sharp, gradational, scoured) slide/thin section data worksheet and (2) the smear
slide results from the core you are describing.
3. Sedimentary structures (e.g., graded bedding,
laminated bedding, cross bedding, fluid escape Color of the sediment often is an indicator of
structure, fractures or microfaults, bioturbation) composition. Color description is standardized by
using Munsell Soil Color Charts to define the hue,
4. Accessory Components (e.g., concretions, value, and chroma of the freshly cut, wet sediment
isolated pebbles, macrofossils, wood surface.
fragments)
The descriptions recorded by hand on the VCD
TM

5. Composition forms are compiled and summarized electronically


6. Texture (e.g., sand, silt, clay) as barrel sheets. A single barrel sheet is com-
7. Sediment color pleted for each core using the computer program
AppleCore. The barrel sheets that the sedimentolo-
8. Induration (hardness) gists produced for 807A-8H, 887C-6H, and 1256B-
9. Drilling disturbance 2H will be distributed to you to compare with your
completed core descriptions.

2
High-quality core photos are taken by the ship- cases the primary (dominant) sedimentary compo-
Core Understanding - Core Description and Lithostratigraphy

board photographer, which are included in the nent is listed last, and may be preceded by sec-
Expedition Report accompanying the barrel sheets. ondary components (modifiers) or other descriptive
You have printed color copies of core photos for modifiers. For example, a sediment sample (e.g., a
807A-8H, 887C-6H, and 1256B-2H. Close-up pho- smear slide sample) comprised of 20% terrigenous
tos of particular intervals within a core can also be clay and 80% calcareous microfossils would be
taken to illustrate characteristic or important litho- named: clay-bearing calcareous ooze. On the next
logic features of Sthe
SHIPBOARD sedimentary sequence. For
CIENTIFIC PARTY
page is one example of a classification scheme
example, below3,is
CHAPTER a close-up
SITE 1256 photograph of an ash used by the Leg 199 sedimentologist124 on the
layer in interval 206-1256B-3H-2, 25-45 cm. JOIDES Resolution (From: http://www-odp.tamu.
Figure F20. Close-up photograph of ash layer at 3436 cm (interval 206-1256B-3H-2, 2545 cm).
edu/publications/199_IR/chap_02/c2_f5.htm)
cm
25 Part II:
6. Using the core photo, the smear-slide table
and the photomicrographs provided, describe
each section of your core. Record your descrip-
tions on the VCD sheets. Note that microfos-
sils shown in the photomicrographs can be
identified using Deep Earth Academys poster,
30 Microfossils: The Oceans Storytellers.
7. Summarize the description of your core graphi-
cally and in words. This summary is analogous
to a core barrel sheet. When you are done,
compare your summary description to the core
barrel sheet produced by sedimentologists.
Part III: Lithostratigraphy
35
After describing the sediment in each of the cores
for a particular site, the next task is to define and
categorize the sequence of sediment into par-
ticular lithostratigraphic units. Lithostratigraphy is
the study of layered sedimentary layers based on
Teaching for Science Learning for Life | www.oceanleadership.org

physical characteristics.
Sedimentologists are responsible for writing the
40
Lithostratigraphy section of each site chapter for
the expedition proceedings volume (e.g., Initial
Report volumes of ODP). Attached is the text from
the Lithostratigraphy sections of the 807, 887, and
1256 Site chapters from ODP Initial Reports vol-
umes 130, 145, and 206, respectively.
8. To which Lithologic Unit does the cored sedi-
45 ment you described belong?
Close-up photograph of ash layer at 34-36 cm (interval 206-1256B- 9. What interpretations are given regarding the
3H-2, 25-45 cm). From: http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/206_ environmental conditions at the time your litho-
IR/chap_03/chap_03.htm logic unit was being deposited?
TM

Notes
How is a lithologic name determined?
1. Introductory text adapted from: Mazzullo and
Sedimentologists on board adopt or modify an ex- Graham, 1998. Handbook for Shipboard
isting sediment classification scheme that is appro- Sedimentologist, ODP Technical Notes No. 8,
priate for the lithology recovered, largely based on Texas A&M University.
classification schemes used in previous DSDP and
ODP expeditions recovering similar sedimentary
sequences and Mazzullo et al. (1987). In nearly all

3
Core Understanding - Core Description and Lithostratigraphy

Whole-rock composition
Siliciclastic
100%

Clay/
Silt
Sand
90% 90%
Biogenic -bearing
minor modifier
75% 75%
Silic- Cal-
Calcar- eous careous Silic-
eous calcar- silic- eous
major eous eous major
modifier major major modifier
modifier modifier
50% 50%
Clayey/ Clayey/ Clayey/ Clayey/
silty/sandy silty/sandy silty/sandy silty/sandy
calcareous siliceous calcareous siliceous
ooze calcareous siliceous ooze
ooze ooze
75% 75%
Clay-, silt-, sand- Clay-, silt-, sand- Clay-, silt-, sand- Clay-, silt-, sand-
bearing bearing bearing bearing
calcareous ooze siliceous calcareous siliceous ooze
calcareous ooze siliceous ooze
90% 90%
Teaching for Science Learning for Life | www.oceanleadership.org

Siliceous Calcareous
Calcareous ooze calcareous ooze siliceous ooze Siliceous ooze

100% 75% 50% 75% 100%


Calcareous Siliceous

Sediment classification scheme used on ODP Leg 199.


TM

References Shipboard Scientific Party, 1993. Site 887. In Rea,


Mazzullo, J., Meyer, A., and Kidd, R.B., 1987. A D.K., Basov, I.A., Janecek, T.R., Palmer-Julson,
new sediment classification scheme for the A., et al., 1993. Proceedings of the Ocean Drill-
Ocean Drilling Program. ODP Technical Note, ing Program, Initial Reports, 145: ODP, College
VIII. Station, TX.
Shipboard Scientific Party, 1991. Site 807. In Shipboard Scientific Party, 2003. Site 1256. In
Kroenke, L.W., Berger, W.H., Janecek, T.R., et Wilson, D.S., Teagle, D.A.H., et al. Proceedings
al., Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, of the Ocean Drilling Program, Initial Reports,
Initial Reports, 130: ODP, College Station, TX. Volume 206: ODP, College Station, TX.

You might also like